Pratt & Whitney announced a $30 million investment in its engine services facility in Bridgeport, West Virginia for the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of PW800 engines. Specifically, the site will service the market leading PW814GA and PW815GA engines that power the Gulfstream G500 and G600 aircraft, respectively, with the capacity to expand its capabilities to other PW800 engine models in the future.
“As part of the next phase of the successful entry into service of the PW800, we have chosen the Bridgeport facility to provide MRO services for the engine family. This decision was based on the site’s wealth of technical expertise in business aviation engines and its excellent record in providing quality, speed and value for our customers,” said Satheeshkumar Kumarasingam, vice president, customer service, Pratt & Whitney. “Adding the game-changing PW800 engine to their repertoire of business aviation engines will equip and upskill the facility with high value service engineering jobs.”
“Pratt & Whitney’s decision to invest in their West Virginia site is incredible news and is a testament to the quality of our skilled workforce,” West Virginia Governor Jim Justice said. “This outstanding company has been an integral part of the West Virginia aerospace community since 1971 and we are thrilled by their ongoing commitment to our great state.”
In addition to the West Virginia investment, Pratt & Whitney, also officially opened their new overhaul center in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, for PT6A and PW200 engine families. The grand opening event that celebrated the addition of a fourth new facility in Brazil was attended by national and local government officials, Pratt & Whitney executives and local employees, customers, suppliers and industry representatives. The event was also attended by officials from Pratt & Whitney’s designated maintenance facilities (DMFs) located in Brazil, including ABA Manutenção, Rico Táxi Aéreo and Helipark Manutenção.
“Brazil has a rapidly growing installed engine base. To best serve our customers here, we’ve been working since 2017 to give them even more options for service in-country,” said Satheeshkumar Kumarasingam, vice president, customer service, Pratt & Whitney. “This new facility in Belo Horizonte will be our flagship facility in the region and the considerable demand is directly attributed to both the existing four facilities and the great local talent supporting the fleet.”
Pratt & Whitney powers a large number of Brazil’s aircraft for government, commercial and business use, including 1,300 aircraft powered by PT6A and PW200 engines. By working with IAS and local DMFs, Pratt & Whitney can meet the evolving needs of its customers, providing them with more personalized, timely and cost-effective engine services, for Brazil and other South American operators.
“Working closely with the team at Pratt & Whitney, we were able to quickly bring the new Belo Horizonte facility into operation,” said Ronaldo Aldrin, chief executive officer at IAS. “That success bodes very well for our joint ability to deliver a level of service that exceeds our customers’ expectations and differentiates us in the marketplace.”