Emirates and the Engine Alliance have signed a $3 billion fleet management agreement for the maintenance, repair and overhaul of the Emirates GP7200 engines that power its A380 fleet.

Under the agreement, the Engine Alliance will manage aftermarket services for the GP7200 engine and utilize the MRO capabilities of its member companies, GE Aviation and Pratt & Whitney, as well as other MRO facilities in its support network, including the Emirates' facilities in Dubai.

'We are delighted to extend our relationship with Engine Alliance through the formalization of the fleet management agreement for our GP7200 engines,' said Adel Al Redha, Emirates executive vice president, Engineering and Operations.

'We have confidence in the services provided by Engine Alliance and their member companies, and we look forward to working even more closely with them to support our MRO requirements as more A380s enter the Emirates fleet.'

'Emirates will be the largest operator of our GP7200 engines,' said Engine Alliance President Jim Moravecek. 'We look forward to expanding our excellent relationship with Emirates into the services arena.'

Emirates entered service with the GP7200-powered A380 in August 2008, and took delivery of its fifth A380 in April.

With 58 A380s and more than 250 GP7200 engines on order, Emirates is positioned to operate the largest A380 fleet in the world.

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 22 million flight hours of safe operation.

Certified at 76,500 pounds of thrust, the engine has the capability to produce more than 81,500 pounds of thrust. The GP7200 is the quietest, most fuel efficient engine for the A380 and its emissions are well below current and anticipated regulations.

In addition to Emirates, the Engine Alliance GP7200 has been selected to power A380 aircraft for Air France, Korean Airlines, and the International Lease Finance Company. Air France is scheduled to receive its first GP7200-powered A380 aircraft in October.

The Engine Alliance is a 50/50 joint venture of General Electric and Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corporation.-TradeArabia News Service