GE Aviation, an operating unit of General Electric Company, said it has won engine orders worth more than $430 million from two of the major Gulf carriers - Qatar Airways and Kuwait-based Jazeera Airways.

Qatar Airways has ordered six GE90-115B-powered Boeing 777-300ER engines in a deal valued at more than $350 million, while Jazeera placed a $80 million order for CFM56-5B engines to power four of its brand new Airbus A320 aircraft, said the US company in a statement.

“Qatar Airways currently operates 25 GE90-powered Boeing 777 with an additional 15 aircraft on order,” said Kevin McAllister, vice president and general manager of Global Sales at GE Aviation, on the sidelines of the Paris AIr Show.

“This order for six additional GE90-115B-powered Boeing 777-300ERs demonstrates the airlines confidence in this engine-aircraft combination, and we are extremely pleased by the airline’s continued commitment to operate GE engines,” he noted.
 
According to McAllister, the GE90-115B engines that power the Boeing 777-300ER, -200LR and 777 Freighters have been highly popular aircraft/engine combinations.

More than 645 of these aircraft have been ordered by 46 customers worldwide, the official added.

According to him, the GE90-115B engine is part of its 'ecomagination' product portfolio aimed at developing new, cost-effective technologies that enhance customers environmental and operating performance.

At 115,000 pounds of thrust, the GE90-115B engine combines advanced technologies from the GE90 family with three-dimensional aerodynamic (3-D aero) compressor and wide-chord, swept composite fan blades for greater efficiency, he added.

On the Jazeera deal, McAllister said the engine order had been valued at $80 million and was scheduled to be delivered  between 2012 and 2014.

Jazeera Airways Group chairman Marwan Boodai said, 'We have had great success with the CFM56-5B engines and formed an outstanding working relationship with CFM.'

'The performance and reliability advantages that the engine provides have helped us establish and maintain our high efficiency and reliability reputation,' he stated.
 
'All of Jazeera’s new engines will be the CFM56-5B Performance Improvement Package (PIP) configuration. The -5B PIP completed extensive ground testing and more than 26 hours of flight testing on the A320,' he added.

A leader in provision of jet and turboprop engines, components and integrated systems, GE Aviation said CFM56-5B engines are a product of CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran group) and GE.

CFM, the world's leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines, has delivered more than 22,200 engines to date, it added.

According to McAllister, CFM56-5B engine powers every model of Airbus A320 family and has been chosen to power nearly 60 per cent of all A320s in service or on order.

The engine, he said, will maintain the same noise signature as the current production engine.

These also meet current International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Committee of Aviation Environmental Protection standards (CAEP /6) requirements, he noted.

McAllister said the engine, which will become the new production standard, is on track for certification and entry into service by year end.-TradeArabia News Service