IndiGo firms up its contract with Pratt & Whitney to power its Airbus 320neos

The first day of the Farnborough Air Show has been relatively quiet on the orders front. But Pratt & Whitney has announced a slew of engine deals for Airbus' A320neo, and included in the deal was a firming of the contract between P&W and India's largest low cost carrier (LCC) IndiGo Airlines to provide PW1100G-JM (otherwise known as the Geared Turbofan or GTF) engines for IndiGo's A320neos. The selection of Pratt & Whitney engines to power the A320neo was first announced at last year's Paris Air Show, but a fully firm contract was not signed until today at Farnborough.

IndiGo had this to say about the deal.

“With oil prices on the rise, we are more satisfied than ever with our selection of the Pratt & Whitney PurePower engine,” said IndiGo President Aditya Ghosh. “As a result of the lower engine operating cost, we are confident that we can maintain our competitive low fares while simultaneously offering our customers the most environmentally friendly way to fly.”

Meanwhile Pratt & Whitney, which currently trails its rival CFM (a joint venture between GE Aviation of the US and Snecma of France) in market share in the engine battle for both the large narrowbody segment, and specifically on the Airbus A320neo, was happy to sign the deal

“This IndiGo order represents one of the largest engine orders in Pratt & Whitney’s long history," said Todd Kallman, president, Commercial Engines & Global Services for Pratt & Whitney. “We are excited by the opportunity to power IndiGo’s A320neo fleet and fly its customers with the dependable Pratt & Whitney PurePower engines.”

IndiGo has 150 A320neos on order and is one of the earliest customers for the aircraft, which will enter into service (EIS) in 2015 with Virgin America.