GE Aviation reported it booked over $17 billion worth of new business for jet engines and MRO service programs during the 2015 Dubai Air Show, concluded this week. The total includes orders placed with CFM International, the joint-venture turbofan engine builder that GE operates with rival Snecma, the French aircraft and rocket system designer and manufacturer.
GE suggested the new business reflected the increasing importance of the Middle East region to the commercial aviation market. The orders also reflected the importance of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services and spare parts to GE Aviation’s business.
The biennial Dubai Air Show is staged in odd-numbered years in the United Arab Emirates, and includes exhibits of new aircraft and aviation technology, along with flight demonstrations.
GE Aviation noted that along with its new business, it “forged new relationships with the Middle East’s growing aviation industry players.”
Among the new orders GE Aviation recorded at Dubai was a $16-billion contract from Emirates for MRO services for the GE9X engines installed in the carrier’s 150 Boeing 777X aircraft – an order placed last year. Emirates will be one of the launch customers for that new jet, which will debut in 2020. GE Aviation’s MRO contract will run 12 years, and Emirates also signed a 12-year contract covering avionics, electrical power, and mechanical systems on all Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft, those in service now and 44 777-300ERs on order.
Vietnam's VietJetAir placed a contract with CFM International for CFM56-5B engines to power 15 Airbus A321ceo aircraft, and signed a long-term service agreement for those engines worth over $700 million.
Pegasus Airlines, a Turkish carrier, signed an eight-year, $500-million “time and materials support” agreement with CFM International for 90 shop visits for the CFM56-7B engines installed in its Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
Etihad Airways, another Emirati carrier, agreed to a $475-million deal for GE90-115B engines for two Boeing 777 Freighters, and a 12-year MRO agreement for those engines
Other new business recorded during the event included an exclusive, five-year MRO agreement with Royal Air Maroc, concerning CF6-80C2 engines in four Boeing 767 aircraft.
Unison Industries, a wholly owned subsidiary of GE Aviation’s Services organization, executed a 10-year Material Services Agreement with Qatar Airways for external Unison new parts and component repairs for all engine lines in the airline’s fleet.
GE Aviation also inaugurated a Middle East Aviation Technology Center at the Dubai Airport Free Zone, to service customers using GE’s Industrial Internet with data analytics, domain experience, and software capabilities.
“The Middle East’s aviation industry is making a significant impact worldwide,” stated Muhammad Al-Lamadani, senior executive and general manager of GE Aviation Sales for the Middle East, Russia/CIS, and Turkey.
