Pratt & Whitney’s PW1100G geared-turbofan (GTF) engine has been approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to power the Airbus A321XLR.
The US engine-maker says certification for use aboard the long-range narrowbody was granted on 12 December.
In total, 13 customers have selected PW1100G engines to power 217 A321XLRs, says P&W.
Among these are US carriers JetBlue Airways and United Airlines, respectively holding orders for 14 and 50 of the A321neo variant.
Certification and delivery of the improved GTF Advantage will follow in 2025, having cleared a recent regulatory hurdle. A 34,000lb (151kN)-rated engine, it will provide 4-8% higher take-off thrust with a 1% fuel-burn improvement than the current 33,000lb PW1100G.
The A321XLR was first certificated by European regulators in July, for airframes powered by the CFM International Leap-1A engine, with the FAA following suit in October.
P&W says it is targeting the first quarter of 2025 to obtain European Union Aviation Safety Agency approval.
Meanwhile, MTU Aero Engines, a risk and reward sharing partner on the PW1100G programme, says it has reduced MRO and replacement time on the engine to 100 days – a target it disclosed earlier this year.
The reduction is a key part of a broader effort by P&W and its partners to complete a massive engine inspection and replacement programme due to a manufacturing defect affecting GTF engines.
“The programme has transitioned from crisis mode to implementing a highly effective geared turbofan fleet-management plan,” says MTU.
“With our partners, we’re now focused on executing this plan seamlessly and delivering to our customers.”
MTU last week celebrated the fifth anniversary of EME Aero, its Polish-based MRO joint venture with Lufthansa Technik dedicated to the PW1000G-series. Since opening in December 2019 it has performed maintenance on over 500 GTF engines.
This story has been updated with additional detail from P&W on the timeline for EASA certification.
