China has chosen a new-generation Franco- American engine to power its first narrow-body aircraft, which is due to fly in 2016 and aims to challenge the single-aisle workhorses of Boeing and Airbus.
The CFM joint venture between Safran of France and General Electric of the US yesterday scored a coup against rival US engine maker Pratt & Whitney after the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) chose its new technology Leap-X engine for the country's first mid-size commercial jetliner, the C919.
The contract to power the 150-seater aircraft will initially be worth $10bn to the joint venture and could potentially be worth as much as $30bn over 30 years, once all maintenance and service is included, according to Jean-Paul Herteman, Safran chief executive. For the first time in the history of the CFM partnership, the contract goes beyond the engine and includes the entire propulsion system.