GE Aviation acts to meet Chinese demand

GE Aviation, a unit of General Electric Co, plans to increase the production of its energy efficient GEnx engine by 25 percent next year to meet growing demand, notably from the Chinese market.

The energy saving engine is the quietest commercial engine GE has ever produced, and is the engine on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which is expected to debut in China later this year.

The company plans to increase its capacity from 160 units to more than 200 within a year. China, the major growth area for GE aviation, is expected to account for 17 percent of global traffic in the coming years, said Xiang Weiming, general manager of GE Aviation in China.

The GEnx engine offers up to 15 percent improved fuel efficiency, meaning that it produces 15 percent less carbon dioxide. It also reduces nitrogen oxide gases to as much as 55 percent below the limits set by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

China has invested heavily in its civil aviation infrastructure. According to a report compiled by ICBC International, China plans to increase its number of airports to more than 230 and maintain an average growth rate of more than 13 percent for civil airline traffic as part of its 12th Five-Year Plan.

"Accelerated urbanization and increased expenditure on travel will continue to drive growth in China's aviation sector, which will drive the demand for more airlines to fly the most cost effective equipment to improve profitability," said Terence Sharp, general manager for marketing of the company's commercial aircraft programs.

"All these figures indicate a strong demand potential for the GEnx engines," he said.