Farnborough News in Brief 20 July 2026

GKN Aerospace strengthens collaboration with Pratt & Whitney:  GKN Aerospace has secured an agreement with Pratt & Whitney, an RTX business, to include low-pressure compressor (LPC) vanes for the Pratt & Whitney PW1500G and PW1900G GTF engines, powering the Airbus A220 and Embraer E-Jet E2 families, within the existing risk and revenue sharing program (RRSP). The contract includes a majority of the volumes for all the major vanes in the low-pressure system. Under the agreement, GKN Aerospace will support the engines throughout their full lifecycle, expected to extend for many decades to come. GKN Aerospace’s production of these components began in 2018, initially at a lower volume share. Since then, the relationship has grown and the work has been further industrialised at GKN Aerospace’s Newington facility. LPC vanes are produced using a highly automated robotic milling process. The introduction of in-house super-polishing has reduced lead times and improved yield, strengthening overall manufacturing performance. This contract marks a further step in developing GKN Aerospace’s global capability in blades and vanes. GEnx-1B engines surpass 50 million flight hours: The GE Aerospace GEnx-1B engine has surpassed the 50 million flight hour mark in just over 14 years, the fastest rate ever for GE Aerospace commercial widebody engine model. The GEnx-1B, which powers the Boeing 787 Dreamliner family, is currently in service with more than 50 operators around the world and is averaging a total of over 600,000 flight hours monthly. The engine boasts a 99.98% dispatch reliability rate and stays on wing at a rate three times higher than competing engines. The GEnx engine family has more than 2,700 engines in service, including spares. The GEnx-2B has accumulated 24 million hours since entering service in 2011 on the Boeing 747-8. In total, the GEnx engine family has nearly 75 million flight hours and nearly 12 million cycles. The long-haul flights the GEnx engine powers traverse some of Earth’s harshest environments. Over the last decade, GE Aerospace has upgraded the GEnx engine’s high-pressure turbine blades and combustor coating technology, more than doubling time on wing in harsh environments. GE Aerospace is also investing $1 billion this year across our U.S. manufacturing sites and supply chain, with over $100 million dedicated to enhancing supplier capabilities for programs like the GEnx engine. These investments focus on increasing engine production capacity, modernizing facilities, and strengthening the supply chain to meet high demand. Eve Air Mobility secures order for up to 16 eVTOLs: Eve Air Mobility has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Shearwater Global Capital (“Shearwater”), the aviation finance company of Bay Point is a specialist aviation lender providing asset-based financing to borrowers globally, for up to 16 vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The agreement supports Shearwater’s strategy to broaden its aviation finance platform to include emerging asset classes such as advanced air mobility (AAM), reflecting its continued focus on financing solutions for the evolving aviation sector. The order marks a step in Shearwater’s strategy since joining Bay Point in April 2026 as a lessor to invest in transformative aviation technologies, expand its business aviation portfolio, and align with the future of sustainable transportation. As a financial institution focused on aviation investments, Shearwater and Bay Point intend to leverage Eve’s industry-leading backlog to offer leasing solutions that will advance air mobility operators access aircraft and accelerate fleet deployment. The companies will also explore additional financing opportunities as demand grows for advanced air mobility and efficient, lower-emissions transportation solutions. Eve also announced a deal to provide up to 30 eVTOLs to Moov, supporting the companies’ joint exploration of advanced air mobility (AAM) opportunities in Cabo Verde and Europe. The initiative will evaluate how eVTOLs can expand tourism and regional mobility offerings across the African archipelago. Eve and Moov will explore use cases including sightseeing and shuttle services between airports, ports and resorts, as well as regional mobility across São Vicente, Santo Antão, Sal, Praia and Boa Vista. The companies have also identified potential in medical transport services and infrastructure inspections. Moov is a Switzerland-incorporated aviation company based in Lugano, building the Atlantic Gateway: a new intercontinental aviation network connecting Europe, Africa and Latin America. As part of its broader vision, the company is also assessing how AAM technologies may support local connectivity and premium travel experiences within its network ecosystem. Open Fan advances toward flight test demonstration: CFM International announced new design and test milestones reached for the RISE program, a suite of technologies in development for next-generation aircraft propulsion. In the five years since CFM unveiled the RISE program, approximately 500 test campaigns have been conducted on advanced engine architectures like Open Fan, compact core, and hybrid electric systems. Recently completed reviews for key Open Fan and compact core modules have confirmed design concepts. Mechanical and material tests are underway on Open Fan blades and Outlet Guide Vanes (OGVs), including impact, ingestion, fatigue, endurance, load, icing and vibration response. First results from test campaigns including wind tunnel facilities have demonstrated that aeroacoustics performance has exceeded technology maturation objectives.  CFM also announced it has secured certification of the CFM LEAP-1B high-pressure turbine (HPT) durability kit from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The system will double time on wing in hot and harsh environments like in Middle East and India. CFM is beginning to industrialise production of the hardware, with full production cutover expected in early 2027.  At the same time, CFM has secured the initial engine-level certification of the LEAP-1B reverse bleed system (RBS), a novel cooling system designed to reduce the need for on-wing fuel nozzle replacements, thereby bringing on-wing maintenance needs in line with CFM56 standards. LEAP-1B durability kit certification builds on progress made in LEAP-1A fleet with 70% of the LEAP-1A fleet now operating with the RBS, while 40% of this fleet is now flying with the HPT durability kit. Loganair signs term sheet with BETA Technologies for five ALIA CTOLs: Loganair, the United Kingdom’s largest regional airline, and BETA Technologies announced at the Farnborough International Airshow the signing of a term sheet under which Loganair will purchase five all-electric ALIA conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) (CX300) aircraft, with options for five more. The UK, and Scotland in particular, is a natural first market for commercial electric flight. Across the country, island and remote communities depend on short routes that road and rail cannot serve, making regional air service critical infrastructure. Most of Loganair’s regional sectors are under 100 miles, squarely within the CX300’s mission profile. The aircraft operates from existing runways and recharges in 20 to 40 minutes using BETA’s fast-charging systems. Marking a significant step towards bringing electric aviation into commercial routes across the UK, the move will ensure Loganair becomes Europe’s first commercial airline operating an electric aircraft fleet. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Sally Passey at [email protected]