PAUL LEWIS / WASHINGTON DC
An order for rival GE/P&W powerplant would knock Roll-Royce from dominant position on Airbus A380
Emirates is leaning towards the General Electric/Pratt & Whitney joint venture Alliance GP7200 engine to power the airline's recent large order of Airbus A380-800s, in a surprise move that could topple Rolls-Royce from its dominant market position on the new ultra-large capacity aircraft.
The rival R-R Trent 900 powerplant had been considered by many industry observers as the strong frontrunner in the A380 competition, given that virtually the entire Emirates fleet is powered by Trent engines of various types. In addition, the UK manufacturer can claim nearly 80% of the A380 engine selections so far, including those of Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Virgin.
Alliance, by contrast, has so far only officially been selected by Air France for its 10 planned A380s, though FedEx is understood to have concluded a deal to power 10 -800F freighters with the GP7200, though no official announcement has been made.
Winning the Emirates engine order for 22 A380-800/800Fs, plus 10 options, would for the first time put the GE/P&W partnership on a par with R-R in market share.
While the Alliance has mounted a strong sales campaign, there is also believed to be political pressure from Washington DC at play in the United Arab Emirates, which plays host to a large US military presence. Emirates at the same time, is wary of "having all its engines in one basket", says an industry source, adding that the airline also "wants to keep everyone on their toes for the next Boeing 777 engine competition".
Emirates is expected to announce the A380 engine decision at the Asian Aerospace show in Singapore later this month. This will be followed later in the year, possibly at the Farnborough show in July, by an engine selection for the 25 additional 777-200ER/300s ordered in November. It already operates 13 Trent 800-powered 777s, plus the 27 Trent 700-powered A330-200s on order or in service. It also has orders and commitments for 14 Trent 500-powered A340-500/600s.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Transportation is delaying approval of last June's codeshare application by Emirates and Continental Airlines, due to Federal Aviation Administration concerns.
While the FAA has not conducted an assessment, a safety audit by the International Civil Aviation Organisation found that the UAE did not meet minimum international safety standards. The sides are working to resolve the issue, understood to relate to record- keeping. In the meantime, Continental says its application to codeshare with Emirates via London remains pending.
Source: Flight International
