Bombardier has confirmed the Pratt & Whitney engine powering the CSeries will require similar upgrades that are required for the Airbus A320neo aircraft family.
The PW1500G engine that powers both CSeries versions shares the same overall architecture as the PW1100G engines on the A320neo family, but details of the design and many of the suppliers are different.
Even so, the PW1500G will require “some product upgrades in some parts of the engine that are similar to what the neo will need”, says chief executive Alain Bellemare, addressing analysts on a first quarter earnings call.
P&W has redesigned the carbon air assembly in the No. 3 bearing of the PW1100G engine to improve the durability of the component. The redesign was approved by certification authorities last month and has entered the production system.
By the fourth quarter, P&W also plans to receive approval by authorities for a redesigned combustor liner, which also showed signs of wearing out faster than the engine manufacturer expected.
Despite the need for upgrades, Bellemare emphasised that the CSeries aircraft’s reliability has exceeded the expectations of the two airlines operating the aircraft — AirBaltic and Swiss.
