Feb. 1—GE Aviation Monday hailed an agreement to sell 15 Boeing 777X freighters to Qatar Airways, a nearly $7 billion deal celebrated at the White House.
The 777X will be powered by the Ohio-designed GE9X engine, which was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration in 2020.
The deal includes 30 GE9X engines and four GE90-115B engines, plus GE maintenance services, GE said. This order is in coordination of Qatar Airways' agreement for 34 firm 777-8 orders with an additional 16 purchase-right options, and an additional order of two Boeing 777 Freighters, the company said.
"It will support GE Aviation workers in the Cincinnati area and more than 12,500 workers nationwide, and allow GE to innovate and invest in their production and workers," a statement from Sen. Sherrod Brown said. "The total value of the order with GE is more than $6.8 billion."
Asked about a local impact from the deal, GE Aviation spokesman Nick Hurm said: "GE Aviation provides more engine and electrical components for the 777X than any other aircraft in its history. Our Dayton sites have played a part in that important role."
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, GE Aviation CEO John Slattery, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers President Matthew Biggs, and IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr celebrated the agreement at the White House.
"Ohio has played an important role in the development and testing of the GE9X engine with a talented workforce located in this region," Slattery said in Brown's announcement on the deal. "GE Aviation has great history and proven track record of powering freighter aircraft. Today's launch of the Boeing 777-8 Freighter is great news for the GE9X program and all involved."
"The world is beginning to see what we've always known — that Ohio workers are the best at what they do, and that the future of advanced manufacturing is in our state," Brown said. "GE Aviation has been driving that innovation and growth for years, building on Ohio's rich aviation heritage. They're such an asset to Ohio, and this deal is a huge win for the Ohio workers who are part of GE."
___
(c)2022 the Journal-News (Hamilton, Ohio)
Visit the Journal-News (Hamilton, Ohio) at www.journal-news.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
