GE - Safran joint venture to supply engines for China's C919 aircraft

CFM International, the 50:50 venture between GE and French aerospace and defence supplier Safran Group will supply engines for China's newest commercial aircraft in development, the C919.

Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), the developer and manufacturer of the C919, selected CFM as the sole western jet engine to launch China's new single-aisle aircraft.

COMAC forecasts a potential market of more than 2,000 aircraft over 20 years once the C919 enters airline service.

"We expect that China will become the largest commercial aviation market in the world over the next two decades and it's exciting for GE to be part of that growth," said Jeff Immelt, chairman and CEO of General Electric Company. "This historic decision by Comac will result in decades of collaboration - and is a true testament to innovation and technology that the CFM partnership delivers to the marketplace."

CFM has developed jet engines for more than 35 years, and today is one of the most successful aerospace joint ventures with more than 20,000 engines delivered.

CFM engines power modern single-aisle aircraft from Boeing and Airbus, and the company will now develop its first engine to incorporate next-generation technologies by launching the Leap-X1C engine for the C919 single-aisle aircraft.