EVENDALE, OH -China Southern has reached agreement with GE-Aviation to purchase the GEnx engine to power its 10 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
Aircraft deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2008.
The value of the GEnx engines ordered is approximately $240 million. China Southern has also reached an OnPointSM maintenance agreement with GE for its GEnx fleet.
China Southern, based in Guangzhou and the largest airline in terms of volume of passenger traffic, number of scheduled flights per week, number of hours flown, number of routes and size of aircraft fleet in the People's Republic of China, is a significant GE customer with a fleet of Boeing 777s, 737s and Airbus A320s powered respectively by GE and CFM International (50/50 joint company of GE and Snecma Moteurs). The airline will deploy the new 787s for its expanding international routes.
"We are grateful for the continued confidence China Southern has with GE," said Scott Donnelly, president and CEO of GE-Aviation. "We are fully focused on enhancing this long-term relationship."
The GEnx is the best-selling engine for the Boeing 787. Selected for three new wide-body aircraft under development, the GEnx has orders exceeding 600 engines.
Based on the highly successful GE90 architecture, the engine will succeed GE's CF6 engine family, which is the most reliable and best-selling engine on wide-body aircraft. It provides significantly better specific fuel consumption and payload performance than GE's CF6 engines. Testing began earlier this year on the GEnx engine, with engine certification scheduled for 2007.
The GEnx engine is the world's only jet engine with both a front fan case and fan blades made of composites, which provide for greater engine durability, weight reduction and lower operating costs. The fan blades will utilize GE90 composite technology that has performed well, with no routine on-wing maintenance required and no in-service issues for more than a decade. The GEnx will operate with 18 fan blades (50 percent fewer than the CF6) at noise levels lower than any large GE commercial engine. The GEnx also features a new combustor for efficient fuel mixing before ignition, resulting in significantly lower oxides of nitrogen (Nox) levels.
The GEnx is part of GE's "ecomagination" product portfolio--GE's commitment to develop new, cost-effective technologies that enhance customers' environmental and operating performance.
GE - Aviation, an operating unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), is one of the world's leading manufacturers of jet engines for civil and military aircraft. GE also is a world-leading provider of maintenance and support services for jet engines.