DBT Bureau,
Pune, 29 July 2024
Honeywell has entered into a long-term agreement with Air India Limited, a Tata Group company, to provide aftermarket support for Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) across both Air India’s current and future fleets. This agreement offers extensive maintenance support for Honeywell APUs, which will enhance aircraft dispatch reliability and fleet availability while reducing unplanned maintenance costs for Air India.
The APU is a critical piece of aircraft equipment that provides electrical power and air conditioning to a plane while it is on the ground. It helps ensure passenger comfort and supplies the air source before a pilot is ready to start the main engines. APUs are part of a broad range of Honeywell technologies shaping the future of aviation. This is one of three global megatrends that Honeywell’s portfolio is aligned to, which also includes Automation and Energy Transition.
“We are delighted to strengthen our collaboration with Air India and help in its fleet modernization efforts, as part of a long-standing commitment to supporting the carrier’s innovation and growth objectives,” said Ashish Modi, President of Honeywell India. “This latest milestone in our 30-year-plus partnership with Air India is a testament to our key role in accelerating the growth of India’s aviation sector through innovative technology.”
With air travel steadily growing, the need for easily accessible aftermarket services continues to rise. Under the agreement, Honeywell will deliver to Air India comprehensive APU aftermarket support to ensure the continued reliability and efficiency of Air India’s extensive fleet of more than 300 aircraft. This includes its legacy fleet, which consists of over 100 A320 aircraft, 15 B777 aircraft and its new fleet of 190 B737-8 aircraft, and will cover Honeywell’s 131-9A, 131-9B and 331-500 series APUs. Honeywell’s extensive global service and support network is designed to ensure that its APUs operate at optimal performance with minimal operational disruption.
Sisira Kanta Dash, chief technical officer, Air India, said: “This is an exciting milestone that adds to our long-standing partnership with Honeywell. This agreement forms part of our global growth and transformation plans, to help achieve more efficient, reliable operations, with maximized fleet availability, through Honeywell’s advanced technology services that enable us to continue meeting the needs of our valued customers.”
With over seven decades of experience and having produced over 100,000 gas turbine APUs, Honeywell is a trusted leader in auxiliary power solutions. Honeywell’s time-tested APUs are known for their reliability and play a crucial role in enhancing flight safety and ensuring operational dependability and fuel efficiency. Honeywell also offers a global, comprehensive support network with fully integrated service solutions that meet the industry’s evolving needs.
