Cebu Pacific orders P&W engines for 15 jets

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Rick Deurloo, president of Commercial Engines at Pratt & Whitney (left) and Michael B. Szucs, chief executive officer of Cebu Pacific (right) signing an agreement for Pratt & Whitney to provide GTF engines for 15 additional single-aisle aircraft for Cebu Pacific Air. Photo from RTX/Pratt & Whitney.
  • Cebu Pacific is ordering Pratt and Whitney engines for 15 narrowbody jets belonging to the A320/A321 family
  • Deliveries will start in 2025
  • P&W will also provide the low-cost carrier with geared turbofan engine maintenance
  • The 15 jets are part of the order made in 2019, which also included 16 A330 NEO aircraft

Cebu Pacific (CEB) is ordering Pratt and Whitney (P&W) engines for 15 narrowbody jets belonging to the A320/A321 family.

The low-cost carrier signed a memorandum of understanding with P&W during the Singapore Airshow on February 20.

The MOU “aims to finalize our current order book and help secure our growth up to 2027. In doing so, it also clears the way for us to now focus on the longer term growth through our major fleet Request for Proposals (RFP) that are currently underway,” said CEB chief executive officer Mike Szucs.

CEB issued in October 2023 the RFP to both Airbus and Boeing for 100 to 150 narrowbody jets, which represent the largest ever commitment of any airline in the Philippine aviation industry.

The carrier said the engine order will strengthen operational resilience as it explores opportunities to strengthen its position in regional markets in Southeast Asia, China, and Japan, while demand for air travel continues to grow after the pandemic.

The 15 narrowbody jets were a part of the order made in 2019, which also included 16 A330 NEO (new engine option) aircraft, CEB said in a statement.

P&W, a US aerospace manufacturer that designs, manufactures and services aircraft and helicopter engines, and auxiliary power units, will also provide CEB with geared turbofan (GTF) engine maintenance through its EngineWise® Comprehensive service agreement.

CEB currently has 33 GTF-powered A320 new family aircraft in service. Prior to providing GTF power, P&W supplied JT8D engines for the airline’s DC-9 aircraft.

In a separate statement, P&W said its GTF engine, featuring Collins Aerospace housing and engine accessories, delivers industry-leading fuel efficiency and sustainability benefits for single-aisle aircraft.

“We appreciate Cebu Pacific’s continued confidence in Pratt & Whitney since they initially selected the GTF engine in 2012,” P&W president of commercial engines Rick Deurloo said.

“With deliveries for this most recent order starting in 2025, the GTF engine will provide even more fuel and carbon emissions savings,” Deurloo added.

Prior to the MOU, CEB said its fleet included 25 P&W-powered Airbus aircraft. The airline’s fleet availability was affected by issues with P&W engines last year but CEB assured these had no immediate impact on its operations and was not a safety issue.

Last year, the airline completed its 19 aircraft and engine deliveries, increasing its commercial fleet size to 77 aircraft.

READ: Cebu Pacific completes aircraft deliveries for 2023

For 2024, the airline said it expects its fleet to increase to 92 aircraft and its year-on-year seat growth to be within 5% to 8% by year-end.

The carrier welcomed its first aircraft delivery in 2024 on February 9.  The Airbus 320ceo arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Chengdu, China. It is the first of the expected 17 aircraft deliveries for CEB this year.

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