Aircraft

and Guy Norris & Maxim Pyadushkin

Who is making the running in the world of commercial aircraft engines? Our annual survey of the sector updates every manufacturer's activities

The industry has benefited from the upswing in civil airliner orders, although the three big Western manufacturers, GE Aviation, Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney, have had to weather the storm caused by the two-year delay to the Airbus A380. For R-R and GE the effect is minimised by their strong portfolios in other sectors. However, for Pratt & Whitney, GE's Engine Alliance partner, the delay has only added to its difficulties in the big turbofan sector following its failure to win a place aboard the Boeing 787.

The Russian aeroengine industry has more or less completed its consolidation process and is now concentrating on engining, or re-engining, existing and new aircraft. Russian government funding has materialised for several turbofan and turboshaft programmes, reflecting the continued strategic importance of the sector. The Powerjet partnership between Snecma and NPO Saturn to develop the SaM-146 regional turbofan has also shown that joint ventures between Russian and Western industry can succeed when they are well managed.

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Orders for engines to power the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 continue to produce astonishing figures, especially for CFM International, which has become easily the most successful civil turbofan of all time with sales passing the 20,000 mark.