EME Aero has completed its first regular maintenance visits of Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM geared turbofan (GTF) engines.

Based in Poland, EME Aero is an engine services joint venture between Lufthansa Technik and MTU Aero Engines.

The first of 21 PW1100G-JMs arrived in January, with all of them now delivered back to different customers. EME Aero has now become an official member of the Pratt & Whitney GTF MRO network.

Some 15 of the engines were maintained in line with Pratt & Whitney’s low pressure turbine (LPT) retrofit programme, with the other six being regular customer engine shop visits.

EME Aero’s chief executive officer and managing director of business Derrick Siebert commented: “Despite all the obstacles and additional challenges due to the Covid-19 situation, we are still right on track with our ramp-up.

“The entire team is proud of reaching another important milestone by completing the first series of shop visits of GTF engines. This proves that EME Aero has now achieved full operational readiness.”

Chief operating officer and managing director of operations Robert Maślach said the company was “optimistic” about the future. “The strong team spirit from the project and ramp-up has shaped us and is carrying us through these challenging times to be ready for upcoming steep ramp-up,” he said.

EME Aero will implement a flow line at the end of 2020 in preparation for the induction of PW1500G engines in the middle of 2021.