Originally Posted by
DaveReidUK
You quote SMT Member's post without appearing to understand it.
The point that both SMT and I are trying (and clearly failing) to get across is that the exclusivity is in the opposite direction to that which you are implying.
To put it simply:
Boeing agreed with GE that the GE90 will be the only engine offered on the 777-200LR/F/-300ER - TRUE
GE agreed with Boeing that GE won't offer the GE90 to any other manufacturer (e.g. Airbus) - FALSE
It follows that there is no constraint preventing Airbus building a 777-sized, GE90-powered aircraft should they wish to.
The fact that they haven't is doubtless because they don't think the market is big enough, and they have their hands full with the A380 and A350, not because GE won't sell them an engine.
Please let me know when I can stop banging my head, it's starting to hurt.
My information is old...from 2007. But that is when this was all playing out. "
Airbus, GE dispute could delay A350 plane
An escalating dispute between Airbus and jet-engine supplier General Electric Co could delay deliveries of the European airplane maker's A350 extra wide body jet, the Wall Street Journal said on Monday.
GE and Airbus, owned by European aerospace and defense company EADS, disagree because the largest version of the A350 is to compete with the largest version of Boeing Co's 777 aircraft for which GE is the exclusive engine supplier, the WSJ said citing Airbus and GE officials.
GE officials told the WSJ they will not build a new engine that competes with the one they supply for the 777 but the company has offered Airbus a version of the new GEnx engine which it is creating for the Dreamliner.
Airbus executives said the engine would work only for the two smaller sizes of the three proposed A350 sizes.
Airbus and GE have both said negotiations about the engines for the A350 are continuing but the WSJ reported that no resolution appeared imminent."
So you say that Boeing and GE don't have an agreement restricting GE from selling its biggest engines to Airbus. Well you are probably correct but if GE on its own refuses to supply Airbus, then the effect is the same.
The article says Airbus wanted the GE engines to power the largest of its proposed three sizes of A-350 the largest of which to directly compete with the 777-300 no doubt. But GE has refused to provide an engine for the A350-1000 version which Airbus clearly wanted. GE itself said that it didn't want to provide a competitor to the 777.
So perhaps the original jealousy comment referred to all this but I don't know. But it does answer your question of "To power what, exactly ?" To which the answer of course is....the A-350-1000.
So now Rolls is powering the A350 and maxing out their Trent engine to barely meet A350-1000 requirements. Meanwhile, the 777 is moving up to larger and heavier things powered by GE. And now longtime Airbus widebody operator Lufthansa(who just loves to buy locally) looks set to move over significantly to Boeing. The A350 can have fun competing with the 787 stretch. They will both definitely sell some at nice discounts. Try getting one of those discounts on the 777X. The replacement for the former 747 cash cow is coming.
And you can stop banging your head now that I have answered your questions. We'll leave that to Airbus over not having access to the GE90-115.
Lufthansa Said to See Boeing-Airbus Split on Jet Order - Bloomberg