Air Transport

General Electric plans to offer a 113,000lb-thrust (503kN) "thrust bump" derivative of the standard GE90-110B for the Boeing 777-200LR, which it hopes will help bolster sales of the ultra-long-range twinjet beyond the current five orders.

Dubbed the -110B1, the engine will have around 3,000lb more thrust than the -200LR's standard rating. It will have the same bill of materials as the higher-rated -115B used on the larger -300ER and will be available to suit the demands of "hot and high" operators, says GE90 projects general manager Chaker Chahrour.

Meanwhile, the manufacturer is gearing up for a build-up in GE90 production. "We are planning a pretty significant ramp-up," says Chahrour, who expects deliveries of GE90 engines to rise from 57 in 2004 to around 80 for 2005, "up into the high 90s for 2006...and we're looking at more than 130 beyond that".