May 12, 2003 -- EVENDALE, Ohio - US Airways Group Inc. has ordered jet engines from GE Aircraft Engines (GE) to power 170 new regional jet aircraft.
The engine order to GE, for 340 CF34 regional jet engines, is valued at more than $850 million. It becomes this year's single largest commercial jet engine order.
US Airways has ordered 60 Bombardier Inc. CRJ200 aircraft, powered by CF34-3B1 engines; 25 Bombardier CRJ705s, powered by CF34-8C5 engines, and 85 EMBRAER 170 airliners, powered by CF34-8E engines.
Produced by Bombardier Aerospace of Canada, the CRJ200 is a 50-seat aircraft, while the CRJ705 aircraft is a 75-seat aircraft. The EMBRAER 170, produced by Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A. of Brazil, is a 70-seat aircraft.
"GE has become a significant player in US Airways' bold new direction," said Dave Calhoun, president and chief executive officer at GE Aircraft Engines, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. "For more than a decade, GE has invested significantly in our CF34 jet engine family, and we look forward to supporting this new regional jet fleet with our engines."
In the past decade, GE's CF34 has become one of the world's best-selling jet engines. More than 2,400 CF34 engines are now in service, powering regional jet aircraft for more than 30 airlines and 300 corporate aircraft operators worldwide. In addition, more than 1,600 CF34 engines are on firm backlog.
With a dispatch reliability of 99.99 percent, the CF34 is the world's most reliable engine for regional jet aircraft. The CF34 first entered service on regional jets in 1992 with the introduction of Bombardier's CRJ100 aircraft.
US Airways is the seventh largest airline in the United States serving nearly 200 communities in North America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Europe. Most of its route network is concentrated in the eastern United States where it is the largest carrier east of the Mississippi. US Airways, US Airways Shuttle, and the US Airways Express carriers operate over 3,300 flights daily.
GE Aircraft Engines, a division of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), is the world's leading manufacturer of jet engines for civil and military aircraft, including engines produced by CFM International, a 50/50 joint company of Snecma of France and GE. GEAE also manufactures gas turbines, derived from its highly successful jet engine programs, for marine and industrial applications. In addition, GEAE provides comprehensive maintenance support, through its GE Engine Services operation, for GE and non-GE jet engines in service throughout the world. Visit GEAE online at http://www.geae.com.
Rick Kennedy
GE Aviation
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