Korean Air-Asiana ink W290 bil. engine maintenance deal

The country's two leading carriers signed a $260m maintenance deal Wednesday in which Korean Air will fix 22 Pratt & Whitney PW4090 engines for Asiana Airlines. The signing ceremony was held at Asiana Airlines' headquarters in Seoul. The contract is the largest aviation maintenance deal signed between two local airlines. The 22 PW4090 engines will go through maintenance at Korean Air's Bucheon engine maintenance facility in Gyeonggi Province for the next five years. The contract includes regular maintenance and repairs. For the last two decades, Asiana Airlines had an engine-maintenance contract with Pratt & Whitney. But the contract ended and Asiana chose Korean Air to continue the task. Through the partnership, the two airlines are set to share their know-how in engine maintenance and repair, aiming to enhance Korea's competitiveness in aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO). For the last 20 years, Asiana's PW4090 engine MRO was solely handled by companies based outside of Korea. In addition to engines, the two airlines plan to continue their cooperation in other technological fields within the airline industry.<br/>