Unison Industries signed a long-term material purchase agreement with Alaska Airlines for the purchase of its new Hi-Performance Igniter Plug for use on Alaska Airlines’ CFM56-7 powered fleet. Alaska Airlines currently has more than 160 Boeing 737 aircraft in service.
Unison says the igniter enables Alaska Airlines to almost double the lifespan compared to standard or legacy igniters, extending time on wing. The all-new patented technology improves spark life under harsh conditions, Unison says. During bench and field testing, the Hi-Performance Igniter succeeded in extreme temperatures up to 2,000°F. Alaska Airlines is Unison’s launch partner for the Hi-Performance Igniter.
Unison will support Alaska Airlines with available material on-hand which will help reduce annual maintenance costs by decreasing the number of replacements as a result of increased intervals. Unison has the only CFM56 OEM-approved igniter plug by CFM, and it is currently being installed on all new CFM56 engines after receiving FAA approval in 2018.
“This product is a prime example of Unison’s focus on continuous improvement for in-service fleets,” says Tom Hoferer, Unison Industries president “We are proud to partner with Alaska Airlines and work hand-in-hand with them while leveraging our strong partnership across the engine OEMs.”
“Our teams worked closely together for many months to ensure the product would be safe and reliable for use on Alaska’s fleet,” says Todd Martin, manager of Powerplant Engineering for Alaska Airlines. “We look forward to the increased reliability and decreased cost that this igniter brings to the airline,”