Pratt & Whitney and China Eastern Airlines Form Joint Venture

Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies Corp. company and China Eastern Airlines signed a joint venture agreement today in Shanghai to create a CFM56 engine overhaul facility in Shanghai. As part of the deal, China Eastern Airlines (CEA) awarded Pratt & Whitney a 15-year maintenance service agreement to maintain the airline’s fleet of CFM56 engines. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The new facility will overhaul CFM56-3, -5B and –7 engines. The facility’s in-depth repair capabilities, 10-meter test cell with capability of up to 75,000 pounds of thrust and state-of-the art information technology system will provide maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services to airline customers in China and the Asia Pacific region starting in 2008. Construction is expected to begin in the first half of 2007. More