AirBridgeCargo Airlines trial loads GE9X jet engine

AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) has completed the transportation validation of the world’s largest jet engine, the GE9X, onboard a 747-8F.

The GE9X is GE Aviation’s newly developed engine for the 777X aircraft that first flew in early 2020. The propulsor core of the engine weighs 11,545 kg.

ABC worked closely with GE representatives to load the engine onto the 747-8F aircraft in Chicago.

The massive engine arrived at 9 a.m. local time for first inspection and on-truck fixation. Both the ABC and GE teams strategized on positioning the engine onboard and attaching it with the aircraft’s structures, using a 20-foot pallet, cranes and other equipment. Moving the GE9X engine from delivery truck to a pallet ultimately took 30 minutes.

The ABC team was able to load the engine through the side cargo door within seven minutes due to arrangements made at the early stages of planning, ABC said. When loaded, all clearances related to the engine’s transport were measured for further processing and inclusion in transportation manual. Off-loading took less than 10 minutes.