The American aerospace manufacturer, Pratt & Whitney, a United Technology company, has sold close to 10 percent of its Geared Turbofan (GTF) engines to Indian companies, Indigo, Aircosta and Go Air. Over 600 engines out of 7,000 manufactured by the company were ordered by the three companies, said Mary Ellen S. Jones, vice president, commercial engines, sales Asia/Pacific and China.
Pratt & Whitney opened its customer training centre in the city inside the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport campus here on Thursday.
While training capacity of the centre is 2,000 students attending a one-week class per year, the company could upgrade this to 4,000 students per annum later.
The company maintained that the Indian aviation industry is growing fast, making atmosphere conducive for further collaboration with the country in the coming years.
As India’s GDP is improving over the years, its air traffic is also improving, Ms. Jones said at a media briefing that followed the launch.
Speaking on the global aerospace market, Ms. Jones said, “The V2500 (engine) which was in market for 30 years has sold 5,000 or 6,000 units. But GTF orders have crossed 7,000 already. This is indicative of a healthy market.”
However, Palash Roy Chowdhury, country manager and managing director of the company, maintained that tax structure in India is not conductive for Maintenance Repairs and Overhauls (MRO) investments in the country.
The Hyderabad facility would be the company’s third such centre as it already has customer training centres in the US and China.
The centre’s advantage is its close proximity to airlines within the airport, the company stated.
“We are laser-focused on readying all aspects of customer support, including opening this new training centre close to our customers in India and Asia,” said Andrew Tanner, vice president, Pratt & Whitney said.
Union Minister for Civil Aviation P. Ashok Ganapati Raju, who was present at the opening, said that the government welcomes skill training in the State. On the sidelines, the Minister said that the government has not scrapped the plan to privatise four of the airports in the country.
