24 July, 2019: MTU Maintenance has signed an exclusive 13-year contract with JetBlue Airways for the airline's V2500 pre-select fleet. The contract covers maintenance, repair and overhaul for the engines from 2020 to 2033. This contract takes MTU Maintenance's total contract wins to 4.5 billion US Dollars for the first seven months of 2019.
JetBlue Airways, New York's Hometown Airline, is a low-cost carrier that operates 1,000 flights daily and serves more than 100 destinations across the US, Latin America and the Caribbean with plans to start flying to Europe in 2021.
"We are delighted to have MTU on board to support us with smart strategies during this stage of the V2500 engine program," says Warren Christie, Senior Vice President Safety Security and Fleet Operations, JetBlue. "Our partnership dates back to 2005 when we began relying on MTU for their engine expertise and customized MRO solutions. We look forward to adding a new chapter to our strong partnership for the next decade and beyond."
"We are proud to have signed one of our biggest contracts ever and to be supporting JetBlue with their V2500 pre-select engines. Our fleet management expertise will enable us to provide cost-efficient solutions for JetBlue right up to fleet retirement," Michael Schreyogg, Chief Program Officer, MTU Aero Engines, adds. "We specialise in engine solutions across the entire lifecycle. Gone are the days of standard MRO. Fleet management, based on our outstanding technical expertise and capabilities along the value chain, is the future of our industry. And MTU is the leader in tailoring services to each and every engine in the fleet, proactively maximizing engine usage and significantly reducing cost for the airline."
The agreement incorporates various elements of MTU Maintenance's SAVEPlus offering, a dedicated product to reduce costs for operators of mature engine platforms. Through its intelligent solution, MTU will support JetBlue with fleet management, engine trend monitoring as well as teardown and material salvation in order to reduce maintenance costs and increase predictability and flexibility. Furthermore, the optional use of green-time and leased engines, as well as joint approaches to reduce fuel flow of the engines, will further reduce JetBlue's maintenance and operating cost.