Pratt & Whitney has announced that Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance has inducted its first Pratt & Whitney GTF™ engine. AFI KLM E&M joined the Pratt & Whitney GTF MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) network in 2022 with disassembly, assembly and test capability for PW1500G model engines for the Airbus A220 family. In 2021, Air France selected 60 A220-300 aircraft with an option of adding up to 60 more, which are powered exclusively by GTF engines. The airline currently operates 24 of these aircraft, with an additional 37 on order.

"With the induction of our first GTF engine, we're growing our capabilities with today's most advanced technologies," said Anne Brachet, executive vice president at Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance. "Our ability to overhaul geared turbofan engines strengthens our expertise in the world's most innovative architectures, so we're ready to meet the needs of current and future operators – many of them right here in Europe."

In the last four years, the GTF MRO network has more than doubled in size, and AFI KLM E&M marks the 13th active location. AFI KLM E&M is one of several distinguished providers in Europe supporting GTF MRO work and will become the third facility in the region to provide full disassembly, assembly and test capability for the PW1500G engine.

"Pratt & Whitney has announced two facility expansions and three partner shop activations across our network in the first half of this year alone," said Marc Meredith, vice president of GTF Engine Aftermarket at Pratt & Whitney. "With the fleet growing at such a rapid pace, it is more critical than ever to ensure that our network has world-class MRO providers like AFI KLM E&M to provide top-notch services in close proximity to our customers."