PT6A ENGINE TO FLY HIGH IN EUROPE WITH EASA RULING ON SINGLE-ENGINE IFR FLIGHTS
Sales of PT6A engines in Europe are expected to rise in the near future. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has opened the continent`s skies to single-engine instrument flight rules (IFR) flights for commercial passenger service. P&WC played a leadership role in helping EASA develop the new guidelines which are expected to take effect in early 2017.
The European IFR certification, enabled by the benchmark reliability of the PT6A, allows business ventures that were not previously viable in Europe and boosts demand for single-engine aircraft across the continent.
The PT6A is the most popular engine in its class and has already been approved for similar single-engine IFR in North America, New Zealand and Australia. The ruling will allow commercial passenger operators to reduce their operating costs and gain significant competitive advantage. It will open up entirely new opportunities in charter and commuter services, including new short-haul routes between city pairs including smaller airports that cannot accommodate jets but can easily manage smaller passenger turboprops.
