Great Wall First Chinese Airline To Do So

Given the everpresent smog and pollution that hangs over many Chinese cities, one may be forgiven for not equating the growing superpower with environmentally-friendly policies... but one Chinese cargo carrier hopes to change that, while saving fuel in the process.

Great Wall Airlines signed an agreement this week at Airshow China 2008 to use Pratt & Whitney's EcoPower engine wash service on its fleet of PW4056 engines through 2010. All engines washes will be conducted at EcoPower's Amsterdam service center.

Pratt & Whitney's patented EcoPower washes reduce engine fuel burn by as much as 1.2 percent, eliminate three pounds of carbon dioxide emissions for every pound of fuel saved, and decrease engine exhaust gas temperature (EGT) by as much as 15 degrees Celsius, improving performance and increasing the amount of time an engine can stay on wing. This is the first Chinese customer for EcoPower service.

Pratt & Whitney launched EcoPower in late 2004 and has completed nearly 4,000 washes for more than 60 customers at 50 locations. The EcoPower engine wash service uses a closed-loop system with pure, atomized water to wash aircraft engines, thus avoiding potential contaminant runoff.

Based at Shanghai Pudong Airport, Great Wall Airlines is a joint venture company among Beijing Aerospace Satellite Applications Corporation, Singapore Airlines Cargo and Dahlia Investments. Great Wall Airlines' network covers major cargo hubs in Amsterdam, Manchester, Incheon, Seattle and Chicago.

FMI: www.pratt-whitney.com/