HAMBURG, GERMANY, Oct. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today Air France took delivery of its first GP7200-powered Airbus A380. Airbus delivered the first of 12 A380s to Air France at a ceremony in Hamburg, Germany.

Air France was the first airline to select GP7200 engines when it announced its order with the Engine Alliance at the Paris Air Show in 2001. It will be the first European airline to operate the A380 when it enters revenue service in November.

"Air France was the first airline to recognize the value of these engines and order them," Engine Alliance President Jim Moravecek said. "In doing so, they helped provide a foundation for our success. This delivery is an important milestone for us."

Since entering revenue service in August 2008, the GP7200 has achieved a departure reliability rating of 99.9% and has experienced no in-flight shutdowns with five aircraft in operation.

The GP7200 is derived from two successful wide body engine programs, the GE90 and the PW4000. It benefits from the two programs' latest, proven technologies and the lessons learned from more than 25 million flight hours of successful operation. Certified at 76,500 pounds (340 kN) of thrust, the engine has the capability to produce more than 81,500 pounds (363 kN) of thrust. In addition to being the quietest, most fuel efficient engine for the A380, the GP7200 engine has emissions that are well below current and anticipated regulations.

The GP7200 is manufactured at GE and Pratt & Whitney, with GE assembling the core in Durham, NC (North Carolina), and Pratt &Whitney manufacturing the fan module, low pressure compressor and low pressure turbine. Final engine assembly is conducted at Pratt & Whitney's Engine Center in Middletown, CT (Connecticut). GP7000 Engine Program participants include SNECMA (France), Techspace Aero (Belgium) and MTU Aero Engines (Germany).

In addition to Air France, the Engine Alliance GP7200 has been selected by Emirates, Etihad, the International Lease Finance Company (ILFC) and Korean Air. Korean Air is scheduled to receive its first GP7200-powered A380 in December 2010.

The Engine Alliance is a 50/50 joint venture of General Electric (NYSE: GE) and Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

    For further information, contact:
        Deb Case, U.S.: 513.243.0094, email: deborah.case@ge.com
        Katy Padgett, US: 860-565-3433, email: kathleen.padgett@pw.utc.com

SOURCE Pratt & Whitney