Proud to continue our longstanding partnership with Tata Group and Air India: GE Aerospace

New Delhi: After Air India signed a firm order for 40 GEnx-1B and 20 GE9X engines, jet engines and systems suppliers company GE Aerospace said that it is a proud moment for them that the airline has placed a historic order to acquire GE engines.

Air India, part of Tata Sons, has signed a firm order for 40 GEnx-1B and 20 GE9X engines, plus a multi-year TrueChoice™ engine services agreement. The deal was signed in coordination with the airline's firm order for 20 Boeing 787 and 10 Boeing 777X aircraft. "We are proud to continue our longstanding partnership with Tata Group and Air India," GE Aerospace Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) H Lawrence Culp said on Sunday adding, "We look forward to working together to introduce these engines into Air India's fleet and are committed to ensuring they deliver exceptional performance."

After placing historical order with GE Aerospace, Tata Sons group Chairman N Chandrasekaran expressed his happiness and said that it will make Air India a world-class airline.

"All of us at Tata Group and Air India are delighted to have this partnership with GE Aerospace, where we will build Air India to be a world-class airline and one of the most technologically advanced airlines," he said.

GE Aerospace has been operating in India for over four decades with wide engagement in the industry including engines, avionics, services, engineering, manufacturing, and local sourcing.

Since taking over at Air India, as CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson has taken a number of steps to make Air India one of the best airlines in the world, of which Vihaan is a part.

Since the historic announcement, Campbell Wilson has expressed confidence that Air India will continue to grow globally and the expansion will get a boost.

"This order for GE Aerospace engines supports our Vihaan.AI transformation plan, a key part of which is to dramatically expand our fleet and global network," he said.

"We are confident that these engines will deliver the reliability and efficiency we need, and we are delighted to continue our longstanding relationship with GE," he added.

GE Aerospace has powered Air India since 1982 when the airline took delivery of its first CF6-powered Airbus A300. The airline currently operates a fleet of more than 150 aircraft, including GE90-powered Boeing 777s and GEnx-powered Boeing 787s.

Air India also announced a CFM order for more than 800 LEAP engines, the largest LEAP order ever, to power its entire narrowbody purchase of 210 Airbus A320/A321neo aircraft and 190 Boeing 737 MAX-family aircraft. The announcement includes a multi-year CFM services agreement. CFM is a 50-50 joint business between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines.