News
P&WC sees high demand for regional turbo props
May 22, 2012, Minneapolis, Min. - Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) continues to see a sustained demand for regional turboprop aircraft and estimates a market for 3,000 regional turboprop aircraft in the next 20 years, with the majority of the regional aircraft in the 70 to 100 seat capacity.
May 22, 2012 By Carey Fredericks
"We are experiencing excellent growth in the regional turboprop market and believe demand will only increase," said Richard Dussault, Vice-President, Marketing, P&WC. "Deliveries of turboprops have grown steadily at P&WC since 2003. All indicators point to an acceleration of demand and we have taken the right steps to ensure that we can meet that demand in a timely manner, with products that exceed our customers' expectations."
Today P&WC produces engines for the ATR 42 and ATR 72, Bombardier Q400 and XAC MA60 aircraft. P&WC recently marked the delivery of its 2000th PW100 family engine to ATR, a milestone that's indicative of strong demand for turboprop engines from regional airlines. ATR delivered its 1000th twin-engine ATR 72-600 aircraft to Spanish airline Air Nostrum in early May.
Demand for the PW150A engine, powering the Bombardier Q400 aircraft, continues to be strong and P&WC expects to exceed the 1000th-engine-produced mark in 2013.
"P&WC has built strong relationships with regional airframe OEMs and airlines that are driving the demand for our engines," said Dussault. "Demand is also driven by the fact that PW100-powered regional turboprop aircraft typically consume 30 to 45% less fuel and deliver a similar reduction in Green House Gas (CO2) emissions relative to similar-sized regional jets."
P&WC is the largest investor in aviation research and development in Canada, deploying $400 million annually to ensure its products continue to lead the industry. The company is making important progress towards meeting future demand with an entirely new turboprop engine to serve the regional airline market.
"P&WC has launched the detailed design and a technology demonstrator program for an all-new advanced turboprop engine specifically designed to power the next generation of regional turboprop aircraft," said Dussault. "We intend to leverage our experience, technology and customer service track record with regional airlines as we develop the next generation of regional turboprop engines."
