Martinair Signs 3-year Agreement with Pratt & Whitney Global Service Partners

EAST HARTFORD, Conn., Nov. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies Corp. company, signed a three-year Global Service Partners agreement to provide EcoPower(R) engine wash services on the Netherlands airline Martinair's fleet of PW4000, CF6 and V2500(R) engines. The engine washing will take place at Schiphol International Airport in Amsterdam. The fleet-wide engine wash program will improve engine performance and could save Martinair as much as $2.3 million in annual fuel savings.

"Earlier this year we completed an EcoPower(R) engine wash pilot program that resulted in engine performance improvements, operating cost reductions and emission reductions," said Paul Horstink, vice president maintenance & engineering at Martinair. "Results showed substantial take-off exhaust gas temperature (EGT) improvements as well as cruise fuel flow improvements. We now plan to wash our entire fleet of 55 engines regularly and expect to achieve an annual carbon dioxide emissions reduction of 23.7 million pounds."

"We are pleased to provide Martinair with an environmentally-friendly method of improving engine performance," said Jim Keenan, senior vice president and general manager, Pratt & Whitney Global Service Partners. "With regular washings, we expect Martinair's engines to operate more efficiently, burn less fuel, stay on-wing longer and cost less to maintain."

In July, Pratt & Whitney announced plans to establish its first European EcoPower(R) service center station at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam with Martinair as its European launch customer. Pratt & Whitney will provide engine-wash services to Martinair as well as other airlines using Schiphol Airport.

The engine washing process is a closed-loop, environmentally-friendly system that uses atomized water to wash aircraft engines. Not only does the system avoid potentially harmful run-off from the washing process, but it also is more effective and much faster than traditional engine-washing processes. EcoPower(R) wash improves engine performance and extends time on wing for operators of Pratt & Whitney, GE, IAE, CFMI and Rolls-Royce engines. EcoPower(R) wash can reduce fuel burn by as much as 1 percent and increase EGT margin by as much as 15 degrees Celsius.

EcoPower(R) was established in 2005 at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York and Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles. Since its launch, more than 500 washes have been performed for over 20 customers on 20 different engine models at 14 locations worldwide.

One year ago, Pratt & Whitney formed Global Service Partners (GSP), bringing together an array of maintenance, repair and overhaul services offered to customers under one brand name. In its first year, GSP welcomed a number of new customers and was awarded several significant contracts, including an exclusive 20-year agreement with Federal Express Corp. and a 10-year exclusive Materials Management Program with United Airlines, the largest in Pratt & Whitney's history.

Global Service Partners, Pratt & Whitney's engine services business, is an industry leader in customer solutions and service excellence. It has more than 500 aviation customers served by a worldwide network of 24 overhaul and repair facilities capable of servicing all Pratt & Whitney's engines, as well as the V2500 and CFM56(R) engines.

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., USA, is a diversified company providing high-technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries.

Contact: Robin Salisbury 860.565.8220 robin.salisbury@pw.utc.com