The GEnx engine family has surpassed the 50 million flight hour mark in less than 12 years, the fastest rate ever for a commercial widebody engine.
The GEnx-1B, which powers the Boeing 787 Dreamliner family, has accumulated nearly 32 million hours since entering service in 2012. The GEnx-2B has accumulated 18 million hours since entering service in 2011 on the Boeing 747-8. Combined, the GEnx engine family is currently in service with more than 70 operators around the world and is averaging a total of over 450,000 flight hours monthly. It achieved the 50 million flight hours mark faster than GE’s other widebody engine lines.
“We are thrilled with the performance and staying power of the GEnx engine,” said Dave Kircher, general manager for the GEnx program at GE Aerospace. “We appreciate all of our valued customers for helping the GEnx engine hit this milestone and look forward to the next 50 million hours of distinguished performance with operators around the world.”
The GEnx engine family is the fastest-selling, high-thrust engine in GE history with nearly 3,000 engines in service and on backlog, including spares.
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.
With its superior efficiency, the GEnx has powered some of the furthest airline routes, including a record-breaking distance flight in 2020 between Papeete in French Polynesia and Paris, covering a distance of 9,765 miles (15,715 kilometres; 8,485 nmi).
Continued support through service innovation
GE has implemented a number of on-wing technologies available for the GEnx, including:
360 Foam Wash: designed to break down and remove dust and dirt particles. GE’s 360 Foam Wash can help improve engine compressor efficiency, reduce fuel consumption, lower CO2 emissions, and extend time between shop visits.
Blade Inspection Tool (BIT): This technology gives GEnx-1B and -2B customers clear and consistent insight during HPT Stage 1 & Stage 2 blade inspections. Blade inspectors with integral cameras capture images with cutting edge AI technology, extracting and presenting them for review. BIT enables the user to measure both lines and areas on blade surfaces, to make an accurate assessment of the condition of hardware.
GE Digital’s FlightPulse: FlightPulse is an app developed for pilots to measure their fuel use and other statistics against those of their peers or against their own previous flights so they can self-discover areas to optimize operations and efficiency.
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.
