GE Open to Investing in New Engine for Airbus A220

GE Chairman and GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp said on Monday that the company was open to investing in a new engine for a potential larger version of the Airbus A220 jet.

“I don’t think we would rule anything in or rule anything out,” he said at the Paris Airshow.

GE co-owns engine maker CFM International with France’s Safran. The A220 is currently powered solely by engines from CFM competitor Pratt & Whitney.

The A220 is a single-aisle aircraft that can seat up to 160 passengers and fly up to 3,450 nautical miles. Airbus acquired the program from Canada’s Bombardier in 2018 and has since won orders from airlines such as JetBlue, Delta and Air France-KLM.

Airbus has said it is studying the possibility of developing a larger version of the A220, dubbed the A220-500, to fill the gap between the A220-300 and the A320neo. However, it has not made a formal decision on launching the project.

Culp said GE was interested in working with Airbus on any new engine opportunities, but also stressed that the company was focused on delivering its existing commitments to customers.

“We’re always interested in talking to our friends at Airbus about what they’re thinking about next,” he said. “But we’ve got a lot of work to do on the shop floor today.”