Jet engines are the heart of modern aviation, enabling global travel and commerce. While various engine types exist for diverse applications, including military, industrial, and marine uses, the commercial aviation sector is dominated by a handful of major players. These leading commercial aircraft engine manufacturers not only develop their own advanced powerplants but often engage in strategic partnerships, leveraging combined expertise to push the boundaries of efficiency and performance. This article profiles five key companies and consortia shaping the skies.
GE Aerospace
GE Aerospace, headquartered in Evendale, Ohio, stands as one of the world’s preeminent jet engine manufacturers. The American company directly competes with industry titans like Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney in the large turbofan engine market. Beyond its own extensive product line for commercial, military, and industrial applications, GE Aerospace collaborates with other giants through joint ventures such as CFM International (with Safran Aircraft Engines) and Engine Alliance (with Pratt & Whitney). Its GE90 engine, powering the Boeing 777, holds the distinction of being the most powerful commercial engine currently in service, capable of generating a maximum thrust of 115,540 pounds-force (lbf).
GE9X engine mounted on a Boeing 777X testbed aircraft, showcasing its large size
Key commercial engines in GE Aerospace’s portfolio include the widely used CF6 and CF34 families, the powerful GE90, the GEnx (powering the Boeing 787 and 747-8), the GE Passport for business jets, and the upcoming GE9X. A notable achievement is the GE9X, designed for the Boeing 777X, holding the Guinness World Record for the highest thrust ever recorded by a commercial jet engine at 134,000 lbf, although it is yet to enter commercial service.
Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce, a British multinational corporation, is recognized as the world’s second-largest aircraft engine manufacturer, following closely behind GE Aerospace. The company is renowned for its influential RB211 series and the highly successful Trent family of high-bypass turbofan engines. Significantly, the Trent 900 engines were the launch engines for the Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger aircraft.
Closeup view of a Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine intake, highlighting fan blade design
Rolls-Royce boasts an impressive lineup of major commercial products. The legacy RB211 powered aircraft like the Boeing 747, 767, Lockheed L-1011, and Tupolev Tu-204. The Trent family includes the Trent 500 (Airbus A340), Trent 700 (Airbus A330), Trent 800 (Boeing 777 – corrected from source’s Trent 600), Trent 900 (Airbus A380), Trent 1000 (Boeing 787 Dreamliner), Trent 7000 (Airbus A330neo), and the Trent XWB (exclusive engine for the Airbus A350). With over 13,000 commercial engines currently in service, Rolls-Royce powerplants are utilized across more than 35 different types of passenger aircraft globally. Furthermore, their developmental UltraFan engine boasts the largest fan diameter of any jet engine built to date.
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney, another major American aerospace manufacturer and a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies (RTX), holds a significant place in aviation history, particularly with its JT8D and JT9D engines. The JT9D famously powered the original Boeing 747 “Jumbo Jet.” Its successor, the PW4000 series, continues to power a range of widebody aircraft from both Airbus and Boeing. A key innovation from Pratt & Whitney is the revolutionary Geared Turbofan (GTF) engine technology, known commercially as the PW1000G series.
Technicians inspecting a Pratt & Whitney GTF Advantage engine in a maintenance facility
These GTF engines offer significant improvements in fuel efficiency and noise reduction and power modern aircraft like the Airbus A220 family, the Airbus A320neo family, and the Embraer E-Jets E2 family. Pratt & Whitney also participates in major collaborations, including the Engine Alliance with GE Aerospace (producing the GP7000 for the Airbus A380) and the International Aero Engines (IAE) consortium. Prominent commercial products include the JT8D/JT9D, various PW series engines for business jets (like the PW300), the PW1000G (GTF), PW2000, PW4000, and the GP7000. With over 16,000 engines installed, Pratt & Whitney engines power more than a quarter of the world’s mainline commercial fleet across 160 countries.
CFM International
CFM International (CFMI) represents a highly successful 50/50 joint venture between GE Aerospace of the US and Safran Aircraft Engines of France. Established primarily to develop and build the CFM56 series engines, this partnership revolutionized the narrowbody aircraft market. The CFM56 became the engine of choice for the Boeing 737 Classic and Next Generation (NG) series, as well as a primary option for the Airbus A320ceo family. By 2022, CFM56 engines powered approximately 65% of the global A320 family fleet.
CFM LEAP engine installed on a narrowbody passenger jet wing
Building on this success, CFMI developed the next-generation LEAP (Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion) engine. The LEAP engine offers significant fuel efficiency gains and powers the latest generation of narrowbody jets: the Airbus A320neo family, the Boeing 737 MAX family, and the COMAC C919 from China. Currently, the CFM56 and LEAP series are the company’s main in-service products. CFM is also pioneering future technologies with the CFM RISE (Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines) program, focused on open-fan architecture and compatibility with hydrogen and Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), planned for Boeing’s X-66 Sustainable Flight Demonstrator. The CFM56 is noted for its reliability and competitive maintenance costs, and CFMI holds a commanding market share, estimated at around 40% of the global commercial engine market.
International Aero Engines (IAE)
International Aero Engines (IAE) is a multinational aerospace engine consortium founded in 1983. Its original partners included Pratt & Whitney (USA), Rolls-Royce (UK), MTU Aero Engines (Germany), Fiat Avio (Italy), and the Japanese Aero Engine Corporation (JAEC). Fiat Avio withdrew early but continued as a supplier. The consortium’s primary goal was to develop an engine, the V2500, specifically to compete for the Airbus A320 family market. The Roman numeral ‘V’ in its name signifies the original five partners.
IAE V2500 turbofan engine with cowlings removed, revealing internal components, in a workshop
In 2012, Rolls-Royce sold its 32.5% stake to Pratt & Whitney, making P&W the majority shareholder with 49.5%. MTU Aero Engines and JAEC each hold 25.25%. Despite the ownership change, Rolls-Royce remains a key supplier. The V2500 directly competes with the CFM56-5 series on the A320 family. Its higher maximum thrust ratings often provide superior performance, particularly on larger variants like the Airbus A321, leading to better unit economics for airlines operating these models. The V2500 powers roughly 35% of the A320ceo fleet and was also used on the McDonnell Douglas MD-90. A military variant powers the Embraer C-390 Millennium transport aircraft. An early plan for a V2500 derivative, the geared turbofan “SuperFan” intended for the Airbus A340, did not proceed past the initial phases. The V2500 remains IAE’s sole major commercial product and is one of the best-selling engines in its class, with nearly 8,000 units produced and around 5,300 still in service as of early 2023, accumulating millions of flight hours annually.
These five entities – GE Aerospace, Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney, CFM International, and International Aero Engines – represent the pinnacle of commercial aircraft engine manufacturing. Through innovation, competition, and collaboration, they continue to develop the advanced powerplant technologies that drive efficiency, reliability, and performance in global air travel. Their engines power the vast majority of the world’s commercial airline fleet, connecting continents and people every day.
