Japan Airlines and GE to Create an Aircraft Engine Maintenance Center

Japan Airlines (JAL) and GE Engine Services (GEES), a subsidiary of the GE Aircraft Engines division of the General Electric Company (GE), have signed an agreement to create a GE90 Overhaul Center of Excellence for Asia (GE90 COE Asia).

Maintenance services for GE90 engines will commence in April 2004 at an existing JAL Engine Department facility located at the New Tokyo International Airport in Narita City.

JAL will use the facility to service its GE90 fleet and those of third-party customers in Asia. GEES will provide a comprehensive Supply Chain Management program utilizing an on-site, full-service logistics for component inspection, repair, distribution and storage.

The JAL Engine Department currently performs maintenance on a total of about 200 engines of nine different types - including the GE's CF6 engine - annually. The establishment of GE90 COE Asia will not simply result in the addition of a new engine type for servicing by JAL. It will enable new and enhanced services that is a winning combination of the rich experience and high-quality engine maintenance services, cultivated over the years by JAL, with GE's OEM technology. At the same time, it will provide wider options to airlines in Asia a wider regional option for servicing their GE90 fleets needs.

Today, 21 airlines and leasing companies operate GE90-powered Boeing 777s, and an additional 105 firms orders are on the books. The GE90 family has grown with the development of several higher-thrust derivative engines. The newest GE90, the GE90-115B, is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for producing an unprecedented 127,900 pounds of thrust during ground testing.