The entry into service for the Engine Alliance GP7200 on the Airbus A380 has been "flawless," according to Engine Alliance President Jim Moravecek. "Its performance has been predictable and consistent with the extensive development and service readiness endurance testing we've been performing all along," he said, "and we plan to keep on testing the engine even beyond our entry into service with Air France next year."

"Since entering revenue service on the first Emirates A380 on August 1st, we've experienced no engine related issues that could have caused a disruption for Emirates," Engine Alliance Product Support Director Ed Bendernagel said. "The engines have performed as well, if not better, than we expected," Bendernagel said. "But the real story is the fuel efficiency."

The A380 is a fuel efficient aircraft, and the GP7200 engine offers the lowest fuel consumption available on the aircraft. With the rising cost of fuel, it's an important consideration for airlines. "Our GP7200 engines will save us over 500,000 liters of fuel per aircraft per year," Emirates CEO HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said at the A380 delivery ceremony in Hamburg.

In addition to low fuel burn, Emirates mechanics were surprised to discover their GP7200-powered A380 burns almost no oil. "They were actually a bit concerned at first," Bendernagel said, "because this engine just doesn't burn any oil. It's really just a result of our robust oil system design."

The GP7200-powered A380 received type certifications from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in December 2007. In addition to Emirates, the Engine Alliance GP7200 has been selected to power A380 aircraft for Air France, Korean Airlines, and the International Lease Finance Company. The Engine Alliance is in active sales campaigns with potential customers around the world.

The GP7200 is derived from two successful wide-body engine programs, the GE90 and the PW4000. The GP7200 powered A380 meets stringent Stage 4 noise regulations and London's QC2 departure noise rules. EASA certification test data revealed that the GP7200 is, overall, the quietest engine for the A380. The engine's environmental emissions are also well below current and anticipated regulations.

The GP7200 is manufactured at GE and Pratt & Whitney, with GE assembling the core in Durham, NC (North Carolina), and Pratt &Whitney manufacturing the fan module, low pressure compressor and low pressure turbine. Final engine assembly is conducted at Pratt & Whitney's Engine Center in Middletown, CT (Connecticut).

The Engine Alliance is a 50/50 joint venture of General Electric Aviation (NYSE:GE) and Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).