Boeing offer loaned GEnx-2B engines for 747-8I VIP aircraft

Boeing has announced the first five
customers for 747-8 Intercontinental VIP aircraft will have the option to use
loaned GEnx-2B engines that will be replaced with the latest
production-configuration GEnx engines upon completion of the airplanes’
interiors.

Called the GE Pusher Program, Boeing will
use GEnx engines from flight test airplanes or the lease pool to ferry the
747-8 Intercontinental VIPs to the completion center of the customer’s choice.

“At Boeing Business Jets, we work very
closely with our customers to ensure we’re providing the products and services
that best fit their needs,” said Steve Taylor, Boeing Business Jets
president.

“In the case of the 747-8
Intercontinental VIP, where the interior completion is expected to take 18 to
24 months, our customers asked us to defer installation of the GEnx-2B engines
until just prior to putting the airplanes in service. We worked with our
partners at GE to develop this great solution for our customers,” said Taylor.  

The GE Pusher Program will enable customers
to not worry about engine maintenance while the airplane sits in completion.
Customers will receive brand new engines that will include any performance
improvements that GE has incorporated into the production GEnx-2B engine
configuration at the time of engine delivery.

“Customers will save money on the
normal engine maintenance costs that they normally need to perform as the
interior completion work is performed, and they will receive new GEnx-2B
engines that have the latest technology,” said Bill Fitzgerald,
vice president and general manager of GE’s GEnx Program.

The engine program is being offered for the
first five 747-8 Intercontinental VIPs only. Boeing Business Jets and GE are
considering expanding the program to other VIP airplanes in the future. The
first of the five 747-8 Intercontinental VIPs is scheduled for delivery in the
fourth quarter of 2011.