Airlines
GE signals interest in providing a second engine for A220-500
During an interview at the Paris Air Show, GE Aerospace Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Larry Culp expressed General Electric (GE) Aerospace’s interest in offering an additional engine option for potential customers of the stretched Airbus A220, referred to as the A220-500. Culp revealed that the company is currently evaluating the possibility of supplying engines for the Airbus A220-500 through its CFM International joint venture with Safran Aircraft Engines of France.
The PW1500G engine, the sole engine choice for the Airbus A220-100 and A220-300 has been giving operators problems over the past few months. Notably, unexpected delays brought by engine shop visits have increased operators’ turnaround times.
Guillaume Faury, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Airbus, said in an interview with FlightGlobal that if engine manufacturers are ready for such an arrangement, the manufacturer may consider dual-sourcing engines when the stretched version of the Airbus A220 is introduced. Faury emphasized that rather than just reducing risks in the supply chain, the availability of two engine options for airlines would be driven by strategic and contractual factors.
Lockheed Martin and Airbus chooses GE Aerospace engine for LMXT(Opens in a new browser tab)
Airbus anticipates that the majority of demand for narrow-body aircraft will shift up to the larger A321neo size, where it has already surpassed sales of the largest Boeing 737 MAX models.
The majority of industry sources predict that the A220-500 will debut closer to the middle of the decade, going into service around 2030 and possibly featuring updated wings and engines.
