Air Tanzania takes delivery of first Airbus A220 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF™ engines

Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. and Air Tanzania celebrated the delivery of the airline’s first Airbus A220 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF™ engines.  Air Tanzania, headquartered in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, will be the first airline based in Africa to operate GTF engines and the A220 aircraft.

The United Republic of Tanzania, represented by the Tanzanian Government Flight Agency (TGFA) signed an agreement for two Pratt & Whitney GTF-powered Airbus A220 aircraft and one Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150-powered Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft in December 2016.  The airline will be utilizing the aircraft for domestic and international operations, expanding their routes and growing beyond Africa.

“While Air Tanzania is well known to the Pratt & Whitney family, having previously operated Pratt & Whitney-powered Q300 and Q400 aircraft, we are embarking on a new journey together as they take delivery of their first GTF-powered A220 aircraft,” said Rick Deurloo, senior vice president of sales, marketing and customer support at Pratt & Whitney. “The impact this airline will make on the region with the operation of these two aircraft is truly notable.  The GTF engines offer proven economic and environmental benefits with the ability to fly farther with less fuel, making Air Tanzania’s decision to expand their route network a viable solution.  We look forward to growing this relationship together.” The A220, exclusively powered by the GTF engine, offers double-digit improvement in operating costs compared to current generation aircraft. It’s 20% more fuel efficient and provides a 75% reduction in noise footprint and NOx emissions 50% below the ICAO CAEP 6 regulation.