FIA 2024 witnessed a growing order book for aircraft engine manufacturers and provided important insights into the development of sustainable powerplants.
Pratt & Whitney, CFM International and GE Aerospace all bagged sizeable orders at this year’s edition of the Farnborough International Airshow. In total, orders for aircraft engines and support services were pegged at $8.23 billion (Rs. 68,885 crore) at FIA 2024. In addition to these orders important insights were provided into the future propulsion projects underway with major engine OEMs and new entrants such as ZeroAvia.
RTX’s Pratt & Whitney GTF Engines racked up a series of orders at FIA 2024, scoring over 600 orders. Pratt & Whitney has now crossed 950 engine orders and commitments as of July 2024. In total, over 11,000 GTF engine orders and commitments have been placed by more than 90 customers worldwide. “These orders demonstrate continued customer confidence in Pratt & Whitney and the value the GTF engine offers with its world-class economic and environmental benefits,” said Rick Deurloo, president of Commercial Engines at Pratt & Whitney.
CFM International ended FIA 2024 with orders for 352 LEAP engines from Avolon, Macquarie AirFinance and Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC). GE Aerospace benefited from the widebody orders for over 250 engines. GE bagged orders for GEnx-1B engines to power its 787s belonging to Japan Airlines. British Airways and EVA Air also received orders for GE90-110B engines from cargo operators National Airlines and Turkish Cargo. This was in addition to engine services agreements for GE90 engines and an American Airlines order for 180 CF34-8E engines plus spares to power its fleet of 90 new Embraer 175 regional jets.
CFM Takes a Big LEAP
The largest order for CFM from the show was also its largest ever LEAP-1A order from an aircraft lessor. Leading global aviation finance company, Avolon ordered 150 LEAP-1A engines for 75 new Airbus A320neo family aircraft and also opted for purchase rights for 150 additional engines. These engines will power our order book of A320neo family aircraft and put us in an excellent position to service our customers’ narrowbody requirements till 2030 and beyond,” said Andy Cronin, CEO of Avolon. He added that engine innovation was one of the key tools that would lower emissions and support the industry’s decarbonisation journey. A longstanding CFM customer, Avolon has partnered with the engine maker, since its launch in 2010.
Macquarie AirFinance finalised an agreement for twenty Boeing 737 MAX aircraft which will be powered by forty LEAP-1B engines, adding to 40 engines already ordered to power an earlier deal for twenty 737 MAX aircraft. Global aircraft lessor, Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) ordered ten LEAP-1A engines to power five Airbus A321neo family aircraft in what was NAC’s first direct order with CFM. The agreement also included options for two additional LEAP-powered A321neo family aircraft.
Till date CFM has delivered over 3,300 LEAP-powered aircraft in service, which has allowed its customers to reduce CO2 emissions by 35 million tonnes.
Pratt & Whitney GTF Engines Rack Up Orders
Pratt & Whitney bagged orders at the show from Avolon, Cebu Pacific (CEB), SMBC Aviation Capital, Papua New Guinea’s national carrier Air Niugini and Chilean-based SKY Airline. Global aircraft lessor, Avolon opted for GTF engines to power 80 Airbus A320neo family aircraft, growing its fleet to 158 GTF-powered aircraft (delivered and committed fleet). It has also taken options for engines to power 80 more aircraft. The order is also one of Pratt & Whitney’s largest transactions with a lessor for its GTF engines.
One of the largest lessors for GTF – powered A320neo family aircraft, SMBC Aviation Capital also opted for additional GTF engines, exercising options for 22 A320neo family aircraft. This adds to its 2021 order for 20 A320neos. Cebu Pacific’s (CEB) 152 A321neo aircraft will also be powered by GTF engines. The binding MOU covers firm orders for up to 102 A321neo, plus 50 A320neo family purchase rights. “This latest order demonstrates the growing opportunities for aviation in the Philippines and the larger Asia Pacific region,” said Rick Deurloo, president of Commercial Engines at Pratt & Whitney.
Papua New Guinea’s national carrier Air Niugini has opted for GTF engines for the first time and these engines will power 11 Airbus A220 aircraft for the airline. In addition, the airline inked a 12-year EngineWise Comprehensive agreement with Pratt & Whitney. Chilean-based SKY Airline also became first-time Pratt & Whitney customer with an MOU for GTF engines to power 10 firm Airbus A321XLR aircraft, with options for 29 Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft.
GE Spools Up Widebody Orders
Japan Airlines ordered GEnx-1B engines to power its 20 787-9s ordered at the show. The airline was also the launch airline for GEnx powered 787s. “Since incorporation into our fleet, the GEnx engine has proven to be high performance, reliable and fuel-efficient through thousands of flight hours,’ said Yukio Nakagawa, Executive Officer and Senior Vice President Procurement of Japan Airlines. “The GEnx engine is essential to the expansion of our 787 Dreamliner fleet,” he added.
Japan Airlines and its subsidiary presently operate a fleet of 53 Boeing 787s, which are powered by GEnx engines, with 3 million engine flight hours achieved in early 2024.
International Airlines Group (IAG) opted to power its six new 787 Dreamliners for British Airways with GEnx engines. This is their first introduction of this engine into their fleet. “British Airways was the launch customer for the highly successful GE90 engine. Bringing the GEnx into their 787 fleet represents another important milestone in our relationship,” said Russell Stokes, President and CEO, Commercial Engines and Services, GE Aerospace.
EVA Air will also power its four Boeing 787-10s with GEnx engines. “EVA currently operates 15 GEnx powered Boeing 787s, and they have demonstrated outstanding fuel burn, performance and reliability,” said Clay Sun, President of EVA. The GEnx-1B engine powers two-thirds of all 787 aircraft currently in operation. The engine also provides a 1.4 percent fuel burn savings for the typical 787 mission compared to its competition. Since entering service in 2011, the GEnx engine family stands as GE Aerospace’s fastest-selling, high-thrust engine to date. It has accumulated over 56 million flight hours. GE Aerospace has nearly 3,000 engines in service and on backlog (including spares).
National Airlines’ four new Boeing-777F cargo airplanes will be powered by eight GE90-110B engines. “Outstanding performance and reliability are hallmarks of the GE90 engines,” said National Airlines Chairman Chris Alf. National Airlines further owns 30 CF6-80C2B1F/B5F 747-400 engines. Turkish Airlines, inked a combined engines sales and TrueChoice Flight Hour agreement for eight GE90-110B engines to power four Turkish Cargo Boeing 777 Freighters.
All Boeing 777 models are powered by GE90 engines, which is the exclusive powerplant on the 777-300ER, -200LR, and Freighter. The GE90 was the first commercial engine with composite fan blades and was also the first engine to receive FAA approval for an additive manufactured compressor sensor. The GE90s composite fan blades are one-third the weight of traditional titanium fan blades but feature double the strength. Since its launch in 1990, GE Aerospace has delivered more than 3,000 GE90 engines to customers around the world with the engine displaying a reliability rate of 99.98 per cent. As compared to the initial launch specification of the engine, today GE90-110B engines offer 3.6 per cent reduction in fuel burn and a 60 per cent improvement in time on wing. The GE90 engine family has flown nearly 130 million flight hours and 18 million cycles since entry into service in 1995.
GE Aerospace also announced at the show, that it would extend service and offload agreements for GE90 Engines through 2040 with HAECO Group. Additionally, a 15-year Material Service Agreement for GE90 engines has been established under which HAECO will continue to provide engine overhaul services for GE Aerospace and expand its external GE90 maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) market.
HAECO Engine Services (Xiamen) has also secured its position in the MRO global network for the GE9X engine. “As the 777X moves closer to entry into service, our partnership with HAECO signifies our commitment to having an MRO network in place to support the GE9X powered fleet,” said Russell Stokes, President and CEO, Commercial Engines and Services, GE Aerospace.
Thai Airways entered into a six-year agreement at the show to extend their TrueChoice Service with GE Aerospace. This will cover the MRO of the airline’ ‘s GE90 engine powered Boeing 777s. THAI has also ordered GEnx engines for its new 787 fleet expansion.
American Airlines finalised a large order for 180 CF34-8E engines plus spares at FIA 2024. These engines will power its fleet of 90 new Embraer 175 regional jets. “The reliability and performance of the CF34 engine has been critical to our success for many years,” said American Airline’s CFO Devon May. Over 40 million flight hours and 29 million cycles have been accumulated on CF34-8E engines since entering service on the Embraer E170/175 in 2004. Today, the CF34 engine line, which includes -3, -8, and -10 models, powers more than 2,500 regional commercial aircraft. Over 7,500 CF34 engines remain in service with more than 900 Regional and Business Jet operators globally. GE Aerospace has delivered nearly 11,000 CF34 engines with the fleet demonstrating a 12-month rolling dispatch reliability rate of 99.97 per cent.
Sustainable Propulsion
Important achievements in the CFM Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines (RISE) programme were also announced at FIA 2024. CFM’s RISE programme was first unveiled in 2021 and aims to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 20 per cent as compared to today’s most efficient commercial aircraft engines in service. GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines, which are JV partners in CFM International now have over 2,000 engineers globally supporting development of RISE programme technologies.
FIA 2024 witnessed a growing order book for aircraft engine manufacturers and provided important insights into the development of sustainable powerplants.
Pratt & Whitney, CFM International and GE Aerospace all bagged sizeable orders at this year’s edition of the Farnborough International Airshow. In total, orders for aircraft engines and support services were pegged at $8.23 billion (`68,885 crore) at FIA 2024. In addition to these orders important insights were provided into the future propulsion projects underway with major engine OEMs and new entrants such as ZeroAvia.
RTX’s Pratt & Whitney GTF Engines racked up a series of orders at FIA 2024, scoring over 600 orders. Pratt & Whitney has now crossed 950 engine orders and commitments as of July 2024. In total, over 11,000 GTF engine orders and commitments have been placed by more than 90 customers worldwide. “These orders demonstrate continued customer confidence in Pratt & Whitney and the value the GTF engine offers with its world-class economic and environmental benefits,” said Rick Deurloo, president of Commercial Engines at Pratt & Whitney.
CFM International ended FIA 2024 with orders for 352 LEAP engines from Avolon, Macquarie AirFinance and Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC). GE Aerospace benefited from the widebody orders for over 250 engines. GE bagged orders for GEnx-1B engines to power its 787s belonging to Japan Airlines. British Airways and EVA Air also received orders for GE90-110B engines from cargo operators National Airlines and Turkish Cargo. This was in addition to engine services agreements for GE90 engines and an American Airlines order for 180 CF34-8E engines plus spares to power its fleet of 90 new Embraer 175 regional jets.
CFM Takes a Big LEAP
The largest order for CFM from the show was also its largest ever LEAP-1A order from an aircraft lessor. Leading global aviation finance company, Avolon ordered 150 LEAP-1A engines for 75 new Airbus A320neo family aircraft and also opted for purchase rights for 150 additional engines. These engines will power our order book of A320neo family aircraft and put us in an excellent position to service our customers’ narrowbody requirements till 2030 and beyond,” said Andy Cronin, CEO of Avolon. He added that engine innovation was one of the key tools that would lower emissions and support the industry’s decarbonisation journey. A longstanding CFM customer, Avolon has partnered with the engine maker, since its launch in 2010.
Macquarie AirFinance finalised an agreement for twenty Boeing 737 MAX aircraft which will be powered by forty LEAP-1B engines, adding to 40 engines already ordered to power an earlier deal for twenty 737 MAX aircraft. Global aircraft lessor, Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) ordered ten LEAP-1A engines to power five Airbus A321neo family aircraft in what was NAC’s first direct order with CFM. The agreement also included options for two additional LEAP-powered A321neo family aircraft.
Till date CFM has delivered over 3,300 LEAP-powered aircraft in service, which has allowed its customers to reduce CO2 emissions by 35 million tonnes.
Pratt & Whitney GTF Engines Rack Up Orders
Pratt & Whitney bagged orders at the show from Avolon, Cebu Pacific (CEB), SMBC Aviation Capital, Papua New Guinea’s national carrier Air Niugini and Chilean-based SKY Airline. Global aircraft lessor, Avolon opted for GTF engines to power 80 Airbus A320neo family aircraft, growing its fleet to 158 GTF-powered aircraft (delivered and committed fleet). It has also taken options for engines to power 80 more aircraft. The order is also one of Pratt & Whitney’s largest transactions with a lessor for its GTF engines.
One of the largest lessors for GTF- powered A320neo family aircraft, SMBC Aviation Capital also opted for additional GTF engines, exercising options for 22 A320neo family aircraft. This adds to its 2021 order for 20 A320neos. Cebu Pacific’s (CEB) 152 A321neo aircraft will also be powered by GTF engines. The binding MOU covers firm orders for up to 102 A321neo, plus 50 A320neo family purchase rights. “This latest order demonstrates the growing opportunities for aviation in the Philippines and the larger Asia Pacific region,” said Rick Deurloo, president of Commercial Engines at Pratt & Whitney.
Papua New Guinea’s national carrier Air Niugini has opted for GTF engines for the first time and these engines will power 11 Airbus A220 aircraft for the airline. In addition, the airline inked a 12-year EngineWise Comprehensive agreement with Pratt & Whitney. Chilean-based SKY Airline also became first-time Pratt & Whitney customer with an MOU for GTF engines to power 10 firm Airbus A321XLR aircraft, with options for 29 Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft.
GE Spools Up Widebody Orders
Japan Airlines ordered GEnx-1B engines to power its 20 787-9s ordered at the show. The airline was also the launch airline for GEnx powered 787s. “Since incorporation into our fleet, the GEnx engine has proven to be high performance, reliable and fuel-efficient through thousands of flight hours,’ said Yukio Nakagawa, Executive Officer and Senior Vice President Procurement of Japan Airlines. “The GEnx engine is essential to the expansion of our 787 Dreamliner fleet,” he added.
Japan Airlines and its subsidiary presently operate a fleet of 53 Boeing 787s, which are powered by GEnx engines, with 3 million engine flight hours achieved in early 2024.
International Airlines Group (IAG) opted to power its six new 787 Dreamliners for British Airways with GEnx engines. This is their first introduction of this engine into their fleet. “British Airways was the launch customer for the highly successful GE90 engine. Bringing the GEnx into their 787 fleet represents another important milestone in our relationship,” said Russell Stokes, President and CEO, Commercial Engines and Services, GE Aerospace.
EVA Air will also power its four Boeing 787-10s with GEnx engines. “EVA currently operates 15 GEnx powered Boeing 787s, and they have demonstrated outstanding fuel burn, performance and reliability,” said Clay Sun, President of EVA. The GEnx-1B engine powers two-thirds of all 787 aircraft currently in operation. The engine also provides a 1.4 percent fuel burn savings for the typical 787 mission compared to its competition. Since entering service in 2011, the GEnx engine family stands as GE Aerospace’s fastest-selling, high-thrust engine to date. It has accumulated over 56 million flight hours. GE Aerospace has nearly 3,000 engines in service and on backlog (including spares).
National Airlines’ four new Boeing-777F cargo airplanes will be powered by eight GE90-110B engines. “Outstanding performance and reliability are hallmarks of the GE90 engines,” said National Airlines Chairman Chris Alf. National Airlines further owns 30 CF6-80C2B1F/B5F 747-400 engines. Turkish Airlines, inked a combined engines sales and TrueChoice Flight Hour agreement for eight GE90-110B engines to power four Turkish Cargo Boeing 777 Freighters.
All Boeing 777 models are powered by GE90 engines, which is the exclusive powerplant on the 777-300ER, -200LR, and Freighter. The GE90 was the first commercial engine with composite fan blades and was also the first engine to receive FAA approval for an additive manufactured compressor sensor. The GE90s composite fan blades are one-third the weight of traditional titanium fan blades but feature double the strength. Since its launch in 1990, GE Aerospace has delivered more than 3,000 GE90 engines to customers around the world with the engine displaying a reliability rate of 99.98 per cent. As compared to the initial launch specification of the engine, today GE90-110B engines offer 3.6 per cent reduction in fuel burn and a 60 per cent improvement in time on wing. The GE90 engine family has flown nearly 130 million flight hours and 18 million cycles since entry into service in 1995.
GE Aerospace also announced at the show, that it would extend service and offload agreements for GE90 Engines through 2040 with HAECO Group. Additionally, a 15-year Material Service Agreement for GE90 engines has been established under which HAECO will continue to provide engine overhaul services for GE Aerospace and expand its external GE90 maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) market.
HAECO Engine Services (Xiamen) has also secured its position in the MRO global network for the GE9X engine. “As the 777X moves closer to entry into service, our partnership with HAECO signifies our commitment to having an MRO network in place to support the GE9X powered fleet,” said Russell Stokes, President and CEO, Commercial Engines and Services, GE Aerospace.
Thai Airways entered into a six-year agreement at the show to extend their TrueChoice Service with GE Aerospace. This will cover the MRO of the airline’ ‘s GE90 engine powered Boeing 777s. THAI has also ordered GEnx engines for its new 787 fleet expansion.
American Airlines finalised a large order for 180 CF34-8E engines plus spares at FIA 2024. These engines will power its fleet of 90 new Embraer 175 regional jets. “The reliability and performance of the CF34 engine has been critical to our success for many years,” said American Airline’s CFO Devon May. Over 40 million flight hours and 29 million cycles have been accumulated on CF34-8E engines since entering service on the Embraer E170/175 in 2004. Today, the CF34 engine line, which includes -3, -8, and -10 models, powers more than 2,500 regional commercial aircraft. Over 7,500 CF34 engines remain in service with more than 900 Regional and Business Jet operators globally. GE Aerospace has delivered nearly 11,000 CF34 engines with the fleet demonstrating a 12-month rolling dispatch reliability rate of 99.97 per cent.
Sustainable Propulsion
Important achievements in the CFM Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines (RISE) programme were also announced at FIA 2024. CFM’s RISE programme was first unveiled in 2021 and aims to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 20 per cent as compared to today’s most efficient commercial aircraft engines in service. GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines, which are JV partners in CFM International now have over 2,000 engineers globally supporting development of RISE programme technologies.
