GE Aerospace Celebrates Record-Breaking Engine Deal, Improved Durability, and Historic Hybrid-Electric Flight at FIA

GE Aerospace has a clear mission: to be customer-driven in everything it does. That means staying focused on its customer's needs, now and into the future.

The company showcased this work at the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) last week, outlining its commitment to a future of flight in which innovation delivers greater efficiency, durability, and capability for customers.

FIA 2026 turned out to be a benchmark year for engine deals, with GE Aerospace and CFM International, a 50-50 joint company between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines, signing agreements for nearly 1,800 engines. Topping the list was a blockbuster agreement with IndiGo, one of the world's fastest-growing carriers, for more than 1,000 LEAP-1A engines.

In addition to those commitments, the company announced the certification of LEAP-1B engine durability upgrades, the successful completion of a historic hybrid-electric flight above 30,000 feet, and new design and test milestones for the CFM RISE* program.

"At GE Aerospace, we are focused on delivering for our customers today while investing in the technologies that will shape the future of flight," said Larry Culp, chairman and CEO of GE Aerospace. "This week at Farnborough reflected that commitment, from breakthrough hybrid electric flight milestones and record engine demand to continued work to improve durability and expand capacity."

A Record-Breaking Deal

On the opening day of FIA, CFM announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with IndiGo, India's largest airline, for more than 1,000 LEAP-1A engines to power 510 Airbus A320neo aircraft. The deal was the largest single order ever placed for LEAP engines, and a record for CFM International. The preliminary deal includes CFM support for IndiGo's upcoming engine maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility and a long-term material services agreement covering spare parts, aimed at ensuring high dispatch reliability, predictable costs, and world-class support as the airline scales.

In addition to IndiGo, GE Aerospace also announced deals in the widebody market, including Philippine Airlines' selection of GEnx-1B engines to power 15 Boeing 787-10 aircraft, and AerCap's selection of GEnx-1B engines for 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners. This came on top of the announcement that the GEnx-1B has surpassed 50 million flight hours in just over 14 years, the fastest rate ever for a GE Aerospace commercial widebody engine model.

Advanced Durability

CFM International highlighted the LEAP program, which has now surpassed 10 years, 10,000 engines delivered, and 100 million flight hours, reinforcing the program's scale and maturity. What's more, it announced that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency have both certified the LEAP-1B high-pressure turbine durability kit, designed to double time on wing in hot and harsh operating environments. CFM also secured initial engine-level certification of the LEAP-1B reverse bleed system, which reduces the need for on-wing fuel nozzle replacements. CFM continues to invest in expanding its MRO capacity, part of a broader effort to maintain engine availability, lower shop visit costs, and act on customer feedback for today's fleet.

To Hybridity and Beyond

"We are proud to say: 'We did it,'" said Mohamed Ali, president and CEO of Commercial Engines & Services.

What GE Aerospace did was complete the world's first high-altitude hybrid electric flight - reaching the same altitude levels as passenger commercial aircraft - with the help of NASA, BETA Technologies, and Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences over Plattsburgh, New York, on May 20, 2026.

"This is not a lab experiment or a one-off prototype," said Ali, referring to the modified Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) aircraft, a Saab 340B, at a press briefing on FIA's opening day. "It's a meaningful step forward for future propulsion, and it helps validate hybrid electric technology as a credible path for the next-generation engine."

The EFPD aircraft, equipped with GE Aerospace's hybrid electric propulsion system, also completed the world's first hybrid electric flight across the Atlantic Ocean, taking off from Plattsburgh on June 26 and landing in Farnborough on July 14. While the aircraft made numerous stops during its transatlantic flight, it took to the skies over Farnborough every day of the air show, making four laps of the airfield.

The technological breakthrough underscores GE Aerospace's approach to innovation, said Culp. "We're big on the customer and hearing the voice of the customer," he said at the same briefing. "Customers want efficiency, they want durability, and they want range. And what we're doing with hybrid electric here today advances and meets those customer requirements."

Culp noted that GE Aerospace and its partners collaborated closely through NASA's EPFD program, which helped to accelerate hybrid electric development. "Moments like this don't happen in isolation, and we certainly don't do them alone," he said. "This has really been a partnership between government and industry."

Throughout the week, reporters visited a display of the demonstration aircraft, which boasts an electric motor/generator in parallel configuration with a gas turbine, allowing for a supplemental power source for the overall propulsion system during different flight phases.

Ali emphasized that GE Aerospace is testing, flying, and refining hybrid electric technology to help meet needs across potential commercial and defense applications. "Our flight test results show that GE Aerospace is delivering," he said. "We're turning innovations into real capabilities. Stay tuned."

Throughout its history, GE Aerospace has helped define new chapters in aviation - from the dawn of the jet age to today's most advanced commercial and military propulsion systems. The progress at Farnborough is another chapter in GE Aerospace's story of inventing the future of flight, lifting people up, and bringing them home safely.

* Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines (RISE) is a technology demonstration program of CFM International, a 50-50 joint company between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines. It is not a product offered for commercial sale.