Asian A380 Plans Bodes Well For GP7200
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Guy Norris/Paris
Untapped opportunities in China, India and Southeast Asia could drive a long-term need for Airbus A380s, which the makers of the GP7200 believe could generate an eventual market for up to 1,500 engines.
Jim Moravecek, president of the joint General Electric Pratt & Whitney Engine Alliance, says, "I see us getting to 1,500 engines. We're already at 400, and there's a lot of runway left in this program."
The GP7200 has so far been selected for 96 of the 186 A380s on firm order from operators with a declared engine choice. Qatar and Kingfisher are yet to make an engine selection, as does Grupo Marsans -- a Spanish tour group that placed a memorandum of understanding for four aircraft. "More than likely the Qatar competition won't start until next year," says Moravecek, who adds that the timeline for the others remains further out.
The Engine Alliance is credited by Airbus with a 1% specific fuel consumption advantage over the competing Rolls-Royce Trent 900, and in service is producing performance "0.6% better than what we promised," he adds.
Although a mere 20 engines are now in service on just five operational GP7200-powered A380s with Emirates, the Alliance is already invoking a continuous upgrade program to sustain its claimed lead over the competition. "We've seen some places where we could improve, and we have another 1%-2% we can slowly put into the engine over the next few years, says Moravecek. "The Engine Alliance intends to sustain the 1% advantage. That's significant because, in reality, it means Rolls-Royce is coming from behind every time." The next operators to introduce the GP7200-powered A380 into service will be Air France later this year and Korean Air Lines at the end of 2010.
Photo credit: Airbus
