CINCINNATI, OHIO -- Two Delta Connection carriers have announced the largest-ever regional jet engine agreement with GE Aircraft Engines.

Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) and Comair, both wholly owned subsidiaries of Delta Air Lines, intend to purchase from Canada-based Bombardier Aerospace a total of 94 CRJ aircraft, with options for up to 406 additional CRJ aircraft. Aircraft deliveries could extend to the year 2010.

These 500 regional aircraft will be exclusively powered by GE's CF34-3 and CF34-8 jet engine families. The potential value of this engine agreement for GEAE over the next 10 years is more than $2 billion.

The aircraft agreement includes a mix of CRJ200s, the 50-passenger aircraft powered by the CF34-3 engine; and CRJ700s, the new 70-passenger aircraft powered by the higher-thrust CF34-8 engine.

The first 94 aircraft will be delivered through 2004, and the options extend through 2010.

ASA is based in Atlanta, Georgia; Comair is based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

"We are thrilled to be a key Delta strategic supplier as the airline moves to ensure its future leadership role in the regional jet market," said Jim McNerney, president and chief executive officer of GE Aircraft Engines. "A decade ago, Bombardier and GE together developed the technologies that helped to create the regional jet market. We commit our full support to Comair and ASA as they meet their fleet growth goals."

The CF34-3 engine has compiled an exceptional performance and reliability record in five million hours since entering regional airline service on the CRJ100 in 1992. The higher-thrust CF34-8C1 for the CRJ700 series earned U.S. Federal Aviation Administration certification ahead of schedule last November and will enter service on the aircraft later this year.

In total, more than 4,000 CF34 engines are on firm and option order or have been delivered. The current CF34 engine backlog totals more than 3,400 engines.