Le Bourget, France – Riyadh Air has signed a deal for 90 GEnx-1B engines to power its new fleet following its recent agreement for a wide-body order of 39 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. The order also includes spare engines and a TrueChoice services agreement.
The agreement was signed at the Paris Air Show, at the Riyadh Air chalet where the airline revealed its new livery to the world following a flyby last week over Riyadh’s skyline.
The GEnx engine family has nearly 50 million flight hours since entry into service in 2011 and is the fastest-selling, high-thrust engine in GE history with nearly 3,000 engines in service and on backlog, including spares.
The GEnx-1B powers two out of every three 787 aircraft in service. The engine also provides a 1.4% fuel burn savings for the typical 787 mission compared to its competition, equating to $300,000 per airplane per year in fuel savings. The added fuel savings enables more than 2 million fewer pounds of CO2 per aircraft annually.
Riyadh Air was launched in March, and this marks the first engine partnership with GE Aerospace for its new fleet of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The first deliveries are scheduled for early 2025 as Riyadh Air aims to operate one of the newest and most sustainable airline fleets in the world.
“The agreement highlights our determination to significantly extend Saudi Arabia’s connectivity with the world and fulfil our goal of connecting to 100 destinations by 2030”.
We look forward to fostering strong strategic relationships within the wider aviation ecosystem as we continue to shape our new digitally native airline to become one of the most sustainable and guest- centric carriers in the world.”
Russell Stokes, President & CEO, Commercial Engines and Services for GE Aerospace said, “GE Aerospace’s GEnx engine is a perfect fit for the 787 fleet with its combination of power and the ability to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.”
Representing a step forward in propulsion technology, GEnx uses lightweight, durable materials and advanced design processes to reduce weight, improve performance, and lower maintenance, making it the best engine choice for long-haul flights.
Riyadh Air will fly to more than 100 destinations, and reach 100 million visitors, by 2030.
GEnx’s revenue-sharing participants are IHI Corporation of Japan, GKN Aerospace Engine Systems of the UK, MTU of Germany, TechSpace Aero (Safran) of Belgium, Safran Aircraft Engines of France and Samsung Techwin of Korea.
GE Aerospace is a provider of jet engines, components and systems for commercial and military aircraft with a global service network to support these offerings. The company and its joint ventures have an installed base of more than 40,000 commercial and 26,000 military aircraft engines.