Qatar Airways announced an order for 10 GE9X-powered Boeing 777X aircraft and four GE90-115B-powered Boeing 777 Freighters. The total engine order for the 20 GE9X engines and eight GE90-115B engines are valued at more than $1.1 billion (USD) list price.

This order follows Qatar’s order for 50 GE9X-powered Boeing 777X that was placed during the 2013 Dubai Air Show. Qatar’s current firm orders for the GE9X-powered 777X fleet total 60 aircraft.

“Qatar Airways’ order for 10 additional GE9X-powered 777X demonstrates the airline’s confidence to the new engine-aircraft combination,” said David Joyce, president and chief executive officer of GE Aviation. “The new GE9X engine will be the largest, most fuel efficient engine and technology maturation testing shows we’re on the right path to meet our commitments.”

The GE90 engine family powers the Boeing all 777 models and is the exclusive powerplant on the 777-300ER, -200LR, and Freighter aircraft. The family has accumulated 50 million flight hours and 7 million cycles since entering service in 1995.

The GE90 engine features several technology firsts, including carbon fiber composite front fan blades, the world’s largest front fan at 128 inches in diameter and the world-record setting thrust of 127,900 pounds during certification testing. The popular GE90-115B engine includes such performance-enhancing features as three-dimensional aerodynamic (3-D aero) compressor and wide-chord, swept composite fan blades for greater efficiency. The dual annular combustor emits no more than 40 percent of the hydrocarbons allowed by today’s international standards. In addition, today’s GE90-115B engines have been enhanced to reduce fuel burn by 3.6 percent from the 2000 launch specifications.

Snecma of France and IHI Corporation of Japan are revenue-sharing participants in the GE90 program.

The GE90 engine provides the foundation for the new GE9X engine that will power the Boeing 777X aircraft. The GE9X engine will be in the 100,000 pound thrust class. Key features include a 134-inch diameter composite fan case and 16 composite fan blades; a next-generation 27:1 pressure-ratio 11-stage high-pressure compressor; a third-generation TAPS III combustor for high efficiency and low emissions; and CMC material in the combustor and turbine.

Almost 700 GE9X engines have been ordered by customers since it was launched on the Boeing 777X aircraft last year.

The first demonstration core test will occur this year. The first engine will test in 2016 with flight-testing on GE’s flying testbed anticipated in 2017. Engine certification is scheduled for 2018.

IHI Corporation, Snecma and Techspace Aero (Safran), and MTU Aero Engines AG are participants in the GE9X engine program.

Qatar Airways is one of the world’s fastest growing airlines and has one of the youngest fleets in the sky. Currently serving 146 global destinations with 158 aircraft, the five-star airline has more than 330 aircraft on order valued at more than US$70bn.

For more information, visit www.qatarairways.com.