Croatia Airlines finalises Pratt & Whitney GTF™ Engine and EngineWise® Maintenance Agreements
20th June 2023, Paris – Croatia Airlines and Pratt & Whitney, a Raytheon Technologies company based in the US, have today finalised in Paris maintenance and aftermarket agreements for the new generation of Geared Turbo Fan (GTF) engines which will power Croatia Airlines’ new fleet.
By 2026 Croatia’s flag carrier is planning to unify and transform its fleet into a single-type fleet which will consist of 12 new Airbus A220-100 and A220-300 aircraft, with the option of purchasing 3 more aircraft in 2027. Pratt & Whitney will provide engine maintenance for Croatia Airlines’ entire fleet under a long-term Engine Fleet Management Program (EFPM) agreement.
The finalised agreement is a financially optimised programme of maintenance of the engines of Croatia Airlines’ entire fleet in Pratt & Whitney facilities, which includes engine maintenance, visits to stores within the network of Pratt & Whitney facilities, purchase of spare engines, procurement of engine parts and the like.
By using GTF engines to power its new fleet, Croatia Airlines will create the necessary conditions for the reduction of operating costs per seat and flight compared to those aboard an Airbus A320, the reduction of fuel consumption, CO2 emissions, noise footprint, and maintenance costs, with the added benefit of excellent operational reliability and providing an enhanced passenger transport service.
– This is an exciting time for Croatia Airlines as we’ve decided to modernise our fleet with these GTF-powered A220 aircraft – said Jasmin Bajić, CEO and president of the Management Board of Croatia Airlines, adding the following – By replacing prior-generation aircraft with the most efficient and sustainable engines and aircraft available today, we’ll be able to shrink our environmental footprint and keep airfares competitive.
It is worth recalling that the first aircraft in Croatia Airlines’ fleet were also powered by Pratt & Whitney engines, including McDonnell Douglas MD-82 and Boeing 737-200 aircraft powered by JT8D engines, and ATR 42 aircraft powered by PW100 engines.
– Pratt & Whitney and Croatia Airlines have a longstanding relationship, dating back to the airline’s first passenger operations – said Rick Deurloo, president of Commercial Engines at Pratt & Whitney, adding the following – With this GTF-powered A220 fleet backed by EngineWise services, Croatia Airlines will benefit from industry-leading technology and world-class service and support, with a growing GTF MRO network, including facilities like Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance, EME Aero, and Lufthansa Technik Aero Alzey in the heart of Europe.