Emirates selects GP7200 engines for additional Airbus A380 aircraft

The engine order is valued at $800m list price.

"Emirates is the launch customer for the GP7200 and we are pleased that they have selected the Engine Alliance to supply the powerplant for its additional A380 aircraft," said Bruce Hughes, president of the Engine Alliance. "Our product support team has been working with Emirates to ensure a smooth entry into service when it takes delivery of its first GP7200-powered A380 aircraft next year."

Emirates has ordered a total of 55 GP7200-powered A380 aircraft and will have the largest A380 fleet for any airline. Deliveries for the A380 aircraft to Emirates will begin in the third quarter 2008.

The GP7200-powered A380 flight test program is nearing completion in preparation for joint U.S. (FAR25) and European (EASA) aircraft certification in December. The engines have performed flawlessly and have met or bettered all critical targets for performance, durability, noise and emissions. In-flight performance measurements confirm the GP7200 engine is the most fuel-efficient engine for the A380 aircraft - burning less engine fuel than required by the Airbus specification-and is also the most fuel-efficient certified wide-body engine in the world.

The GP7200 engine is one of the most thoroughly tested engines ever developed specifically for a four-engine commercial aircraft. The Engine Alliance subjected the GP7200 engine to 7,000 endurance cycles as part of the certification test program. Post-certification engine testing has continued in an effort to uncover and remedy any hardware durability or reliability issues well before the A380 enters service in 2008.

Development engine serial number 550-007 recently completed 3,005 endurance cycles as part of a propulsion system maturity demonstration. This engine is identical to the current production engine configuration. Another 1,000 Service Ready Endurance cycles are planned on test engine followed by a complete engine teardown and detailed hardware inspection. To date, the GP7200 test program has amassed more than 16,500 engine endurance cycles and more than 5,000 hours of ground testing, surpassing the goal of 15,000 endurance cycles prior to entry into service.

The GP7200 is derived from two successful wide-body engine programs, the GE90 and the PW4000. It benefits from the two programs' latest, proven technologies and the lessons learned from more than 18.8 million flight hours of safe operation. Certified at 76,500 pounds (340 kN) of thrust, the engine has the capability to produce more than 81,500 pounds (363 kN) of thrust. The GP7200 will ensure the A380 meets stringent Stage 4 noise regulations and QC2 departure noise rules, and its emissions are well below current and anticipated regulations.

The Engine Alliance is a 50/50 joint venture of General Electric (NYSE:GE) and Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).

See all Dubai Airshow news