Qatar Airways Inks Deals for More than 400 GE9X and GEnx Engines, Signing Historic Agreements with GE Aerospace

Qatar Airways is doubling down on the future of flight in the Middle East and dramatically growing its fleet for decades to come. This week, during President Donald J. Trump’s trip to the Middle East and his visit to Doha, Qatar Airways signed an expanded partnership with GE Aerospace for more than 400 engines, including 60 GE9X engines and 260 GEnx engines, with additional options and spares, to power its next-generation Boeing 777-9 and Boeing 787 aircraft — the largest widebody engine purchase in the history of GE Aerospace. 

GE Aerospace Chairman and CEO Larry Culp said, “We are extremely honored to deepen our relationship with Qatar Airways and grateful to them for placing their trust in us with our largest-ever widebody engine deal. Our widebody engines — the GE9X and GEnx — are marvels of modern engineering, with the durability and reliability to power flight across the longest distances. We appreciate President Trump’s support for this historic agreement.” 

These new agreements reflect Qatar Airways’ commitment to efficiency and performance, helping it drive the region’s economic growth as the airline reaches 170 international destinations across five continents. 

With the Boeing 777X and the GE9X engine, Qatar Airways is combining two superlatives in the annals of aviation: the world’s largest twin-engine commercial passenger jet and its most powerful commercial aircraft engine. With a diameter of nearly 12 feet, the GE9X has already completed thousands of hours of both ground and on-wing testing and is certified for 105,000 pounds of thrust, though it set a world record in 2019 for generating 134,300 pounds of thrust.  

Available only on the Boeing 777X family of 777-9 and 777-8 aircraft, the GE9X offers 10% better specific fuel consumption than its predecessor, the GE90-115B, and emission levels that are a generation ahead of any competitor. Since its introduction in 2011, the GEnx engine family has accumulated more than 62 million flight hours, and it stands as GE Aerospace’s fastest-selling high-thrust engine to date, with more than 3,600 engines currently in service and backlog, including spare units. What’s more, the GEnx engine powers two-thirds of all Boeing 787 aircraft currently in operation. And like all GE Aerospace commercial engines, both GE9X and GEnx engines are certified to run on current sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blends. 

GE Aerospace’s already strong partnership with Qatar Airways extends to providing comprehensive On Wing Support services to ensure optimal engine performance and minimize downtime. At the On Wing Support Center in Doha, GE Aerospace also trains aviation professionals, developing local talent to build a skilled workforce to support the region’s aviation ambitions.  

In addition, Qatar Airways’ new deal supports GE Aerospace manufacturing facilities in 14 states across the United States, each of which is integral to the production and delivery of GE9X and GEnx engines. In this way, this engine agreement serves as a reminder of the role the U.S. aviation industry plays as one of our country’s largest exporters, enjoying a nearly $75 billion trade surplus. 

“Our latest agreement with GE Aerospace reflects our confidence in the performance of the GE9X and GEnx engines to power our fleet of Boeing 777-9 and 787 aircraft,” says Badr Mohammed Al Meer, CEO of Qatar Airways. “These next-generation engines are critical components in our strategy to ensure our fleet remains modern and efficient. Qatar Airways has ambitious plans for the future, and we value our continued partnership with GE Aerospace and their commitment to supporting our operational needs.”