GE Engine Gets OK for 787-9 Dreamliner

The 787-9 is the second version of the Dreamliner and is 20 feet  longer, can carry more passengers and can fly farther than the 787-8. Passenger capacity rises from 242 to 280, and the flying range expands from around 9,000 miles to more than 9,500 miles.

The 787-9 equipped with engines from Rolls-Royce was certified in June and Boeing has already delivered planes with these engines to Air New Zealand and All Nippon Airways. The company’s first customer for the GE-equipped 787-9 is United Continental Holdings Inc. (NYSE: UAL).

The newly certified engine is one of six in the GEnx (next-generation) family. The GEnx-1B64, -1B67 and -1B70 are all  certified for the 787-9 and the 787-8. The GE-1B70 is also planned to be certified for the 787-10, which is scheduled for delivery to Boeing customers in 2018.

Two weeks ago, a 787-8 owned by Thomson Airways and equipped with GE engines experienced an engine problem and the pilot had to shut down one of the two engines about 90 minutes into a scheduled 9.5-hour flight from the Dominican Republic to Manchester, England. The plane landed safely at a military base on the Azores about four hours after the engine was shut down.

Boeing’s stock closed down fractionally on Friday, at $127.46 in a 52-week range of $102.57 to $144.57.

ALSO READ: Why a Boeing 787-9 Costs $250 Million