GE Aerospace has significantly expanded its long-term partnership with AerCap Holdings, signing a pivotal seven-year agreement for the global leasing giant to manage the lease pool for GE’s newest and most advanced engine, the GE9X. This strategic move solidifies customer support for the forthcoming Boeing 777X fleet.
Building on AerCap’s existing management of lease pools for GEnx, GE90, CF6, and CF34 engines, the new agreement extends the companies’ collaboration into the next decade. Under the terms, AerCap will provide comprehensive services for the GE9X, including shop visit management, lease return coordination, technical services, and full lease administration support.
Russell Stokes, President and CEO of Commercial Engines and Services for GE Aerospace, emphasized the importance of the partnership for future operations. “This agreement is an essential building block to ensure that when the GE9X enters service, our customers have a robust support network to keep their 777X fleets flying reliably and safely,” Stokes stated. He highlighted AerCap’s global reach, customer relationships, and deep experience with GE engines as key factors in the selection.
For AerCap, the agreement represents a strategic expansion of its service capabilities. Tom Slattery, Executive Vice President of AerCap Engines, noted, “It adds GE’s newest technology engine to our servicing capability, leveraging our industrial network to provide world-class support to GE Aerospace and their customers.”
Concurrently, GE Aerospace is making significant investments to prepare for the GE9X’s entry into service. These investments include expanding maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) capacity worldwide, enhancing technical training programs, and implementing advanced tooling. Customers will have access to a full suite of support services, from major overhauls to advanced diagnostics.
The GE9X engine, the exclusive powerplant for the Boeing 777X family (including the 777-9, 777-8, and 777-8F), is the world’s most powerful commercial aircraft engine. It also sets a new standard for efficiency, offering a 10% improvement in specific fuel consumption over its predecessor, the GE90-115B, with next-generation emissions performance. Like all GE commercial engines, the GE9X and GEnx are certified to operate on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blends, aligning with the industry’s decarbonization goals.
This comprehensive partnership between GE Aerospace and AerCap ensures that from day one, operators of the revolutionary 777X will benefit from a seamless, globally supported engine leasing and maintenance ecosystem.
