ANTALYA, TURKEY - GE Aviation’s GEnx-1B engines will power Turkish Airlines’ 25 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and five options, which were ordered last month. The airline also signed a 15-year TrueChoiceTM Flight Hour agreement with GE for maintenance, repair and overhaul for the GEnx-1B engines ordered.
“The GEnx engine offers the optimum reliability, utilization and fuel efficiency of any engine on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and will properly suit Turkish Airlines’ needs as we continue to enhance our aircraft fleet with modern aircraft technologies,” said M. İlker Aycı, Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee.
“Turkish Airlines’ order affirms the confidence that operators have in the reliability and performance of the GEnx engine, which is the most popular engine powering the B787 Dreamliner,” said Chaker Chahrour, VP Global Sales & Marketing at GE Aviation.“This order further strengthens our relationship with Turkish Airlines, and we look forward to the GEnx engine joining the airline’s growing fleet.”
GE Aviation has sold more than 2,000 GEnx engines in less than 15 years since launching the program, solidifying it as the fastest selling high-thrust GE engine in history. With the most advanced technologies and materials, the GEnx has the highest reliability and utilization, lowest fuel burn and longest range capable of any engine available on the B787 aircraft. The highest pressure ratio compressor in commercial service today enables the best fuel efficiency in its thrust class, resulting in the GEnx engine powering the longest B787 routes. The GEnx's innovative lean burning twin-annular pre-swirl (TAPS) combustor dramatically reduces NOx and other regulated gases below today's regulatory limits and enhances durability. As the world’s first commercial engine with both a carbon fiber composite front fan case and fan blades, the GEnx fan module is lighter in weight, corrosion resistant with less line maintenance and improved reliability, and is the quietest engine GE produces. These leading-edge technologies and engine architecture bring high operational reliability and result in a high utilization rate of GEnx-powered B787 aircraft for more flights per year and more revenue for airlines.
The GEnx engine has significant ties to the Turkey aviation industry. The Turkey Technology Center in Gebze and its 400 engineers helped design the GEnx engine along with other commercial, military and industrial engines. TUSAS Engine Industries, Inc. (TEI), which was founded 33 years ago and of which GE holds a 46 percent share, manufactures close to 40 GEnx components.
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.
The TrueChoice suite of engine maintenance offerings incorporates an array of GE capabilities and customization across an engine's lifecycle. The TrueChoice Overhaul provides time and material overhauls with tailored work scopes specific to shop visit objectives, economic priorities and ownership horizon for one engine or a fleet. All TrueChoice offerings are underpinned by GE Aviation's data and analytic capabilities and experience to help reduce maintenance burden and service disruptions for customers.
About Turkish Airlines
Founded in 1933 with just five aircraft, Turkish Airlines operates a passenger and cargo fleet of 326 aircraft, which will reach over 500 passenger and cargo aircraft by 2023. The airline currently flies to 302 destinations in 121 countries all around the world.
About GE Aviation
GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet and turboprop engines, components, integrated digital, avionics, electrical power and mechanical systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings and is part of the world’s Digital Industrial Company with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive.
GE in Turkey
GE has supported manufacturing, localization, employment and export in Turkey through partnerships and investments for more than 70 years. More than 2,500 GE employees work in nine facilities across Turkey. GE has engaged in Turkish aviation for more than 30 years in engineering, technology development and manufacturing through efforts at the Turkey Technology Center and TEI. TEI manufactures more than 800 components for 40 engine programs with 77 percent of its production for GE, which make it ranked as the second largest exporter in the Turkish Aviation and Defense Industry.
TMTrueChoice is a trademark of General Electric Company.