Mubadala to service the GEnx under new partnership

Following yesterday’s news that Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways signed GE-related aviation deals totaling more than $4.5 billion, GE today announced that it has expanded its strategic partnership with Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Development Company with a new aviation deal. It calls for Mubadala affiliate Abu Dhabi Technologies, or ADAT, to join GE Aviation’s renown global engine maintenance, repair and overhaul network — and to be the first network provider for the new GEnx engines.

Who ya gonna call? Here, a giant GE90 is being inspected by GE’s On-Wing service specialists — who can be dispatched on short notice anywhere around the world to repair an engine while it’s still mounted on a jet’s wing. With the Middle East having the highest global concentration of GE90 engines, today’s deal creates new opportunities for servicing regional fleets for both GE and Abu Dhabi Technologies, which is now designated as a member of GE’s global network of On-Wing Support providers for GE90-115B engines.

The GEnx engine is the best selling engine for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the sole source engine for the Boeing 747-8, which is an updated version of the 747. With more than 1,100 engines on order, the GEnx is the fastest-selling large jet engine in GE history.

This announcement, which was made at the Paris Air Show, comes less than three weeks after GE and Mubadala finalized their joint venture in Abu Dhabi that establishes an $8 billion commercial finance company and the Abu Dhabi Leadership and Development Center. It’s part of a broader strategic partnership that also encompasses clean energy research & development, industry, corporate learning and aerospace.

“A year ago we forged a strategic agreement that would leverage Mubadala’s deep experience and exciting vision for growth with GE’s unique financial and industrial capabilities,” GE Vice Chairman John Rice said. “Today’s announcement realizes an important part of that vision, allowing both companies to capitalize on what we believe are significant, long-term opportunities in the Middle Eastern aviation market.”

In addition to ADAT servicing the new GEnx-1B and -2B engines and acquiring GE90 On-Wing support capabilities, the agreement includes other GE partnership engines such as the CFM56 & CF6 engines.

To listen to an undedited interview in which GE’s John Rice and Mubadala’s Aerospace Associate Director Homaid Al Shemmari talk about the aviation deal and the broader Mubadala joint venture, click below.