The Engine Alliance’s GP7200 engine has marked its  first year in service with Emirates airline.

Since entering service in August 2008, the GP7200-powered Airbus A380 has had no in-flight shutdowns, and the engine has demonstrated a departure reliability rate greater than 99.9 per cent.

“Over the last year, the GP7200 engine has outperformed expectations and is the most fuel efficient engine in commercial service with the lowest noise signature on the A380,” said Engine Alliance executive vice president Bill Blair.

Emirates currently operates five GP7200-powered A380 aircraft and will be the largest operator of GP7200-powered A380 aircraft with a total order for 58 aircraft and more than 250 engines. In the last year, Emirates had logged more than 60,000 flight hours in 1,900 departures and offers one of the longest scheduled flights between Dubai and Sydney, which is about 6,500 nautical miles. Air France is scheduled to receive its first GP7200-powered A380 aircraft in October.

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 25 million flight hours of successful 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. In addition to being the quietest, most fuel-efficient engine for the A380, the GP7200 engine has emissions that are well below current and anticipated regulations.

The GP7200 is designed and built by GE and Pratt & Whitney, with GE manufacturing the high pressure compressor, combustor and high pressure turbine in Durham, North Carolina, and Pratt &Whitney manufacturing the fan module, low pressure compressor and low pressure turbine.  Final engine assembly is conducted at Pratt & Whitney’s Engine Center in Middletown, Connecticut.

In addition to Emirates and Air France, the Engine Alliance GP7200 has been selected to power A380 aircraft for Air Austral, Etihad Airways, International Lease Finance Company (ILFC) and Korean Airlines.

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