GE and Boeing are collaborating on a program to offer their 747-8I BBJ/VIP customers optional “loaner” GEnx-2B engines to ferry their aircraft to completion centers. Called the “GE Pusher Program,” it would use engines from flight-test aircraft for the ferry flight. Those engines would be removed at the completion center and shipped back to GE. Following aircraft completions, estimated at 18 to 24 months for the 747-8I BBJ, customers would receive new, updated engines from GE at no extra charge.
Customers would still have to pay the full $318 million for the “green” aircraft, but they would not have to purchase the engines, estimated to cost $15 million each, as early in the build cycle. Initial aircraft engines would come from the flight test or lease pool. Once the completion project is finished, customers would receive new engines anticipated to incorporate at least two performance improvement packages (PIP) GE has under way on the GEnx-1B engines that have been developed for the 787 Dreamliner. A GE spokeswoman said those improvements involve changes to the low-pressure turbine and the high-pressure compressor. Together, they are expected to result in modest specific fuel consumption improvements. The GEnx engines are already up to 15 percent more efficient than the GE CF6-series engines that power the 747-400. While no formal PIP is under way for the Dash 2B engines, it is widely believed they will eventually incorporate the Dash 1B PIPs.
