Pratt & Whitney Reducing Engine Maintenance Time with New On-Wing, Near-Wing Services

With more than 7,000 V2500 engines delivered and the number of Geared Turbofan® (GTF) engines in service continuing to climb, Pratt & Whitney is investing in smart, straightforward mobile services that help operators more quickly address unscheduled engine maintenance while optimizing fleet readiness.

To alleviate operational disruptions for customers, Pratt & Whitney is providing creative solutions to resolve, replace or repair engines either on-wing, near-wing or at network repair facilities worldwide. "For engine maintenance between scheduled overhaul visits, we're performing quick-turn surgical strikes to replace engine modules or components that our customers need, while maintaining our high-quality and high-performing engines," said Tom Masters, general manager, On-Wing & Near-Wing Service, Pratt & Whitney Engine Services.

To support current engines like the V2500 fleet or the growing number of new GTF engines entering service, Pratt & Whitney is teaming with mobile engine services provider, Lufthansa Technik, to perform V2500 and GTF light engine maintenance at numerous locations around the globe. "The LHT Airline Support Team has the required capability to help us provide faster service to our customers," Masters said.

"Lufthansa Technik has a logistics network, which is critical to mobile services, as much of the work is performed in the field," Masters said. "Lufthansa Technik also has a presence in Europe, the Americas and China, supporting quick-response times for our customers."

In a separate company initiative, Pratt & Whitney is improving its own V2500 mobile engine maintenance capability, providing customers with more efficient and cost-effective engine services. The Pratt & Whitney Line Maintenance Services group completed several project visit "quick turns" last year, involving swapping out the high-pressure turbine module, for V2500 engines. What traditionally took a 70-day turnaround time can now be accomplished in approximately three weeks.

Pratt & Whitney's Line Maintenance group is responsible for maintaining engines once they enter service, as well as in-between required overhaul visits. Most of the team is based in Dallas, with the remainder in East Hartford and San Francisco. Pratt & Whitney has also invested significantly in capital tooling and training to expand repair capabilities for PW1500G and PW1100G-JM engines, with plans to add PW1900G capabilities in the future.