China Airlines orders GEnx engines to power 787 fleet

China Airlines announced today an order for 17 GEnx-1B engines and spares to power its growing fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner commercial jets. The order also includes a comprehensive services agreement.

China Airlines, a leading Taiwan-based carrier, has been a GE Aerospace customer since 1999 when it first purchased 13 GE CF6-80C2-powered Boeing 747-400 aircraft. The company currently operates a fleet of 87 aircraft, including 66 Passenger Jets and 21 Freighters. The most recent order of 17 GEnx-1B engines comes amid an aggressive fleet revitalization effort for the airline aimed at improving operational efficiency and traveler experience.

“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,” said Kathy MacKenzie, Vice President, GE Commercial Programs at GE Aerospace.

According to China Airlines, “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.”

The GEnx engine family has nearly 50 million flight hours since entry into service in 2011 and is the fastest-selling, high-thrust engine in GE history with nearly 3,000 engines in service and on backlog, including spares.

The GEnx-1B powers two out of every three 787 aircraft in service. The engine also provides a 1.4% fuel burn savings for the typical 787 mission compared to its competition, equating to $300,000 per airplane per year in fuel savings. The added fuel savings enables more than 2 million fewer pounds of CO₂ per aircraft annually.

Representing a giant leap forward in propulsion technology, GEnx uses lightweight durable materials and advanced design processes to reduce weight, improve performance, and lower maintenance, making it the best engine choice for long-haul flights.

GEnx’s revenue-sharing participants are IHI Corporation of Japan, GKN Aerospace Engine Systems of the UK, MTU of Germany, TechSpace Aero (Safran) of Belgium, Safran Aircraft Engines of France and Samsung Techwin of Korea.