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Saudi Arabian Airlines Reaffirms GEnx Engine Selection for Its Boeing 787 Fleet

July 16, 2008

FARNBOROUGH -- Saudi Arabian Airlines, the national carrier of Saudi Arabia, has reaffirmed its selection of the GEnx engine to power its Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The airline will be receiving 12 new GEnx-powered B787-9 aircraft from Aviation Lease and Finance Company (ALAFCO), with deliveries starting in 2014. Saudi Arabian Airlines will be purchasing eight aircraft and leasing an additional four from ALAFCO. The 24 GEnx engines will be supported with a long-term overhaul material agreement with GE Aviation. 

"We would like to express our delight at the mutual cooperation and fruitful efforts with GE Aviation. Our relationship with GE is not the birth of today, indeed it had existed for several decades," said His Excellency Engineer Khalid A. Al-Molhem, Director General of Saudi Arabian Airlines. 

"We are very pleased with Saudi Arabian Airlines' selection of the GEnx engine to power their new Boeing 787-9 aircraft," said, David Joyce, President and CEO of GE - Aviation. "The GEnx engine will provide significantly improved fuel efficiency, next-generation technology and overall low cost of ownership for the airline new 787-9 fleet. We look forward to continuing to build on our strong relationship with Saudi Arabian Airlines for many years to come." 

Saudi Arabian Airlines began its operations in 1945 with a single twin-engine DC-3 that had been presented to King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud as a gift by the then U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Today, it is one of the Asia's largest airlines, operating a fleet of 98 aircraft to nearly 90 destinations. It operates flights to more than 60 destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. 

Based in Kuwait, ALAFCO is a growing aviation lease and finance company with customers in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. 

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.