GE's Fast-Growing CF34 Fleet Surpasses 50 Million Flight-Hours Powering Regional Jets

EVENDALE, OHIO -- In just 16 years, GE Aviation's CF34 engines for regional jets have surpassed 50 million hours -- a figure reflecting the growing significance to GE of this relatively new commercial aviation segment. 

GE helped to usher in the era of modern regional-jet travel in 1992, when the first CF34-powered Bombardier CRJ100 entered revenue service. Today, more than 4,200 CF34 engines power 50- to 120-seat aircraft models produced by Bombardier of Canada and EMBRAER of Brazil. 

Also, the CF34 will power the new ARJ21 regional jets from Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). The ARJ21-700 is scheduled to begin flight-testing later this year. COMAC has already received 206 aircraft orders. 

By 2018, GE CF34 engines for regional jets are expected to surpass 8,600 engines -- and accumulate more than 200 million flight-hours. (Adding CF34 engines powering Bombardier Challenger business jets, the total CF34 fleet for regional and business jets is expected to reach 11,000 by 2018.) 

Already, the CF34 fleet makes a significant contribution to overall revenue, with the CF34 for regional jets contributing in 2007 more than $1.5 billion to the GE Aviation revenue base. 

It is an impressive return on a considerable long-term investment by GE into the regional jet market. Since 1992, GE has invested more than $2 billion to develop the CF34-3 engine for 50-passenger aircraft, and the CF34-8 and CF34-10 engine families for the 70- to 120-seat aircraft. 

The investment has resulted in a CF34 engine family counted among the most reliable and cost-efficient in aviation. As GE develops CF34 variants, the company feeds these improvements into earlier models to lower their cost of ownership. 

GE Aviation, an operating unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of commercial and military jet engines and components as well as integrated digital, electric power, and mechanical systems for aircraft. GE Aviation also has a global service network to support these offerings.