Pratt And Whitney GTF Engines Now Power 1,000 Aircraft

Connecticut-based engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney has achieved a numerically significant milestone. Specifically, there are now 1,000 aircraft in service that are powered by its Geared Turbofan (GTF) engines. Otherwise known as the PW1000G family, these efficient turbofans presently power three next-generation narrowbody families, with more to come.

All 30s of Lufthansa’s Airbus A320neos have Pratt & Whitney GTF engines. Photo: Getty Images

1,000 GTF-powered aircraft

According to The Hindu Business Line, 1,000 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney’s GTF engines have now entered service. These are spread among 54 airlines worldwide, with the turbofans giving power to three different twin-engine narrowbody jetliner families.

This type of engine first ran in 2007, and entered commercial service in January 2016, when Lufthansa launched the Airbus A320neo. Today, Planespotters.net reports that all 30 of the German flag carrier’s A320neos feature such engines. The GTF design is also known as the PW1000G series, with Lufthansa’s A320neos sporting the PW1127G model.

Since the engine entered into commercial service five years ago, it has reportedly accumulated over 8.9 million hours of flight time. During this time, these modern powerplants have saved 4.7 million tonnes of carbon emissions, and 490 million gallons (1.8 billion liters) of fuel.

This Air Canada Airbus A220 is now one of 1,000 jet aircraft to features Pratt & Whitney’s GTF engines.   Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

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P&W’s CCO and Senior Vice-President, Rick Deurloo, welcomed the milestone, and the new age that the GTF engines have heralded. He said in a statement that:

“GTF-powered aircraft have introduced the world to a new era of more sustainable aviation with dramatic reductions in emissions and noise.”

Which models have such engines?

As established, the Airbus A320neo was the first of the three families on which Pratt & Whitney’s GTF engines entered service. It has since been followed by another Airbus product, namely the five-abreast A220, which began life as the Bombardier CSeries. While A320neo customers can also choose CFM LEAP engines, the A220 is solely powered by the PW1000G family.

Widerøe launched the GTF-powered Embraer E190-E2 in April 2018. Photo: Alan Wilson via Flickr

Away from Airbus, the third aircraft family currently using engines from Pratt & Whitney’s GTF/PW1000G portfolio is the Embraer E-Jet E2 series. The full rundown of which aircraft type uses which engine variant is as follows.

• Airbus A220 – PW1500G.
• Airbus A320neo – PW1100G.
• Embraer E175-E2 – PW1700G (yet to enter service).
• Embraer E190/195-E2 – PW1900G.

Set for use on upcoming narrowbodies

Additionally, we will soon see two new aircraft families take to the skies powered by Pratt & Whitney’s GTF engines, taking the total number of aircraft comfortably above the 1,000 mark. One of these is the Japanese-designed Mitsubishi SpaceJet. This will use PW1200G engines from the GTF range on its M90 and M100 variants.

Mitsubishi agreed on a deal to use P&W’s GTF engines on its SpaceJet in 2007. Photo: Getty Images

Secondly, the Russian-designed Irkut MC-21 will feature GTF engines in the form of the PW1400G model. Work on this aircraft has been ongoing since 2006, and operators will also have the option to used Russian Aviadvigatel PD-14 powerplants. It is hoped that the aircraft will enter service later this year to challenge the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX.

Have you ever flown on an aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney’s GTF engines? If so, which type was it? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

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