Honeywell will provide its 131-9A auxiliary power unit (APU) and extended maintenance service for easyJet’s Airbus A320 family of aircraft for ten years under a $51m contract.

The contract will cover 180 existing Airbus aircraft operated by easyJet and 53 aircraft that are planned to be delivered by 2013.

The A320 family operated by easyJet includes the A319, A320 and A321, for which repair services will be performed in Raunheim, Germany.

APU is a small turbine engine that provides bleed air for the main engine starting, and electrical power for cockpit and galley systems.

Honeywell’s 131-9A averages over 10,000 hours between unscheduled repair events, an over-60% improvement compared with other APUs in its class.