US Eases Export Ban on GE Engines for China’s COMAC Jets

The U.S. government has lifted restrictions on the export of General Electric engines to China’s state-owned aircraft manufacturer COMAC, signaling a potential easing of trade tensions between Washington and Beijing, according to a Reuters report.

The move clears the way for General Electric to resume deliveries of CF34 engines for the COMAC C909 and CFM International LEAP-1C engines for the C919 aircraft. Both engine models are critical to the production and operation of COMAC’s new-generation commercial jets.

The export ban was originally imposed as a retaliatory response to China’s restrictions on rare earth material exports, which are vital to various high-tech industries. With the rollback of the ban, cooperation between U.S. aerospace firms and China’s growing aviation sector could resume more broadly.

Neither COMAC nor General Electric has officially confirmed the resumption of engine deliveries. Both companies declined to respond to requests for comment from ch-aviation.

CFM International, the manufacturer of the LEAP-1C and CF34 engines, is a joint venture between General Electric of the U.S. and Safran Aircraft Engines of France. While headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, the company produces engines in both the U.S. and France.

Although COMAC assembles the C909 and C919 aircraft domestically, many of the aircraft’s key components, including engines and avionics, are still sourced from American and European suppliers. China’s Aero Engine Corporation is currently developing the CJ-1000A engine, a domestic alternative intended to eventually reduce reliance on foreign engine technology for the C919.

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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com