Hyderabad: Pratt & Whitney, an RTX business, announced the appointment of Ajay Surti as the head of its India Customer Training Centre (ICTC) in Hyderabad. Ajay brings more than 27 years of experience in the aviation industry, having worked with various airlines and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) over his career.
In his new role, Surti will lead Pratt & Whitney’s ICTC in Hyderabad, focusing on delivery of training to customers and developing new opportunities to provide field support. The ICTC, established in 2015, is Pratt & Whitney’s flagship investment in India, and is one of three such training centers in the world along with the China Customer Training Center in Beijing and the Customer Training Center in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA. It provides specialized training for Airbus A320 family aircraft to airline engineers and technicians. The center has completed almost 12,000 student days of training for over 39 operators representing more than 27 nations.
“The India Customer Training Centre has been instrumental in providing training on our advanced GTF and V2500 engines to global customers. It has also played a crucial role in driving our collaborations with local governments, universities, and emerging technology companies – including our recently launched Percept AI-based aircraft engine inspection tool,” said Ashmita Sethi, president and country head, Pratt & Whitney, India.
In his previous role with Airbus, Surti was the head of maintenance and retrofit engineering for India and South Asia, and prior to that he also supported sales campaigns and business development projects. Surti is also a licensed aircraft engineer for both Airbus and Boeing planes.
With more than 1,500 engines and auxiliary power units in service, Pratt & Whitney has one of the largest footprints for any aircraft engine maker in India. Pratt & Whitney GTF engines power more than 180 A320neo and A321neo aircraft and have delivered more than $1 billion in fuel savings to Indian airlines since entry-into-service in 2016. Pratt & Whitney’s in-country investments include the ICTC in Hyderabad, the India Capability Centre and India Engineering Centre in Bengaluru and its R&D collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, a release said.
