Rolls also chasingB457bn fleet renewal
Published: 18/03/2011 at 12:00 AM
GE Aviation has made a headstart in a sales pitch against Rolls-Royce (RR) for multi-billion-baht orders to supply engines for a fleet of new-age wide-body planes that Thai Airways International plans to acquire.
A GE Aviation engineer inspects one of the companies GEnx engines that is being readied for Boeing B747-8 and B787 planes later this year.
The Cincinnati-based company, part of the General Electric conglomerate, last week staged a presentation in Bangkok for THAI technical officials of the GEnx, a new-generation turbine newly developed for the Boeing B787 "'Dreamliner" and the B747-8 jumbo jet.
Its UK rival, meanwhile, will dispatch a sales team to the Thai capital later this month to showcase its Trent series engines for the Boeing B787 and the Airbus A350 XWB, the European planemaker's answer to the B787.
The world's two major jet engine producers have wasted no time mounting vigorous sales campaigns after THAI's board on Feb 25 endorsed its largest fleet renewal programme.
The plan envisages the acquisition of 75 aircraft plus spare engines over the next 11 years at an estimated cost of 457 billion baht.
The acquisitions will be made, by means of purchases and leasing, in two phases, with the first involving 37 planes (11 narrow-body types and 26 wide-body), at a cost 216 billion baht, set for delivery between 2011 and 2017.
The second batch, involving 38 wide-body jets capable of flying intercontinental and regional routes, at a cost of 241 billion baht, are due to enter the fleet between 2018 and 2022.
GE Aviation and RR are especially keen to supply engines for the wide-body jets, which will take the lion's share of new planes being sought by the flag carrier and represent the highest contract values.
THAI's wide-body aircraft choices boil down to the B787, the comparably sized A350 XWB, the B747-8 Intercontinental jumbo jet and perhaps additional A380 superjumbos that appear further out on the radar screen.
The choices of aircraft will determine what types of engines THAI would order. It will have two engine choices for the B787, either the GEnx-1B or the Trent 1000.
If THAI opted for the twin-jet A350 XWB, there is no choice but the Trent XWB, under a development agreement between Airbus and Rolls-Royce.
Similarly, there is no alternative for the four-jet B747-8 but the GEnx-2B as RR did not participate in the development of the new American jumbo.
Tom Wygle, GE Aviation's vice-president for Asia-Pacific, highlighted the fuel efficiency and environmental features of GEnx engines in his pitch.
The GEnx engine incorporates core technology known as eCore, and will be 15% more fuel-efficient than current engines in its class. That translates to a 15% lower CO2 emissions.
Furthermore, the GEnx, whose front fan blades and front fan case made of composite material, reduces nitrogen oxide by as much as 60% below regulatory limits and other regulated gases by as much as 90%.
Having sold 1,280 GEnx engines to 46 customers for 533 aircraft, GE Aviation sees GEnx as preferred equipment by the world's leading airlines that ordered the Dreamliner, accounting for a 62% win rate.
GEnx engines are ready for the expected commercial maiden flights of the B747-8 and B787 in July and September this year.
Mr Wygle said THAI had been a client of GE Aviation for 25 years with the first delivery of CF6-80C2 engines for an A300-600 jet in October 1985. THAI was the first airline to operate this engine, GE's best-seller for wide-body jets.
THAI uses CF6-80C2 engines on 18 Boeing 747-400s, GE90 engines on three Boeing 777-300ERs, and CFM56-3 engines on its six Boeing 737-400s.
Credit: Bangkok Post (www.bangkokpost.com)
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