Korean Air announced on Dec. 21 that it will strengthen its competitiveness in the maintenance, repair & overhaul market through an agreement with Pratt & Whitney (P&W), global aircraft engine maker, on its next-generation GTF (Geared Turbofan) engines.
The GTF engine is expected to lead the commercial aircraft engine market, powering the aircraft with maximum propulsive efficiency through optimal rotation speed and a geared architecture.
Korean Air has chosen the PW1100G-JM, a P&W GTF model, to power its Airbus A320neo fleet that the company will introduce over the next few years. Pratt & Whitney’s expanding GTF MRO network is comprised of the industry’s leading MRO companies, including Japanese Aero Engine Corp., MTU, Lufthansa and Delta Tech Ops.
In joining the Pratt & Whitney GTF MRO Network, Korean Air will benefit from advanced maintenance technology. The scale of the engine maintenance orders that Korean Air will take is the biggest in the Korean MRO industry to date.
Korean Air expects to secure maintenance capabilities to completely disassemble, assemble and test the PW1100G-JM engines with its first maintenance work on the PW1100G-JM engine expected in the third quarter of 2023.
The next-generation GTF engine is a sustainable engine with increased efficiency and reduced carbon emissions compared to previous models. About 1,100 aircraft powered by GTF engines are currently operated worldwide, and the company has more than 10,000 orders and commitments from 80 airlines.
Korean Air joins the GTF MRO network with its extensive knowledge and accumulated capability in the engine MRO industry.
Korean Air is the only commercial airline with an in-house engine maintenance center for commercial aircraft in Korea. Starting from heavy maintenance work on Boeing 707 in 1976, the airline has carried out maintenance work on 4,600 engines of its own fleet. Since 2004, the airline has successfully provided more than 190 maintenance works on global carriers’ engines.
The airline plans to continue its expansion in the global MRO market through strategic cooperation with engine manufacturers. The agreement with Pratt & Whitney will contribute to the development of the domestic aviation MRO industry by covering the domestic LCC airline engine MRO demand, which relied on overseas maintenance until now. The expansion of the domestic MRO business will seek to stimulate domestic industry growth, and create industry-related jobs.
In 2016, Korean Air built the world’s largest commercial aircraft engine test facility in Incheon, and has a long-term plan to expand its engine MRO capability and capacity to take an important role and responsibility for its global clientele. With efficient operations gained by new technologies that will be implemented in the facility as well as an advanced engine MRO ecosystem in the country, Korean Air will be able to enhance its service quality to satisfy evolving and diverse customer needs.
