DgcityGE Aerospace signed more than $12.9 billion worth of engine and servicing agreements at China’s annual import expo in Shanghai, a record for the U.S. manufacturer and a signal that Chinese airlines are pressing ahead with fleet renewal despite trade tensions.
The largest contract will see China Eastern Airlines purchase 202 LEAP-1A engines to power 101 newly ordered Airbus A320neo-family jets, along with spare engines and a long-term service package. GE also signed a separate agreement covering 14 additional spare engines across the LEAP-1A, LEAP-1C and older CFM56-7B types used in the carrier’s existing fleet.
The LEAP engine family is built by CFM International, the joint venture between GE Aerospace and France’s Safran that powers the bulk of new narrow-body jets delivered in Asia. A separate set of deals covered supply and repair arrangements with MTU Maintenance Zhuhai, the maintenance joint venture between China Southern and Germany’s MTU Aero Engines, deepening the local servicing footprint.
The scale of the order also reflects how heavily Chinese carriers rely on the LEAP family as they balance fuel-efficiency gains against a fiercely competitive fare environment. New-generation engines burn significantly less fuel than the models they replace, a saving that matters as airlines expand into second- and third-tier cities. The agreements were among the biggest commercial signings at this year’s China International Import Expo, an event designed to showcase the country as an opening market even as its global trade surplus reaches unprecedented levels. They offer a concrete boost to Western aerospace suppliers at a time Chinese planemaker Comac is ramping up production of its competing C919 single-aisle jet.
Chinese airlines are still catching up on years of delayed fleet planning. International travel has continued its gradual recovery, and domestic competition between the big three state carriers and smaller rivals has kept orders flowing even as profitability remains uneven. Leasing companies and engine makers have been working to lock in long-term maintenance contracts, where most of the sector’s steady revenue is earned.
For GE, the record expo haul also underscores how entangled U.S. industrial champions remain in the Chinese market. The company’s engine sales involve billions of dollars of U.S. and European content but depend on export licenses and political stability between Washington and Beijing, making each multi-year order something of a bet that the current tariff truce holds beyond January.
