Airline wants GEnx fixed

The head of Qatar Airlines reportedly said his company will not accept Boeing 787 Dreamliners on order until he is assured the planes’ GEnx engines from Fairfield-based General Electric Co. have no defects.

On two occasions this summer, shafts in GE Aviation-built GENx engines fractured, with the incidents occurring on the ground and no injuries reported. The National Transportation Safety Board has conducting an investigation, with GE having yet to detail how much it might cost to replace the shafts.

According to a Reuters report, the CEO of Qatar Airlines said his company will not take delivery until improved shafts are installed. The company has an order for 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and an option for another 30.

In separate GE news, GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) is adding up to 15 additional jets to a Boeing Co. order initially announced in July for 85 aircraft.

GECAS has its main office in Stamford and is a division of Norwalk-based GE Capital.

GECAS is ordering 75 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft and up to 25 Boeing 737-800 jets. The total order is valued at $6 billion at list prices.

The Boeing 737 MAX uses engines from CFM International, a joint venture between GE and the Snecma subsidiary of France-based SAFRAN Group.