Innovation : GE
When China’s first domestically developed regional jet took flight in 2008, two GE CF34-10A engines provided the propulsion.
The ARJ21 regional jet is the result of close collaboration between GE's aviation business, other leading aerospace companies, and the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, LTD (COMAC).
It represents a $6 billion opportunity for GE Aviation. More importantly, from R&D at our Global Research Center in Shanghai to GE Commercial Aviation Services’ purchase of five with the option for 20 additional ARJ21 aircraft, this endeavor demonstrates GE’s ability to truly partner with a country for mutually beneficial growth.
As China’s second- and third-tier cities undergo rapid expansion in the years to come, our businesses will be positioned to help fill insatiable demand for power generation, healthcare, transportation, and financing in a way no other company can.
Over the next 20 years, a billion people in China will ride on an airplane for the very first time in their lives. That represents huge potential for the country's domestic aviation industry.
China is undergoing rapid aviation expansion. Point-to-point air traffic could grow by as much as 12 percent annually over the next 20 years.
Regional travel will play a significant role in this growth. The country has 50 new airports scheduled for completion over the next five years.
The ARJ21 is manufactured by Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, LTD (COMAC) and is the first commercial jet aircraft indigenous to China.
GE is the largest engine supplier to the Chinese aviation industry, with 1,000 customer airlines powered by engines from GE or CFM International, a joint venture between GE and Snecma.
The ARJ21 regional jet will connect China's fast-growing western region with eastern cities such as Shanghai and Beijing.
GE provides the complete propulsion system for the ARJ21, including two fuselage-mounted CF34-10A engines.
Since selecting GE as the sole engine supplier for the ARJ21 in 2002, COMAC has collaborated closely with GE during the detailed design and engine integration phases.
GE has 50 people dedicated to the ARJ21 project in Shanghai. Some work directly with COMAC at its manufacturing facility; others are based at GE offices in China Technology Park.
The ARJ21 flew its maiden flight on November 28, 2008, reaching altitudes of 9,000 feet. The hour-long test flight was deemed highly successful by COMAC.
COMAC has already taken orders for more than 200 of its ARJ21 jet aircraft and sees a potential market for 850 aircraft over the next 20 years. This represents a potential of more than $6 billion in CF34 engine revenue for GE Aviation.
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High-resolution images and contact information for GE Aviation:
Additional high-resolutions images are available on request.
Inside the COMAC facility in Shanghai, China.
An ARJ21 on the production floor.
GE Aviation workers on site at COMAC.
A GE CF34-10A jet engine at the COMAC facility.
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