Boeing and Safran has now announced that their 50-50 joint venture is named Initium Aerospace, which has been created to design, build and service Auxiliary Power Units (APUs).
The launch of Initium Aerospace follows regulatory and antitrust approvals—received last November—after an agreement was reached in June. Aerospace starts with Boeing’s customer and airplane knowledge and Safran’s experience designing and producing complex propulsion systems.
Stan Deal, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Global Services, said: “This is an exciting milestone as we bring together the best of both companies to design and build an advanced APU that will create more life-cycle value for our customers. This is further proof that Boeing is making strategic investments that strengthen our vertical capabilities and continue to expand our services portfolio.”
APU provides power to start the main aircraft engines and systems on the ground and in flight. Aerospace will create high value for customers, combining the best technologies and services of Boeing and Safran to offer a more competitive APU in the marketplace.
Philippe Petitcolin, chief executive officer of Safran, said: “I would like to congratulate everybody at Boeing and Safran who contributed to the creation of this new joint venture. We look forward to presenting the first demonstrator engine to the market.”
The team consists of employees from the two parent companies which is led by Etienne Boisseau, Initium Aerospace’s chief executive officer. Work is being done in San Diego, California, where they are collaborating with professionals across Boeing and Safran on engineering and production of APUs.
Feature image: Boeing – 737 Klasjet