AirBorneo signs four-year engine maintenance deal with Pratt & Whitney Canada

KUCHING: AirBorneo Airways has signed a four-year maintenance agreement with Pratt & Whitney Canada covering the PW127M engines powering its ATR 72-500 fleet, securing engine support through 2030.

Under the agreement, Pratt & Whitney Canada will provide maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, with most of the work to be carried out at its recently expanded Singapore facility.

The arrangement gives AirBorneo a regional maintenance base closer to its operations, reducing turnaround time for engine work while supporting aircraft availability across its Rural Air Services network in East Malaysia.

Pratt & Whitney Canada vice-president for customer service Anthony Rossi said the maintenance package was developed with AirBorneo to manage engine costs while maintaining high dispatch availability.

“We worked closely with AirBorneo to develop a maintenance solution that manages engine costs and supports high dispatch availability for these critical flights,” he said in statement.

AirBorneo chief executive officer Megat Ardian Aminuddin said having engine maintenance and repairs based in Singapore would help return aircraft to service faster.

“That confidence gives us the operational certainty we need to consistently serve our customers on our intra-Borneo routes where reliable air transport is a vital link for remote communities,” he said.

The Singapore facility serves as one of Pratt & Whitney Canada’s key Asia-Pacific MRO hubs, with recent investments expanding its turboprop engine capabilities.

AirBorneo currently operates ATR 72-500 turboprops powered by PW127M engines as part of its Rural Air Services operations, alongside Viking Air DHC-6-400 Twin Otters powered by PT6A-34 engines.

The state-owned airline, established in January following the transition from MASwings, also expanded into jet services to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore in July.

AirBorneo has eight ATR 72-600 aircraft powered by PW127XT Series engines on order as it builds out its regional network and fleet.