GE Delivers 1,000th Engine to China Eastern

Oct. 13, 2014
This includes engines produced by CFM International, the 50/50 joint company between GE and Snecma (SAFRAN Group) of France.

Shanghai, China – Oct. 13, 2014 – In a special ceremony on October 11, China Eastern Airlines and GE celebrated the 1000th GE engines to be delivered to the airline. This includes engines produced by CFM International, the 50/50 joint company between GE and Snecma (SAFRAN Group) of France.

As strategic partners, GE and China Eastern have been in close cooperation for two decades. China Eastern became a GE and CFM customer in 1994 with an order for five CFM56-5C-powered long-range, four-engine Airbus A340 aircraft. Since then, the GE and CFM fleet operated by China Eastern has grown bigger and bigger, to its current size of more than 650 engines, which is the largest GE and CFM engine fleet in China.

“We have been working with GE and CFM for more than twenty years and have established an outstanding relationship,” said Liu Shaoyong, Chairman of China Eastern Group. “We not only have the confidence in their engine products, but also look forward to expand our cooperation beyond just engines.”

“China Eastern is one of our largest customers and a strategic partner,” said Chaker Chahrour, Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing, GE Aviation. “We are proud to work with China Eastern hand in hand over these 20 years and will continue to provide our utmost service and support to this important customer.”

Based in Shanghai, China Eastern Airlines is one of the major airlines in mainland China that operates a fleet of about 500 long-haul and short-haul and business aircraft. China Eastern serves nearly 80 million travelers annually and ranks among the world’s top five airlines in terms of passenger transportation volume. As an official member of SkyTeam, China Eastern has extended its flight network from Shanghai to more than 1,050 cities in 177 countries via close cooperation with SkyTeam member airlines.

GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet and turboprop engines, components and integrated systems for commercial and military aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings. For more information on GE Aviation, visit www.ge.com/aviation/.