Hyderabad, March 18 (IANS): Honeywell Aerospace has been selected by Jet Airways to provide maintenance services for Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) on board its fleet of 10 Boeing 777 airplanes.

The five-year agreement will help Jet Airways better predict and manage maintenance cycles, allowing the India-based airline to reduce unscheduled downtime and improve reliability of its fleets.

The announcement was made on Friday at India Aviation 2016, country's largest civil aviation show currently underway year.

This latest APU maintenance service agreement for the GTCP331-500 model is designed to keep servicing costs under control while maintaining equipment at the latest modification standard, helping the airline reduce variable costs and improve flight performance, said a statement by Honeywell.

The agreement is an extension of Jet Airways' comprehensive APU maintenance programs already in place for its B737NG and A330 aircraft.

"Our APU maintenance program coupled with Predictive Trend Monitoring Diagnostic service provides Jet Airways the tools to simplify budget planning and mitigate unexpected costs that may arise due to unscheduled removals, as well as speed up turnaround for its B777 fleet," said Arijit Ghosh, president, Honeywell Aerospace India.

"Having a comprehensive maintenance service plan across our fleets enables us to focus on our operations and continue to enhance customer experience," said K.M. Unni, chief of operations, Jet Airways.

Honeywell's APU provides compressed air to the main engines of an airplane as they start. It also runs air conditioning and electrical power to the plane while it is on the ground and serves as primary or backup electrical power for environmental, cockpit and hydraulic systems during flight.

With more than five decades of experience in the development of APUs, Honeywell will provide Jet Airways with access to a growing global network of experienced and Honeywell-approved field technicians.