Jet engines sit at the heart of global commercial aviation, powering the aircraft that keep people, economies, and industries connected worldwide. Nowadays, as airlines accelerate narrowbody fleet expansion and new aircraft deliveries rise, pressure on engine manufacturers has intensified. In our article, we will discuss how GE Aerospace, along with its joint venture partner CFM International, is responding to unprecedented worldwide engine demand.

GE Aerospace is one of the key players in the aviation industry that has spent more than a century shaping the jet-engine landscape, beginning with pioneering work on America’s first turbojet in the 1940s and later producing iconic powerplants like the CF6, GE90, and today’s giant GE9X, which powers the Boeing 777X.

A major turning point came in 1974 when GE partnered with France’s Snecma (now Safran Aircraft Engines) to create CFM International, a joint venture formed to develop engines for the emerging single-aisle market. The collaboration blended GE’s expertise in high-pressure cores with Snecma’s strengths in low-pressure systems and manufacturing efficiency, producing the legendary CFM56 used on the Airbus A320ceo and Boeing 737NG families, which is still the world’s best-selling jet engine, and its successor, the LEAP family. The partnership endures because it pairs technical depth with industrial scale: GE and Safran can share risk, coordinate global production, and support vast fleets more effectively than either company could alone, ensuring reliable, cost-efficient propulsion for airlines worldwide.

Manufacturing Expansion: Scaling Up To Build More Jet Engines

A combination of fleet renewal, increased passenger demand, and large aircraft backlogs has created one of the most significant production challenges in global jet engine production, including GE’s modern history. Through new factory expansions, upgraded MRO capabilities, supply-chain strengthening, and future-ready R&D, GE aims to meet today’s volumes and prepare for the next decade of propulsion needs.

The first pillar of GE’s strategy to meet this rising global demand for jet engines is a massive expansion of its manufacturing footprint. In the United States and Europe, GE Aerospace is dramatically increasing production space, hiring new talent, and boosting supply-chain capacity. These investments directly target the high-volume LEAP engine family powering the Boeing 737 MAX, Airbus A320neo, and Comac C919.

As reported in the American Machinist, one of the centerpiece expansions is the US$53 million upgrade of GE’s West Jefferson, North Carolina, plant, adding 35,000 sq ft of production space dedicated to LEAP high-pressure components, including rotating parts, blisks, and turbine modules. GE also plans to hire 40 operators, inspectors, and engineers at this site. This initiative is part of a broader US$1 billion US manufacturing investment in 2025, nearly doubling the company’s spend from the previous year, aimed at stabilizing the supply chain and increasing output of LEAP and GE9X components.

Europe is also playing a key role. GE committed almost €80 million to enhance its component-manufacturing network, targeting bottlenecks that limit production rates. Combined with hiring plans for around 500 manufacturing and engineering positions in Europe alone, these moves address a frequent operator concern: “Will GE reduce delivery delays?” GE’s capacity investments are designed precisely to shorten lead times and ensure airlines receive engines on schedule.

The LEAP Engine: The Backbone Of Narrowbody Growth

At the center of GE’s expansion is, without any doubt, the LEAP engine family. It is now the most widely selected powerplant for single-aisle aircraft, powering both the Boeing and Airbus narrowbodies. Built by CFM International, the GE-Safran joint venture, the LEAP series has become the engine of choice for carriers seeking strong fuel economics, operational reliability, and standardized maintenance.

Since entering service in 2016, the LEAP engine has delivered 15% better fuel burn and CO₂ emissions than the CFM56, according to CFM International. More than 3,700 LEAP-powered aircraft now fly worldwide, with over 10,000 engines in backlog, indicating a pipeline that directly pressures GE to increase output. Airlines often ask whether GE’s upgrades will improve engine availability and service intervals. The answer: the production ramp-ups and component durability improvements now being introduced are aimed precisely at improving reliability and reducing shop-visit frequency.

According to Boeing, growing demand from airlines and aviation leasing companies such as Aviation Capital Group, which recently ordered additional LEAP-1B engines for more 737 MAX aircraft, further demonstrates the engine’s continued dominance. As these fleets expand, GE’s manufacturing increases to ensure engines arrive quickly, while future performance-upgrade kits improve durability and operational flexibility.

MRO Expansion: Keeping The World’s Fleets In The Air

Producing more engines solves only half the challenge. With thousands of LEAP engines expected to enter service over the next five years, GE is equally focused on expanding its global Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) network to keep these engines flying reliably.

To meet the demand, GE announced a US$1 billion investment over five years to expand MRO capacity worldwide, including new test cells, advanced inspection technologies, and digital diagnostics tools. Asia-Pacific alone is receiving US$75 million in upgrades, including expanded LEAP repair capability in Malaysia and new high-capacity test cells in Singapore, where GE is also building a research center integrating automation, robotic inspection, and additive manufacturing tools, according to The Edge Malaysia.

GE Global MRO Investments (2024–2030)

This truly global MRO network directly addresses airline questions about maintenance bottlenecks. With more shop capacity, new tooling, and faster turnaround times, GE is working to ensure that engines spend less time in overhaul and more time generating revenue in the air.

Future-Ready Research: Compact Cores And Next-Generation Tech

To sustain long-term growth and meet environmental goals, GE Aerospace is not only expanding production, but it’s also actively designing the next wave of propulsion technology.

GE has logged more than 3 million hours of advanced simulation work on US Department of Energy supercomputers to refine next-generation engine designs. Recent testing of compact-core high-pressure turbine airfoils with more than 3,000 endurance cycles marks a major milestone for the future CFM RISE program architecture. These technologies are expected to push efficiency well beyond what LEAP offers today.

This research directly answers an increasingly common airline question: “Will GE deliver next-generation engines with lower emissions?” The ongoing RISE program, advanced materials research, and compact-core testing offer a clear “yes.” GE is building a pipeline of propulsion systems designed for the 2030s and beyond.

Market Pressure, Customer Demand, & Industry Dynamics

Global demand for new aircraft continues to rise, placing unprecedented pressure on engine manufacturers to increase production while maintaining reliability. Airlines want assurance that engines will arrive on schedule and that supply chains will remain steady even as manufacturers push toward higher monthly output rates. For GE Aerospace, scaling up production is not only a response to commercial demand but also a safeguard against disruptions that can cascade across the aviation network.

However, the recent delays involving GE’s F404-IN20 engines for India’s HAL Tejas Mk-1A military jet program clearly illustrate the risks. Under a 2021 contract for 99 engines valued at roughly US$716 million, GE was expected to deliver units at a steady pace, yet by late 2025, HAL had received only five engines. According to reporting from Beats in Brief, the F404 assembly line had been dormant since around 2016, and restarting it required requalifying suppliers and rebuilding production workflows — processes that proved significantly more complex than anticipated.

Additional complications arose from pandemic-era supply-chain disruptions and the collapse of a critical South Korean sub-vendor, further slowing the availability of key components. GE had planned to deliver two engines per month in 2025 but failed to ship any in August, prompting India’s Ministry of Defence to impose penalties for missed milestones, according to the Financial Express India. These setbacks forced HAL to repurpose reserve engines and delay aircraft deliveries, highlighting how even established engine lines can face severe bottlenecks when production is not continuously maintained.

For GE’s commercial-aviation customers, the F404 engine delays serve as a cautionary example of the vulnerabilities that can emerge when production lines sit idle or when supplier networks lose resilience. The implications are clear: airlines depend on predictable delivery schedules, and engine makers must sustain manufacturing capacity, even in years with reduced orders, to avoid painful restarts later. GE’s ongoing global investments are designed to address these risks, ensuring that commercial and defense customers have uninterrupted access to both engines and critical spare parts.

Ultimately, the F404 experience underscores the importance of GE’s broader expansion strategy. As airlines and defense agencies compete for engine production slots, scalable, resilient manufacturing infrastructure becomes essential to industry stability. GE’s recent commitments to capacity growth, supply-chain reinforcement, and multi-region production diversification reflect an acknowledgment that in today’s aviation landscape, reliability is as vital as innovation, because without consistent delivery, the entire system falters.

What Comes Next: Opportunity & Long-Term Challenges

Looking ahead, the combined pressures of airline growth, production ramp-ups, and evolving sustainability requirements will test the entire aerospace sector. GE’s investments give it a strong foundation, but long-term execution remains key.

Supply-chain resilience, materials sourcing, and workforce training will determine how smoothly GE can scale engine output. For operators, this means that collaboration from parts forecasting to scheduled maintenance planning will play a larger role than ever in keeping fleets operating efficiently.

With over 10,000 LEAP engines still on order and next-generation RISE technology advancing, GE is preparing not only for current production needs but also for a future in which sustainable propulsion becomes the industry’s main challenge. The company’s expansions indicate that it aims to lead in that effort.