Upgrade Delivers 70,000 Pounds Of Thrust

Pratt & Whitney's PW4000 Advantage70 engine completed its first flight this week aboard an Air Comet A330-200 in Toulouse, France. The first Advantage70 flight marks the beginning of a flight test program that will continue through early April.

The first PW4000-100" engines with the Advantage70 technology upgrade, each of which deliver 70,000 pounds of thrust for the A330 aircraft family, are scheduled to enter into service in mid-2009.

"This is an exciting program milestone that brings us one step closer to entry into service," said Andrew Tanner, vice president, Product Line Management. "Now more than ever products like Advantage 70 deliver value to our customers by improving performance while lowering operating costs."

Advantage70 technology upgrades deliver enhanced engine performance, including a targeted 2 percent thrust increase, a 1 percent reduction in fuel consumption, increased durability, and reduced maintenance costs. The A330-200 and A330-300 passenger aircraft will be the first to fly PW4000-100" engines with Advantage70 in mid-2009 on Air Comet and Air Caraibes respectively.

Pratt & Whitney has over 16,000 aircraft engines installed with hundreds of airlines around the world. The company is also a partner in two joint venture companies that manufacture commercial aircraft engines: International Aero Engines, which makes the V2500 for the Airbus A320 family of aircraft, and the Engine Alliance, whose GP7200 engine is in service on the Airbus A380.

FMI: www.pratt-whitney.com/