An Airbus A330 at an airshow in Paris, France. Picture: JASPER JUINEN/BLOOMBERG
It is unclear whether the mooted aircraft would be a new model or an upgrade to one already in the company’s catalogue, such as the A320neo or A220 single-aisle jets. The court decision does not say when GE proposed the new engine, whether the plane might come to market, or how far along any talks are.
“A new narrow-body would start with a kerosene-powered geared turbofan, but with scope to use new propulsion technologies as they appear,” he said. Such technology for a full-size airliner is unlikely to be ready before 2030, though a smaller regional aircraft could fly before then, he said. Airbus similarly did not disclose the nature of any discussions. “We are in constant dialogue with our engine makers about the latest state-of-the-art technologies and ongoing innovations,” it said by e-mail. “There are many studies. Not all studies see the light of day.”
A new narrow-body would start with a kerosene-powered geared turbofan, but with scope to use new propulsion technologies as they appear.GE proposed using a geared turbofan system it is developing, which it considered a “technologically preferred design for the next-generation narrow-body market,” the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit wrote in an opinion on Wednesday.
The disclosure about the GE-Airbus discussions came in a years-long dispute over geared turbofan patents held by Pratt, which is a unit of Raytheon Technologies. The mechanism — used for other aircraft in addition to the A320 family — allows the fan blades and turbine in an engine to rotate at different speeds for better efficiency.
Naijas are back home from south africa and britain