EAST HARTFORD, Conn. - Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), and Air Astana, the award-winning Kazakh flag carrier, have celebrated delivery of the airline’s first Airbus A321neo aircraft. The aircraft, powered by Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan™ (GTF) engines, arrived at the airline’s hub in Almaty, Kazakhstan on December 30 and is scheduled to start passenger service on January 16.

“As part of the A320neo family introduction, Air Astana is delighted to take delivery of Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan engines. We expect to take delivery of 17 GTF-powered A320neo family aircraft between now and 2020, which represent the latest in clean, fuel-efficient engine technology, and we look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Pratt & Whitney,” said Peter Foster, president and CEO of Air Astana.

Air Astana operates several aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney and its joint venture International Aero Engines, including the PW4000-powered 767 and the V2500-powered A320 family. The airline has ordered several GTF-powered aircraft, including A320neo, A321neo and Embraer E190-E2 aircraft.

“We’re honored by the trust that Air Astana has placed in us,” said Rick Deurloo, senior vice president of sales, marketing and customer support at Pratt & Whitney. “We’re committed to deliver the game-changing benefits of this engine, which will allow Air Astana to continue serving its passengers so well.”

Since entering into service in early 2016, the GTF engine has demonstrated its promised ability to reduce fuel burn by 16 percent to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 50 percent to the regulatory standard, and to lower the noise footprint by 75 percent.