DOHA – An agreement between Qatar Airways and GE Aerospace is expected to provide a major boost to the Huntsville workforce.
Qatar Airways has signed an agreement for more than 400 engines, including 60 GE9X and 260 GEnx engines, with additional options and spares, to power its next-generation Boeing 777-9 and Boeing 787 aircraft – the largest widebody engine purchase in the history of GE Aerospace, the company said.
In March, GE Aerospace announced plans to invest $22 million for its plant in Huntsville-Limestone County. The expansion is for additional machines to produce materials that are the building blocks for ceramic matrix composite engine parts.
“This widebody engine order is the largest in GE Aerospace’s history and is a major boost to the Huntsville workforce,” said a spokesman for GE Aerospace. “The site is key for new materials that go into these engines that provide aircraft the durability and reliability to power flight across the longest distances.”
Huntsville manufactures advanced materials that are one-third the weight of traditional materials and can handle higher heat. These materials go into critical parts used in the widebody engines Qatar Airways is purchasing.
“Our latest agreement with GE Aerospace reflects our confidence in the performance of the GE9X and GEnx engines to power our fleet of Boeing 777-9 and 787 aircraft,” Qatar Airways CEO Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer said. “These next-generation engines are critical components in our strategy to ensure our fleet remains modern and efficient.
“Qatar Airways has ambitious plans for the future, and we value our continued partnership with GE Aerospace and their commitment to supporting our operational needs.”
The deal supports the 600 workers GE Aerospace employs across Alabama. The company generates 55% of its revenue from selling engines and services to international customers.
The company said the new agreements solidify its commitment to Qatar’s aviation industry and build on the previous order for 188 GE9X engines, bringing the total to 248 engines. The addition of GEnx engines for the Boeing 787 fleet supplements their existing 124 engine order, further strengthening the national carrier’s commitment to efficiency and performance.
The two deals also include service agreements to cover the maintenance, repair, and overhaul of the GEnx and GE9X engines.
“We are extremely honored to deepen our relationship with Qatar Airways and grateful to them for placing their trust in us with our largest ever widebody engine deal,” said GE Aerospace Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp Jr. “Our widebody engines – the GE9X and GEnx – are marvels of modern engineering, with the durability and reliability to power flight across the longest distances.”
The GE9X engine is the world’s most powerful commercial aircraft engine and the most fuel-efficient engine in its class. Available only on the Boeing 777X family of 777-9 and 777-8 aircraft, the GE9X offers 10% better specific fuel consumption than its predecessor, the GE90-115B, with emissions that are a generation ahead in technology.
Since its introduction in 2011, the GEnx engine family has accumulated over 62 million flight hours. It stands as GE Aerospace’s fastest-selling, high-thrust engine to date, with more than 3,600 engines currently in service and backlog, including spare units.
Today, the GEnx engine powers two-thirds of all 787 aircraft in operation.
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