IndiGo in engine maintenance contract with Pratt & Whitney

InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, which owns IndiGo, said on Tuesday it has signed a 10-year engine maintenance contract for its ATR planes with Pratt & Whitney Canada, underscoring the ambitions of India’s largest airline to expand its operations in regional routes.

IndiGo has chosen PW127M engines that will power its new fleet of ATR72-600 aircraft flying on regional routes in India. The 10-year contract will be applicable from the date of each engine’s entry into service and can be extended thereafter, the engine maker said in a statement.

“This FMP (fleet management programme) will provide IndiGo with hands-on support as the engines progressively enter into service on the airline’s new ATR72-600 fleet,” said Frédéric Lefebvre, vice-president, regional airlines, Pratt & Whitney Canada .

Pratt & Whitney Canada is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.

The maintenance plan will provide customised support to meet the airline’s technical and commercial needs.

IndiGo announced this month that it will begin ATR operations with flights between cities on its existing network—Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Mangalore, Madurai and Nagpur—and two new tier-II cities, Tirupati and Rajahmundry. The first ATR flight will commence from Hyderabad on 21 December 2017.

The airline, which has bought 50 of these planes, is also expected to bid for regional Udan scheme and fly these smaller planes on such routes.