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Qatar Airways Sets Time-On-Wing Record for GE's CF6-80E Engines

March 27, 2007

EVENDALE, Ohio -- Qatar Airways has set a time-on-wing record for CF6-80E engines operating in a hot, sandy environment. The engine on the airline's Airbus A330 aircraft accumulated more than 4,300 cycles over four years of service. 

"Qatar Airways and GE have done an excellent job working together to achieve this record-setting time on wing," said Colleen Athans, general manager of the CF6 Program. "By complying with recommended water washes, proactive maintenance, and operational procedures, Qatar Airways was able to demonstrate the intrinsic capabilities of the engine and far exceed our expectations." 

The CF6-80E engine was proactively removed and will serve as a leading indicator for fleet conditions. 

"We are delighted that Qatar Airways has set this outstanding industrial record," says Muhammad Al-Lamadani, sales pole general manager for GE Aviation. "Our partnership with Qatar extends to many areas including technology, training, and maintenance. GE is in the process of establishing a Regional Center of Excellence at the Qatar Science & Technology Park in Doha." 

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said, "We are extremely pleased with the outstanding reliability of the CF6-80E on our large A330 fleet, particularly in view of the challenging environment that Qatar Airways operates in. GE has been extremely proactive in supporting the CF6 and we have similarly high expectations in respect of the reliability and product support for the GE90 that will enter service on our 777-300ERs later this year." 

Qatar Airways selected GE as its engine service provider and has an OnPointSM Solution agreement that covers its entire CF6-80 fleet. As part of this agreement, Qatar and GE have collaborated to ensure the reliability of the engines with fleet monitoring through GE's diagnostics services, fleet management programs and On Wing Support. 

Qatar Airways is one of the world's fastest growing airlines, operating a fleet of 53 aircraft flying to 72 destinations worldwide from its operational hub of Doha, capital of the State of Qatar. Named "Airline of the Year" at the annual Middle East and North Africa (MENA) travel awards, Qatar Airways is also one of only four airlines in the world with a Five Star ranking for service and excellence by Skytrax, the independent aviation industry monitoring agency. 

It operates a large fleet of Airbus A330 aircraft powered by GE's CF6 engines. The airline recently ordered 44 high-thrust GE90 engines to power 22 longer range Boeing 777s, with deliveries scheduled to begin in November. 

GE Aviation, an operating unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), is one of the world's leading manufacturers of jet engines for civil and military aircraft. GE also is a world-leading provider of maintenance and support services for jet engines. 

SMOnPoint is a service mark of General Electric Company.