Pratt & Whitney Begins GTF Advantage Certification Testing

Pratt & Whitney has begun Part 33 certification testing for its GTF Advantage engine, according to a company announcement at the Farnborough International Airshow on Monday. Pratt & Whitney reports that it has already conducted extensive endurance testing on the engine and has logged more than 2,000 development and certification test hours with the model to date. Designed for the A320neo family, the GTF Advantage is expected to enter service in 2024.  

“GTF Advantage provides more thrust while running cooler, with more airflow and improvements in aerodynamics, coatings and clearance control,” said Jim Pennito, vice president of A320neo family engines at Pratt & Whitney. “We’re able to do all this thanks to our revolutionary geared fan, which gives us an architecture with a long runway for the future.”

Pratt & Whitney says that the GTF Advantage, which provides up to 34,000 pounds of takeoff thrust, will offer a 1 percent reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions compared to prior-generation engines while enabling increases in payload and range. Certification testing is being conducted using the company’s Mirabel, Canada-based test bed aircraft. The engine is also slated to begin aircraft-level validation testing on an Airbus A320neo development aircraft in Toulouse, France, later this year.