Pratt & Whitney today announced the geared turbofan (GTF) engine powering the Bombardier CSeries will be assembled at a major new aerospace facility being established at Canada's Montreal-Mirabel International Airport.
Construction of 300,000-square-foot facility starts within a few months before its scheduled opening in the fall of 2009.
The $575.3 million Mirabel Aerospace Centre, creating 565 jobs, is also meant to house final assembly for the Pratt & Whitney Canada Pure Power PW810C powering the Cessna Citation Columbus large business jet and an integrated flight test facility, including the company's Boeing 747SP test aircraft.
The decision shifts final assembly for the CSeries version of the new GTF technology from P&W's base in Connecticut to the P&WC's main base in Montreal.
"The fact that the Bombardier CSeries will also be assembled at Mirabel was a major factor in the decision to also perform final assembly and test of the PW1524G" in the new facility, said Alain Bellemare, president P&WC and executive VP for P&W group strategy and development.
P&W has not yet decided where the GTF variant powering the Mitsubishi Regional Jet will be assembled, a company spokesman tells ATI.
Moving the PW1524G final assembly to Mirabel is not a first for the company. P&W also moved final assembly for the PW6000 to MTU's manufacturing centre in Germany.
The facility will start final assembly operations for the PW1524G in 2012 to support Bombardier's entry into service date of 2013.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news