Air Transport World - March 2015

24 ATW | March 2015 | atwonline.com
gets “the tradeof of lower capital costs” and feet consis-
tency with its other A330s, Ingram said.

GTF vs. LEAP

Meanwhile, the A320neo is set to become the frst of the new wave of re-engined aircraft to enter service later this year. Te Pratt & Whitney PW1100G geared turbofan (GTF) engine, one of two powerplant options on the A320neo, gained FAA type certifcation in late

2014. It competes with CFM International’s LEAP- 1A on the A320neo family. Te LEAP-1B is the sole-source engine on the 737 MAX, which is set to enter service in 2017.

CFMI and Pratt have an ongoing dispute over which A320neo engine will be cooler-running, with lower temperatures leading to greater efciency and lower maintenance costs. Both say with certainty that the competitor’s engine will operate at a higher temperature.

Te source of the dispute revolves around whether CFMI is using non-traditional materials to construct the LEAP-1A. Pratt believes its gear on the PW1100G allows it to use fewer and smaller parts, requiring less work and less heat. Pratt says propulsive efciency rather than “exotic materials” will drive the GTF’s performance.

CFMI EVP Chaker Chahrour has said, “Te truth is we don’t use more exotic materials.” He explained that within the LEAP-1A, “each turbine blade is seeing air fowing around it … We take air from the compressor and actually cool” the engine. Te LEAP blades also have small holes, which “gives you a cooling efect,” Chahrour said.

Pratt president Paul Adams told ATW at last year’s
Singapore Airshow that GTF vs. LEAP will be a “big
battle that will range for a long period of time.”
GE Aviation, which partners with Snecma on the
CFMI joint venture, announced in February 2014 that
it is planning an additional $15 million investment for
machinery and equipment at its new engine assembly
facility in Lafayette, Indiana, to allow for greater MRO
capability on LEAP engines. Construction on the
300,000-sq. ft. facility—another sign of how bullish the
engine manufacturers are on the commercial market—
has begun. It will be operational by January 2016.

A380neo?

Next up on the re-engining docket could be the A380. Emirates Airline president Tim Clark has been pushing Airbus hard to launch the A380neo, saying the Dubai-based airline—the world’s largest operator of the A380—would buy as many as 100 re-engined A380s.

Airbus COO-customers John Leahy told ATW in
January, “If we ever do the A380neo, it will not just
be the engine [that has to be changed] ... Tere will
be perhaps Sharklets on the airplane … perhaps an
aerodynamic cleanup as well. But we would not do
an A380neo unless there would be a 10% fuel burn
reduction. And that will not come just from the
engine, but from some other necessary improvements
as well.”
Clark conceded last year he is having trouble
convincing Airbus to launch a re-engined version of the
ultra-large aircraft. “Tis is a business case that is not
stacking up in Toulouse,” he said.