GE9X engines to power Korean Air’s 787-10s and 777-9s

Above: The GE9X engine.
Courtesy GE Aerospace

"We’re grateful for the Korean Air team putting its trust in us again," said Russell Stokes, President and CEO, Commercial Engines and Services, GE Aerospace. "Today’s order represents the next chapter in our long-standing partnership with Korean Air and reaffirms our commitment to support their successful fleet upgrade and expansion."

The order also includes a service agreement to cover the maintenance, repair, and overhaul of the GE9X engines. With this order, Korean Air becomes the first GE9X customer in South Korea.

"GE Aerospace provides the advanced technology that powers our commitment to excellence," said Walter Cho, Chairman and CEO of Korean Air and Hanjin Group. "Our partnership is essential to Korean Air’s vision of becoming the world’s most loved airline."

Since its introduction in 2011, the GEnx engine family has accumulated over 62 million flight hours. It stands as GE Aerospace’s fastest-selling, high-thrust engine to date, with more than 3,600 engines currently in service and backlog, including spare units.  Today, the GEnx engine powers two-thirds of all 787 aircraft currently in operation.

The GE9X engine is the world’s most powerful commercial aircraft engine and the most fuel-efficient engine in its class. Available only on the Boeing 777X family of 777-9 and 777-8 aircraft, the GE9X offers 10% better specific fuel consumption than its predecessor, the GE90-115B, with emissions that are a generation ahead of any competing engine.

Like all GE Aerospace commercial engines, both GEnx and GE9X engines are certified to run on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blends today.

Today, Korean Air operates an extensive fleet of GE Aerospace and CFM powered aircraft that includes GE90-110B/115B, LEAP-1B and CFM56-7B engines. In addition to the engine technology, Korean Air is using GE Aerospace’s industry-leading Flight Data Monitoring system, Safety Insight, to enhance its safety protocols and operational effectiveness through advanced analytics, automation, and high-speed processing of big data.