Pratt & Whitney and Turkish Technic Break Ground on Environmentally Friendly Engine Overhaul Center in Turkey

FARNBOROUGH, England, July 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW -- Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company, and its joint venture partner, Turkish Airlines Technic Inc., a subsidiary of Turkish Airlines (ISE: THYAO), broke ground on a new CFM56(R) and V2500 engine overhaul facility in Istanbul yesterday. Once fully operational, the 25,000-square-meter (269,000-square-foot) center is expected to overhaul up to 200 engines annually and employ up to 550 people, many of whom will be from Turkish Technic's highly experienced engine maintenance team.

The groundbreaking took place at Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in the Anatolian peninsula, approximately 70 km east of Turkish Technic's existing engine shop at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport. The Pratt & Whitney Turkish Technic Aircraft Engine Maintenance Center, LLP, or Turkish Engine Center, is being established to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for the CFM56(R) engine family and the V2500(R)-A5 engine to customers located in Turkey , surrounding regions and worldwide. Operational readiness of the center is planned for the second half of 2009.

"The facility's outstanding location, extensive part repair capability and incorporation of Pratt & Whitney's proven engine MRO processes and applications will help customers in the region reduce engine overhaul costs and turnaround times," said Jim Keenan, senior vice president and general manager, Pratt & Whitney Global Service Partners. "This facility will adhere to the highest level of United Technologies Corp.'s ACE (Achieving Competitive Excellence) operating system and the respected standards of the United States Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system."

The facility will be built with up to 20 percent recycled material and use renewable energy sources for a portion of its energy load. In addition, overall water use on the site is expected to be reduced by 40 percent compared with conventional facility designs.

"Sabiha Gokcen International Airport is Istanbul's second international airport and has a great potential for growth. This initiative is in line with our strategy of becoming a preferred, well known, customer-focused maintenance organization providing nose to tail maintenance with exceptional quality and service within its region," said Dr. Ismail Demir, general manager, Turkish Technic.

Turkish Technic Inc. is the leading maintenance service organization in its region, providing MRO services for Boeing and Airbus airframe, engine, auxiliary power units, landing gear and components. Turkish Technic serves airlines in Europe, the Middle East, Northern Africa, Turkey and the Commonwealth of Independent States, with its maintenance base in Istanbul and highly qualified workforce of more than 3,000 personnel.

Pratt & Whitney Global Service Partners (GSP) is a total service provider for engines made by Pratt & Whitney, International Aero Engines, General Electric, Rolls-Royce and CFMI. In addition to engine overhaul and repair services, GSP provides customers with improved engine performance and increased asset value through a portfolio of services including line maintenance, engine monitoring and diagnostics, environmentally friendly on-wing water washes, leased engines, custom engine service programs, and new and repaired parts.

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and commercial building industries.

This release includes "forward looking statements" concerning anticipated business opportunities that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including pre-conditions to a fully functioning shop that have not yet been met. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or implied in forward looking statements include changes in the health of the global economy and the aerospace industry. For information identifying other important economic, political, regulatory, legal, technological, competitive and other uncertainties, see UTC's 10-K, 10-Q and other reports filed with the SEC.

SOURCE Pratt & Whitney