Pratt & Whitney Launches Upgraded, Sustainable Turbofan for Airbus A320neo Family

Pratt & Whitney has recently announced its plans for a greener future, supporting the aviation industry's goal of achieving net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. Toward that goal, its technology must evolve and become more sustainable.

The current Pratt & Whitney GTF engines for the Airbus A320neo Family have successfully proved to be significantly more efficient when compared to previous-generation engines. They are cutting both consumption and carbon emissions by 16 percent and are certified to run on just 50 percent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Currently, aviation regulations allow aircraft to operate with SAF blended with kerosene. Ultimately, the industry's goal is to obtain certification for 100 percent SAF. Additionally, the upgraded Pratt & Whitney GTF Advantage seeks to extend the environmental benefits of the current GTF engines in use.

Once operational, it will be compatible with unblended SAF and will reduce fuel consumption by an additional 1 percent. When compared to previous-generation engines, the updated turbofan is capable of cutting down fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up 17 percent.

To date, the company has already completed more than a year of ground and flight testing for the GTF Advantage configuration, which incorporates technological upgrades across the engine core. It used a Boeing 747 as a testbed (pictured above), and the results were excellent. This new configuration is not only more sustainable but also delivers higher thrust, both at sea level and in hot weather at high-altitude airports.

The Advantage is the most powerful engine for the A320neo Family, with up to 34,000 lbs (15,422 kg) of takeoff thrust per engine. This gives the aircraft an increased range and improves the payload capacity.
The engine will be offered for A320neo Family starting in January 2024. The new configuration will allow for a smooth integration process since it's interchangeable with already delivered engines.

The GTF engines first entered service five years ago, and since then, they have cut down on more than 600 million gallons (two billion liters) of fuel in total, saving operators a lot of costs. Not only that, but they also helped reduce carbon emissions significantly.

The engines have also minimized the noise footprint by 75 percent and controlled emissions by 50 percent in 1,100 aircraft, 58 airlines, and three aircraft families: the Airbus A320neo, the Airbus A220, and the Embraer E-Jets E2.

Pratt & Whitney is focused on developing more efficient propulsion solutions that enable sustainable aircraft. To that end, it committed to not just upgrading its technology but also minimizing the environmental impact of its own operations and facilities through a variety of energy, emissions, and waste reduction efforts.