Pratt & Whitney Canada expands carbon offset service to include helicopter engines

Pratt & Whitney Canada announced the expansion of its year-old carbon offset service to include operators of the company’s helicopter engines enrolled in the Eagle Service™ Plan (ESP™) and Fleet Management Program (FMPTM) pay-per-hour maintenance programs.

 “Across all of the diverse missions served by our helicopter customers – from search and rescue to corporate passenger transport – we are seeing growing demand for products and services that promote sustainability in airborne operations,” said Scott McElvaine, vice president, Customer Programs for Pratt & Whitney Canada. “Our carbon offset service provides a fully transparent and cost-effective solution to address this demand, so that operators easily compensate for their carbon emissions footprint.”

Pratt & Whitney Canada’s carbon offset service automatically aligns operators’ flight hours with offset purchases, in collaboration with South Pole, a globally recognized carbon offset provider. Carbon offsets that are purchased are invested in accredited schemes for reducing CO2 emissions, such as initiatives focused on renewable energy or forest conservation.

The service was introduced in December 2020 for business aviation operators enrolled in the ESPTM program. Along with continually advancing engine efficiency and increasing the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), carbon offsetting plays an important role in reducing aviation’s environmental footprint. Pratt & Whitney is committed to making aviation more sustainable and supports customers’ ambitions to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.

 “With the growing interest in SAFs as one route to reducing aviation’s consumption of fossil-based fuels, operators may also use carbon offsets to reduce our impact on the environment,” said McElvaine. “While SAFs offer significant CO2 emissions reduction, carbon offsets can compensate for the remaining emissions, to help achieve carbon neutrality.”

As with all its engines, Pratt & Whitney Canada’s helicopter engines are certified to operate with blends of up to 50% SAF with standard Jet A kerosene. Pratt & Whitney Canada is working towards validating its engines to operate with 100% SAF and continues to collaborate closely with the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) and ASTM International towards that goal.