GE recognizes Qatar Airways for one million flight hours

EVENDALE, OHIO — GE Aviation is celebrating a milestone with Qatar Airways for achieving one million flight hours with GE’s reliable CF6-80E engines that power its Airbus A330 fleet.

“GE is proud of the exceptional performance of its CF6-80E engines operated by Qatar Airways, and we join Qatar Airways in celebrating this significant achievement,” says David Joyce, president and CEO of GE Aviation. “Qatar Airways and GE have worked together to keep these engines in pristine condition, and Qatar Airways has proven the outstanding performance capabilities of the engine.”

Qatar Airways began operating CF6-80E-powered A330 aircraft in 2002 and currently has a fleet of 31 CF6-80E1-powered A330 aircraft. These engines are covered by GE’s OnPointSM solution agreement. In 2007, Qatar Airways set a time-on-wing record for the CF6-80E engines operating in a hot, sandy environment by accumulating more than 4,300 cycles on an engine in four years of service. 

Doha-based Qatar Airways flies one of the youngest and most modern fleet of aircraft in the skies today. By 2013, the airline will operate a fleet of 110 aircraft — almost double its existing size. Qatar Airways is due to move to the New Doha International Airport in 2011, when the first phase of the new facility is scheduled to open.

Qatar Airways is one of only six airlines in the world with a Five Star ranking for service and excellence awarded by Skytrax, the independent aviation industry-monitoring agency. Skytrax also named Qatar Airways’ cabin crew as Best in the Middle East for the sixth year running in 2008 and the airline was voted Best in the Middle East for the third year in a row following a survey of more than 15 million passengers worldwide.

GE’s CF6 engines are among the most utilized and reliable in the industry. Powering more than 10 models of wide-body aircraft, the engine family has established an unparalleled record of reliability and has compiled more than 325 million flight-hours in service with more than 260 customers worldwide. At this year’s World Travel Awards, also known as the travel industry’s “Oscars,” the Five-Star Carrier scooped the award for World’s Leading Business Class.