Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), joins Widerøe today in celebrating the first passenger flight of their newly delivered Embraer E190-E2 aircraft. The flight, which departed Bergen, Norway and touched down in Tromsø, Norway, marks the official entry into service for the first of three E190-E2 aircraft Widerøe will take delivery of this year.
“Today we celebrate the beginning of a new era. Seeing our E190-E2 aircraft take flight is a proud moment. Knowing the Pratt & Whitney engines powering the airplane support our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint makes it that much more rewarding to witness,” said Widerøe President & CEO Stein Nilsen. “We see a bright future with our new fleet of E2 jets – today is the start of many successful years to come.”
The largest regional airline in Scandinavia, Widerøe is the first airline to put the E190-E2 into commercial service, which will enable an expanded domestic and international route network. The airline has been a part of the Pratt & Whitney family since the late 1940s, when it began operating Wasp R-1340 radial engines.
“It’s very special for us and our partners, and I would especially like to point out our partners at Pratt & Whitney. When we took the ferry flight over to Norway, the one thing everyone spoke about was how quiet it was, and most of that is due to the engines,” said John Slattery, President & CEO, Embraer Commercial Aviation. “The E2 is the backbone of Embraer – it’s the future of the company. This is a business built on passion and it’s because of days like today.”
“It takes an incredible amount of energy, dedication, and expertise to certify a new engine on a new airplane. In this industry, it’s not every day a new airplane enters into service, and we couldn’t be more proud to power it with our latest technology. Congratulations to the Widerøe, Embraer and Pratt & Whitney teams who have been a part of this historic journey.” said Tom Pelland, senior vice president of Commercial Engine Programs at Pratt & Whitney.
The E190-E2 marks the third aircraft platform powered by the GTF engine. The aircraft has more than 17% reduction in fuel burn than the previous-generation E190, with NOx emissions 50% below the ICAO CAEP/6 regulation and a cumulative noise reduction of ICAO Chapter 4 minus 17dB to 20dB. In addition to being selected as the exclusive engine for the E2 commercial aircraft, Pratt & Whitney's APS2600E auxiliary power unit (APU) is the sole-sourced APU for the E2 family.
