This past Thursday, February 9th, aircraft manufacturer ATR announced that it had joined forces with Pratt & Whitney to develop and implement a turboprop engine that runs solely on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The engine series is known as the PW127 series. The project is predicted to stretch across the next two years. The partnership has set a goal to have certification for these SAF engines for the ATR 72 and ATR 42 by 2025. By creating these engines, the partnership looks to eliminate carbon emissions. It hopes this is just the beginning of a long partnership as the air transit industry pushes towards the collective goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.

Carbon-neutral regional operations

ATR is an airplane manufacturer specializing in making smaller turboprop aircraft suited to the regional market. Its planes are used worldwide, commonly flying into smaller airports with less demand and shorter runways where large jets can't land.

While the regional market is not as prominent as major airline operations transporting passengers from one major airport to another, it is still an essential part of the aviation industry. Pratt & Whitney sees this market as a perfect opportunity to implement SAF technologies. It knows these efforts will go a long way, allowing it to dominate the regional SAF engine market and become a leader in sustainable aviation technologies.

Photo: ATR

Together the companies plan to push toward the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. The CEO of ATR, Nathalie Tarnaud Laude, has shared the following concerning the partnership and carbon reduction efforts,

"It is our collective responsibility as an industry to continue taking action to ensure that the vital connections provided by our aircraft across the globe are operated sustainably. We have recently demonstrated with our collaborators, Braathens Regional Airlines and Pratt & Whitney Canada, that ATR aircraft are SAF-ready. Now, we need to continue to join forces to increase SAF availability, as part of our common journey towards net-zero."

Pratt & Whitney has secured certification for all Pratt & Whitney Canada engines to run on 50% SAF. Once complete, this project will make history for the company as it will be the first time it has received certification for an aircraft engine to run on 100% SAF. The Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Pratt & Whitney Canada, Anthony Rossi, stated,

"Alongside our efforts to continually enhance aircraft engine efficiency, SAF has a critical role to play on the journey to achieve the aviation industry's goal of net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. While all Pratt & Whitney Canada engines have already been certified for 50% SAF blends for more than a decade, ensuring readiness to operate with 100% SAF blends in future will allow us to maximise their potential for decarbonisation."

Recent test flight

The collaboration announcement comes roughly eight months after the first test flight of an ATR 72 using the PW127 engines filled exclusively with SAF. The test was successful and has led the companies to form this tight partnership, allowing them to collaborate better and work towards a common goal.

Photo: Pratt & Whitney 

Rossi shared that the collaboration plans that the manufacturers will undergo together throughout the next two years will build upon the success of this first test flight. Rossi stated,

"Our collaboration with ATR will be underway throughout 2023 and 2024 and builds on our recent 100% SAF test flight with Braathens Regional Airlines, which was an industry first for regional aviation,"

What do you think of this partnership? Let us know in the comments section.