Boeing and Safran have announced the name of their new 50:50 joint venture (JV), which will design, build and service auxiliary power units (APUs).

The Initium Aerospace JV will leverage Boeing’s customer and aircraft knowledge, as well as Safran’s experience in designing and producing propulsion systems.

Boeing Global Services president and CEO Stan Deal said: “This is an exciting milestone as we bring together the best of both companies to design and build an advanced APU that will create more lifecycle value for our customers.

“This is further proof that Boeing is making strategic investments that strengthen our vertical capabilities and continue to expand our services portfolio.”

“Safran is proud and totally invested in supporting Boeing’s growth and operators expectations.”

The JV was formed when Boeing reached an agreement to partner with Safran on APU products. The partners obtained the regulatory and anti-trust approvals for the JV transaction last November.

Safran CEO Philippe Petitcolin said: “Initium Aerospace is swiftly capitalising on the vast expertise of both partners to provide state-of-the-art APUs and innovative solutions to customers.

“Safran is proud and totally invested in supporting Boeing’s growth and operators expectations. We look forward to presenting the first demonstrator engine to the market.”

The JV already commenced initial work on the APU design and is collaborating with teams across Boeing and Safran on engineering and production.

APU is an onboard engine that provides the power required to start the main aircraft engines and systems while on the ground and, if required, in flight.

The initial team is led by Initium Aerospace CEO Etienne Boisseau.

Safran is a supplier of components to Boeing commercial and defence programmes. As part of a 50:50 JV with GE, the company produces the LEAP-1B engine for the 737 MAX.

In addition, Boeing and Safran operate the MATIS JV in Morocco to manufacture wiring products for several airframe and engine companies.