P&W Renews Agreement for Customer Training Center in Beijing

Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies Corp. company, has signed a 15-year renewal for its joint venture agreement between United Technologies Far East Ltd. and the China Aviation Supplies (CAS) Holding Company to support the Pratt & Whitney Customer Training Center located in Beijing, China.

The Customer Training Center has been in operation for more than a decade and has provided tailored customer technical training courses regarding Pratt & Whitney and V2500 engines for more than 14,000 students based in China, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, and Korea. This is the equivalent of 300,000 hours of training. Pratt & Whitney and IAE International Aero Engines AG engines power a fleet of more than 1,200 aircraft in China and are recognized as a technology leader in engines for narrow body aircraft.

"Providing Chinese aircraft operators with high-quality and thorough aviation maintenance training is critical to the success of our aviation industry," said Li Hai, president and CEO of CAS. "As the industry continues to grow through the integration of new technologies like the GTF engine, demand for this type of training will only increase."

"Our customers in Asia are extremely important to us and we are pleased to provide valuable training that will enable them to support their Pratt & Whitney engines," said Mary Ellen Jones, vice president, Commercial Engines Sales, Asia/Pacific & China, and member of the joint venture board of directors. "Our Customer Training Center in China is a key component of our strategy to ready customers before receiving their GTF engines, as we strive to bring training as close to our customers as possible."