Honeywell has secured a deal from Asiana Airlines for the supply of required power to start latter's aircraft's main engines and run air-conditioning while they are on the ground.

Using Honeywell's auxiliary power units, Asiana Airlines will be able to enhance operational performance, reduce maintenance costs over the lifecycle of its fleet, and achieve fuel savings.

An auxiliary power unit (APU) is a critical part of an aircraft as it offers power backup for environmental, cockpit and hydraulic systems during flights.

"We are confident that our 131-9A APUs will help Asiana Airlines and others improve their fleet availability."

Honeywell will supply its 131-9A APUs to 74 Asiana Airlines aircraft. Of the 74 airplanes, 49 to be retrofitted include the existing A320ceo under current engine option and A321ceo fleet. The remaining 25 airplanes to be retrofitted include A321neo fleet.

Starting this year, the retrofit programme for the Airbus A320ceo and A321ceo fleet will run until 2020, while delivery for the new Airbus A321neo fleet is scheduled from 2019 until 2025.

Asiana Airlines aircraft and supplies purchasing general manager Dong-Jun Shin said: "As demand for air travel in the Asia-Pacific region increases, it is crucial for airlines to remain competitive by balancing a smooth, on-time flight experience for passengers with reduced operational costs to boost the bottom line.

"We are confident that Honeywell, which has more than 50 years of proven reliability developing APUs, will help us achieve this balance."

Honeywell Aerospace Asia Pacific airlines vice-president Brian Davis said: "In today's highly competitive airline industry, companies like Asiana Airlines need to increase the cost-efficiency of maintenance services, while ensuring safety and reliability are not compromised.

"We are committed to understanding our customers' specific challenges, and we are confident that our 131-9A APUs will help Asiana Airlines and others improve their fleet availability."

Honeywell will offer Asiana Airlines with a global network of maintenance services from its local customer support team based in South Korea, besides an APU maintenance facility in Singapore.

In March, Airbus designated the Honeywell 131-9A APU as standard equipment for its A320 family of aircraft.