General Electric GE90 is a family of high-bypass turbofan engines built by GE-Aviation for the Boeing 777, with thrust ranging from 74,000 to 115,000 lbf. It was first introduced in November 1995 on British Airways' 777s, and is only available on the 777. The engine is one of three options for the 777-200, -200ER, and -300, and the exclusive engine of the -200LR and -300ER

History

The GE90 was launched in 1990 by General Electric (USA) associated with Snecma (France), IHI (Japan) and Avio (Italy). Developed from the 1970s NASA Energy Efficient Engine, the 10-stage high pressure compressor develops a pressure ratio of 23:1, an industry record. The GE90-115B fan is an advanced design made from composite materials and featuring swept rotor blades.

At least one technical paper presented on behalf of one of GE's project partners indicates that further thrust improvement programs will be promoted should a market for higher thrusts arise. For comparison purposes, the Boeing 747-400's largest engines produce 63,300 lbf (289 kN) of thrust. It is therefore likely that the next version or successor of the Boeing 777 will be powered with a later version or derivation of this engine and will produce twice the thrust of the most powerful fitted to the venerable 747.

They can only be airfreighted in assembled form by outsize cargo aircraft such as the Antonov An-124 'Condor', presenting unique problems if due to emergency diversions, a 777 was stranded in a place without the proper spare parts. If the fan is removed from the core, then they may be shipped on a 747 Freighter. As a consequence, airlines often utilize above average levels of preventive maintenance on their GE90's in order to minimize such risks.[citation needed] On December 17, 2005 a GE90-94B failed on an Air France 777 flying from Seoul to Paris resulting in an unscheduled landing in Irkutsk, Siberia. A replacement engine was flown via an An-124, and the engines were exchanged. The cause of the failure is still under investigation.