GE powered 787 receives FAA type certification

Boeing's 787 powered by the GEnx-1B engines received it's type certification from the FAA today clearing way for deliveries to start to those customers who ordered the GE engine. Japan Airlines is expected to take two 787s powered by this engine at the end of next week. Air India was expected to be the first customer but that has been pushed back due to the compensation issue between AI and Boeing. The government of India now says that Air India will take all the 787s ordered. I anticipate the first one will be delivered in May.

Boeing is planning to deliver one Rolls Royce powered 787 to ANA this month.

Boeing's Press Release:

Boeing Receives Certification for 787 Dreamliner With GE Engines
EVERETT, Wash., March 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) received an amended type certificate today from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the 787-8 Dreamliner equipped with General Electric GEnx engines.

"This is a great day for our customers and for our team who worked tirelessly to ensure the Dreamliner offers breakthrough fuel efficiency, unprecedented performance and new levels of comfort," said Larry Loftis, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. "We are pleased to accept the FAA's confirmation of the safety and reliability of this airplane."

The amended type certificate from the FAA formally recognizes that the 787 with GE engines has demonstrated compliance with rigorous federal regulations. The achievement caps off the most robust flight and ground test program ever conducted in the company's history.

"This milestone completes the certification of the 787-8 airplane, and allows airlines to now operate the GE engine-powered 787 with both the baseline Block 4 engine and the PIP1 engine upgrade," said Mike Sinnett, vice president and chief project engineer for the 787 program. "It also represents the success of a remarkable partnership with the regulatory agencies around the world."

"This is the culmination of extraordinary work by teams from GE and Boeing," said Chuck Nugent, general manager of the GEnx engine program for General Electric. "GE Aviation is honored to power the Boeing 787 Dreamliner with its new GEnx-1B engine, and we look forward to seeing the aircraft-engine combination flying the skies around the world."

Initial type certification of the 787 with Rolls-Royce engines took place in August 2011. Each new combination of an airframe type and engine requires additional certification to validate the integrity of the design.

60 customers around the world have ordered more than 870 Dreamliners.


With the this achievement, Boeing is now complete with the inital flight testing and certification activities for the 787, the Trent-1000 and the GEnx-1B. Boeing will still be conducting further company test flights in support of activities to find additional efficiencies in the aircraft as well as in support of further weight reduction efforts and testing of Trent and GE engine improvements (GE's PIP 2 and RR package "C" improvements). Of course flight testing and certification activities will start a new some time next year for the 787-9 and later in the decade on the proposed 787-10X.