Pratt, GE engine partnership delivers

Air France took delivery today in Hamburg, Germany, of its first of 12 jumbo Airbus airliners powered with engines assembled in Middletown by two Connecticut partners -- Pratt & Whitney Co. and General Electric Co.

Air France's huge Airbus A380s will have four GP7200 turbofans manufactured by the Engine Alliance, a 50-50 venture between East Hartford-based Pratt and Fairfield-based GE.

The powerful motor, rated for quiet, fuel efficiency, reliability and low emissions, is a compilation of Pratt's and GE's individual wide-body propulsion programs, the partners said.

GE assembled the engine core in Durham, N.C., with Pratt &Whitney manufacturing the fan module, low pressure compressor and low pressure turbine. Final engine assembly was done at Pratt's Middletown engine center.

Engine builders SNECMA of France, Techspace Aero of Belgium, and MTU Aero Engines of Germany also participated in the project. Britain's Rolls Royce also builds engines for the A380.

Air France was the first airline to select GP7200 engines when it announced its order with the Engine Alliance at the Paris Air Show in 2001, the partners said. It will be the first European airline to operate the A380 - capable of carrying as many as 500 passengers -- when it enters revenue service in November.

In addition to Air France, GP7200 has been chosen to power airliners on order by Emirates, Etihad, the International Lease Finance Company (ILFC) and Korean Air.