3Q: Jeanne M. Rosario, VP and GM Engineering GE Aviation

What’s Romania’s part in the production of the new eco-friendly GEnx airplane engine?

I can say that Turbomecanica, a company controlled by General Electric, provides six GEnx parts. This new state-of-the-art engine can provide a 15 percent improvement in fuel burn over legacy engines, the extensive use of next-generation carbon fiber composites has reduced engine weight and it supplies 1 MW of power to the aircraft. This engine and airplane can carry about 250-290 passengers long range, meaning that it makes long trips from New York to Singapore or to Sydney. The new engine is currently in tests which are almost over.

How has it been received on a market in full crisis?

The GEnx engine quickly became a very popular model. By 2013 we will ship 650 engines, so have already assured production for the next two-four years. The 650 GEnx engines that we will produce and sell over the next couple of years will go to 28 different customers. Our new products coming out will be sold widely because of the demand for the lower fuel burner, noise and carbon dioxide emissions.

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What’s the demand for new eco-friendly technologies?

We will be working with Boeing and Airbus should they decide to re-engine their narrow body airplanes – the A320 and the Boeing 737 (airplanes used for shorter distances). We want to scale the GEnx engine from a wide body to a smaller sized body to replace their fleet. They haven’t decided, but we are working with them two years in advance to help to make that decision. I think that Airbus will make the decision this year and Boeing will announce their decision by the end of the year.