Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. (UTX), along with Airbus and JetBlue Airways (JetBlue) celebrated the entry into service of JetBlue’s A321neo aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF engines.  The event was commemorated with a gate celebration at John F. Kennedy Airport’s Terminal 5 in New York with representatives from JetBlue, Airbus and Pratt & Whitney in attendance.

JetBlue currently has on order 85 GTF-powered A320neo family aircraft, including 13 of Airbus’ Long Range (LR) variant, and 13 Airbus A321XLRs. The airline has also ordered 70 firm GTF-powered A220 aircraft which are scheduled to begin delivery in 2020.  JetBlue operates a fleet of 193 A320ceo family aircraft powered by the V2500 engine.

Since entering into service in early 2016, the GTF engine has demonstrated its promised ability to reduce fuel burn by 16 percent, to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 50 percent compared to the regulatory standard, and to reduce the noise footprint by 75 percent.