China Airlines has ordered 17 GEnx-1B engines and spares to power their growing Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet. Riyadh Air has also signed a deal for 90 GEnx-1B engines and spares to power their new order for 39 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
On Thursday (June 22, 2023), from the Paris Air Show, GE Aerospace announced that Taiwan-based China Airlines has placed an order for 17 GEnx-1B engines and spares to power their growing fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The order also includes a comprehensive services agreement. China Airlines has been a GE Aerospace customer since 1999, when they first purchased 13 GE CF6-80C2 powered Boeing 747-400 airplanes. Currently, the carrier operates a fleet of 87 aircraft, including 66 passenger jets and 21 dedicated freighters.
In Thursday’s announcement, GE Aerospace’s VP – GE Commercial Programs, Kathy MacKenzie, said,
“We are so grateful China Airlines has selected the GEnx-1B engine for its expanding 787 Dreamliner fleet. This agreement fully demonstrates the airline’s trust in our products and services.”
China Airlines added,
“The GEnx-1B engine plays an important part in our operations. This agreement for engines and services enables us to ensure we are meeting best performance and reliability standards to serve our customers.”
In an earlier press release from the Paris Air Show on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, GE Aerospace announced that Riyadh Air has placed an order for 90 GEnx-1B engines and spares to power their newly announced order for 39 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The agreement also includes a TrueChoice services agreement.
In Wednesday’s announcement, Riyadh Air’s Chief Executive Officer, Tony Douglas, said,
“The agreement highlights our determination to significantly extend Saudi Arabia’s connectivity with the world and fulfill our goal of connecting to 100 destinations by 2030. We look forward to fostering strong strategic relationships within the wider aviation ecosystem as we continue to shape our new digitally native airline to become one of the most sustainable and guest-centric carriers in the world.”
Also commenting on the engine and services order, GE Aerospace’s President & CEO – Commercial Engines and Services, Russel Stokes, said,
“We are proud to partner with Riyadh Air to support its new fleet and fulfill its vision for long international routes. GE Aerospace’s GEnx engine is a perfect fit for the 787 fleet with its combination of power and the ability to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.”
Riyadh Air was unveiled to the world in March 2023, and this is their first engine partnership with GE Aerospace to power their new fleet of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The aircraft are scheduled for delivery beginning in early 2025. The GEnx-1B powers two out of every three 787s in service. The engine delivers a 1.4 percent fuel burn savings for a typical 787 mission versus the competition, saving approximately $300,000 per airplane per year in fuel savings, while reducing CO2 emissions by over two million pounds annually.
Since entering service in 2011, the GEnx Engine Family has completed nearly 50 million flight hours, and is the fastest-selling high-thrust engine in GE history with nearly 3,000 engines in service and on backlog, including spares. GEnx’s revenue-sharing partners include IHI Corporation of Japan. GKN Aerospace Engine Systems of the UK, MTU or Germany, TechSpare Aero (Safran) of Belgium, Safran Aircraft Engines of France and Samsung Techwin of Korea.
GE Aerospace is a world leader in the production of jet engines, components and systems for commercial and military aircraft, and operates a global service network to support these offerings. The company and their joint ventures have an installed base of over 40,000 commercial and 26,000 military aircraft engines.
Source: GE Aerospace