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Honeywell’s 131-9A Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) has been selected to provide air conditioning, main engine starting, and electrical power for the Skybus Airlines fleet of 65 new Airbus A319 aircraft.  Honeywell also will provide Skybus with a 12-year integrated support program for APU maintenance throughout the term of the agreement.

“The Honeywell 131-9A APU, along with our comprehensive maintenance, spares, and logistic package, will help Skybus manage its costs in today’s challenging business environment,” said Marc McGowan, Honeywell Aerospace vice president of Airlines - Americas. “Our support program is designed to minimize Skybus’s expenses and administration costs while guaranteeing the availability of spare APUs.”

Skybus is the next generation of low-cost, low-fare airlines, according to Toney Quillen, vice president of maintenance for the airline. “The proven reliability, low cost of ownership, and asset support program for Honeywell’s 131-9A APUs will allow us to offer our customers the very low fares and high reliability that will be our hallmarks,” Quillen said.

The Honeywell 131-9A APU is designed specifically to match the requirements of air transport aircraft. It produces lower exhaust gas temperatures than previous designs, and the environmental control system reduces fuel consumption by four percent annually.  The unit is certified to start and operate to 41,000 feet with a generator capable of supplying full electrical power for the aircraft in the event of an emergency. When service is needed, any line-replaceable unit in the 131-9 can be removed and replaced in the field in 12 minutes or less.