Boeing and Safran have jointly announced the name of their 50-50 joint venture to design, build and service Auxiliary Power Units (APUs): Initium Aerospace.
From its Latin roots, initium means ‘the beginning' or ‘to start.' This is what an APU is and does when it provides the power to start the main aircraft engines and systems on the ground and, if necessary, in flight. Initium Aerospace starts with Boeing's customer and airplane knowledge and Safran's experience designing and producing complex propulsion systems.
The creation of Initium Aerospace follows the regulatory and antitrust approvals the joint venture received last November, after an agreement was reached in June.
The initial team consists of employees from the two parent companies and is led by Etienne Boisseau, CEO of Initium Aerospace. Initial work is being done in San Diego, California, where they are focused on the next-generation APU design as well as collaborating with teams across Boeing and Safran on engineering and production.
