February 6, 2006: It’s another first for Indian. The state-run carrier would soon become the first carrier in India to operate Pratt & Whitney-powered Airbus A330s.

With the airline scheduled to take delivery of the first of two A330-200 aircraft with PW4000-100" engines in October 2007, the record will soon be written. Indian Airlines announced the deal at the Aero India 2007 air show in Bangalore. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp firm.

India being an extremely important market for Pratt & Whitney, the company sees huge potential for powering the growth of its Indian customers with the most dependable, best value products and services available, said reports. According to sources, Indian has been setting standards in civil aviation over the last 50 years, and is synonymous with efficiency and reliability.

The induction of the Pratt & Whitney-powered A330 into the Indian fleet is sure to allow it further raise its standards of performance. Indian has a fleet of 74 aircraft including 48 Airbus A320s, six A319s, and 11 Boeing 737 aircraft operated by subsidiary Alliance Air. The airline operates over 300 flights a day to 54 destinations within India and 18 abroad carrying nearly 30,000 passengers a day.

The Pratt & Whitney PW4000-100 engine, designed specifically for the Airbus A330 twinjet, is being offered as a complete propulsion system and is believed to be the most advanced and reliable propulsion system available for the A330. According to reports quoting experts in the industry, the engine incorporates a number of service-proven technologies in materials, aerodynamics and controls to enhance performance, reliability and durability.

Pratt & Whitney has over 17,000 aircraft engines in service with hundreds of airlines throughout the world.