Pratt & Whitney will supply its GTF jet engines to Frontier Airlines to power the 134 Airbus A320neo aircraft it will begin receiving in 2022. Frontier placed a $49.5-billion order for 49 A320neo, 67 A321neo , and 18 A321XLR twin-engine aircraft at the end of 2017, but the choice of the PW1100G engines marks a switch for Frontier, which had previously chosen CFM International’s CFM56 and LEAP-1A engines to power its Airbus fleet.
The PW1100G is the result of Pratt & Whitney’s $10-billion “geared turbofan engine” development, a much criticized program that lately has gained praise for the engines’ reliability in service; low maintenance requirements; and particularly for fuel efficiency. Reportedly, the GTF engine consumes 100 gallons less fuel per hour of service than the legacy high-bypass turbofan engines – with resulting savings in carbon emissions; and for low maintenance requirements.
Geared-turbofan technology features an engine fan separated from the low-pressure compressor and turbine, so that each module operates at optimal speeds. The result is a lower-weight engine with greater fuel efficiency. Pratt & Whitney claims its GTF engines offer 16% better fuel efficiency and 50% lower NOx emissions than the regulatory standard, and a 75% smaller “noise footprint.”
In the new contract, Pratt & Whitney also will provide Frontier with long-term engine maintenance through a comprehensive service agreement.
"Frontier Airlines is at the forefront of green innovation in the airline industry and this deal for advanced GTF engines from Pratt & Whitney is extremely significant in our continued action plan to reduce fuel consumption," stated Barry Biffle, president and CEO of Frontier Airlines. "Operating with this new engine technology will result in additional fuel savings which translates to operational cost reductions we can pass on to consumers in the form of low fares."
Frontier is a holding of Indigo Partners, which controls three other airlines that have paired Airbus A320neo aircraft with the GTF engine: Volaris in Mexico, JetSMART in Chile, and Wizz Air in Hungary. P&W noted that the four Indigo Partners' airlines have committed to the GTF engines for a total of 539 G aircraft.
