20 Years On Call: Fleet Support Shanghai Turns Signals into Solutions

At 7:00 a.m. in Shanghai, China, as the city is just beginning to stir, Ivy Zheng, TechOps continuous improvement lead, answers the first of dozens of calls and emails that will shape her day. It is the start of her shift at Fleet Support Shanghai — and, at that moment, the baton passes from Cincinnati to Shanghai. A customer’s technical inquiry is already waiting, and Zheng moves quickly to assess the issue, identify the right team or engineer, and set the response in motion. The question is direct: Can we keep this aircraft in service safely, smoothly, and on time?

This is the work of GE Aerospace’s Fleet Support Shanghai, built to turn signals into solutions and keep GE Aerospace– and CFM International–powered fleets flying safely around the world.* This year marks two decades since the Shanghai center opened its doors. For 20 years, the 19-member team has partnered with the Cincinnati Fleet Support Center on a 12‑hour rotation, so the worldwide monitoring eyes never blink. 

Rapid Response, Synergized Support

When airline customers, MRO shops, or airframers raise a request, Fleet Support quickly and proactively connects them with GE Aerospace/CFM functions — such as Product Support Engineering, as well as shops or plants. 

Fleet Support is not a call center. It’s a global hub offering synergized customer support. The team validates the request, assigns it immediately to the right functional owner, and keeps all parties aligned so that technical questions are answered, spare parts orders are placed, and repair pathways are confirmed without delay.

“In one case, an airline contacted us requesting an engine spare part, only for the team to find in the system that the part was out of stock. To fulfill the customer’s need, Fleet Support Shanghai coordinated with the Cincinnati warehouse and expedited allocation of the part from the production line, ultimately ensuring that the airline’s engine remained available and the flight operated as scheduled,” says Zheng. 

Always On, Always Aware

Fleet Support’s role goes beyond responding to technical questions as they arise. The team also moves through its practiced cadence: raw data validation, distillation, and decoding for engine/operation improvements using advanced algorithms. Through regular calls with airline customers, Fleet Support Shanghai helps review engine performance across the fleet, discuss developing trends, and identify potential issues early. This ongoing dialogue allows customers to take preventive action before small concerns grow into larger operational issues.

“Our recommendation goes out as a CNR (customer notification report) for customers’ maintenance teams — clear steps, traceable rationale, and what to do before the next flight,” says Andy Zhang, senior engineer of Fleet Management. “In a typical year, the Fleet Support teams in Shanghai and Cincinnati issue approximately 28,000 CNRs, ensuring that the next pushback remains on time and most passengers never feel a ripple.”

For example, in November 2025, an airline began seeing abnormal engine operating parameters during service. Remote monitoring flagged the issue, and engineering review pointed to a potential risk. A CNR was quickly issued, followed by a series of regular calls in which Fleet Support Shanghai walked through their findings, shared instructions, and worked side by side through rounds of troubleshooting. In the end, the cause was identified, minimizing operational risk.

“The early warning from GE Aerospace Fleet Support Shanghai played a vital role in preventing what could have been a significant operational disruption. Fleet Support, as well as other GE Aerospace/CFM support teams, consistently provide timely, professional, and reliable technical support for us, which is highly appreciated,” said an airline leader in a recent thank-you letter. 

In China, for the World

In commercial aviation, safety and speed shape decisions. Today, approximately three out of every four commercial flights are powered by GE Aerospace and CFM engines, and there are currently 50,000 GE Aerospace commercial aircraft engines in service worldwide. GE Aerospace and CFM have 8,500 engines in service in the Greater China region. That scale is why Fleet Support matters, and why the Shanghai center’s proximity — the same time zone and language — to Greater China & APAC customers helps turn minutes into decisive action. 

“Looking back, Fleet Support Shanghai was created to meet a very real need in a fast-growing market: Customers in China needed technical support that was closer, faster, and grounded in local language and culture,” says Shaojun Zhu, founding head of Fleet Support Shanghai. “We started in 2006 with just nine people, focused on remote monitoring, technical support, and spare parts coordination. What makes me proud is that the model proved so effective that it not only strengthened support for customers in China, but also helped shape the broader Fleet Support approach globally. That is what ‘in China, for the world’ means to me — building world-class capability in China and using it to serve customers everywhere.” 

Future in Mind, Innovation in Action

For years, Fleet Support’s inbox was swelling, growing by 10% annually. Many of the messages were irrelevant, tying up processing time and slowing responses. So, by September 2025, Fleet Support launched Mailbox.AI, its first AI capability to optimize workflow, marking a milestone in streamlining intake, boosting efficiency, and improving customer experience — a successful offshoot of GE Aerospace’s proprietary lean operating model, FLIGHT DECK. 

Mailbox.AI is a proprietary platform that sits in GE Aerospace’s secure cloud and classifies inbound emails from multiple channels, helping route them to the right place so engineers can focus on the toughest questions first. The progress has been impressive: Roughly 95% of the emails the AI model flags are correctly identified, which means less manual sorting, sharper and faster triage for AOG and critical inquiries, and a more efficient path from customer inquiry to engineer engagement. 

“Working in Fleet Support Shanghai, I am the bridge connecting our customers and GE Aerospace/CFM,” says Alex Li, senior engineering section manager of Fleet Management. “I’m very proud of the days and nights spent in the hub — moments that gave me a strong sense of achievement and a shared purpose: solving problems so our customers can keep flying. As we look ahead, we’ll continue to put customers at the center of every decision and strengthen our partnerships across the region.”  

*CFM International is a 50-50 joint company between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines.