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Qatar Airways Signs MoU for $1.6 Billion GEnx Engine Order for Its New A350 Fleet

September 14, 2005

EVENDALE, Ohio - Qatar Airways have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with General Electric Company for the GEnx engine to power the airline's new fleet 60 Airbus A350 aircraft. 

The GEnx order from Qatar Airways is valued at more than $1.6 billion, and represents the largest single order for GE's newest engine under development. 

Deliveries of Qatar Airways' new A350 fleet, a combination of A350-800 and A350-900 aircraft, begin in 2010. The A350 order is part of an aggressive growth program the airline is undertaking to expand its route structure. One of the world's fastest growing airlines, Qatar Airways, based in Doha, currently serves 66 destinations throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, increasing to 68 destinations by the end of this year. 

Qatar Airways have built an award-winning product for its superior first, business, and economy class cabins and in-flight hospitality to earn a place among the world's elite airlines. 

"GE is gratified to be an important part of Qatar Airways' aggressive growth program," said Scott Donnelly, President and CEO of GE Aircraft Engines. "GE's CF6 engines power Qatar Airways' large fleet of A330 aircraft, and the GEnx engine represents our next generation of technology." 

"We have been very pleased with the reliability and performance of CF6 engines powering our A330-200 and A330-300 fleet," said Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways. "Our strong working relationship with GE extends to training our maintenance crews, overhauling our engines, and also monitoring the engines daily during flight through the Remote Diagnostics program. Based on these successes, we are pleased to expand our business arrangement with GE with its new GEnx engines." 

The GEnx, based on the architecture of the renowned GE90, is the next-generation of engine technology to succeed GE's highly successful CF6, the best-selling engine family for wide-body aircraft. Compared to the CF6 family, the GEnx will improve specific fuel consumption by 15 percent. 

The GEnx is the world's only jet engine with a front fan case and fan blades made of composites for greater durability and weight reduction. It will operate with 18 fan blades (50 percent fewer than the CF6) at noise levels lower than any large GE commercial engine. The GEnx features a new combustor for efficient fuel mixing before ignition, resulting in significantly lower NOx levels. The first full GEnx engine will go to test in 2006, with engine certification scheduled for 2007. 

The GEnx is part of GE's "ecomagination" product portfolio - GE's commitment to develop new, cost-effective technologies that will enhance customers' environmental and operating performance. 

GE Aircraft Engines, a part of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), is one of the world's leading manufacturers of jet engines for civil and military aircraft.