United Technologies subsidiary Pratt & Whitney is planning to invest $65m in its engine overhaul facility in Columbus, Georgia, US, to perform maintenance on PurePower Geared Turbofan (GTF) engines.

The expansion of the new GTF engine facility will include disassembly, inspection, assembly and test capability.

Construction of the new test facility adjacent to the existing test cell is scheduled to begin this year.

Upon completion, the new centre will maintain PW1100G-JM and PW1500G engines, as well as V2500, PW2000, F117 and F100 engines.

"It is critical that we have a strong maintenance, repair and overhaul network in place to support these engines."

Pratt & Whitney aftermarket operations vice-president Joe Sylvestro said: "As the GTF engine continues to enter into service, it is critical that we have a strong maintenance, repair and overhaul network in place to support these engines.

"The Columbus Engine Center draws on decades of high-volume engine maintenance experience and is well-positioned to provide the highest quality service to our GTF engine customers."

Pratt & Whitney has also added GTF engine MRO capabilities to the Columbus centre.

The company currently designs, manufactures and provides service to aircraft engines and auxiliary power units.

The Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engine has been selected as the exclusive engine for the Bombardier C Series, Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) aircraft. The engine has also been chosen to power Embraer’s second generation E-Jets, and as an option on the Irkut MC-21 and Airbus A320neo jets.