After an incredible 49 years and six months of service, General Electric (GE) officially retired its CF6-6 engine in June 2021. The remaining engine variants, the CF6-80C2, CF6-50, CF6-80A and CF6-80E1, are still in service. The engine giant has continued production of the CF6-80C2 engine variant, making the CF6 the longest running engine production program in commercial aviation.
According to Aviation Week’s 2023 Fleet & MRO Forecast, there are about 1,495 CF6 engines in service currently, among which 1,193 are CF6-80C2 engines. CF6-80 E and CF6-50 engines account for 278 and 24, respectively. The data below illustrates the decline in the engines entering into service over the next decade.
Aviation Week’s data shows that a total of 1,579 engines will retire from the CF6 engine family over the next 10 years, among which the CF6-80C2 engine variant will see the most retirements, with 1,171 engines retiring over the next decade.
It is forecast that the CF6 engine family will represent a value of $54.2 billion in MRO spending for the period 2023-32. Over the next 10 years, the engine family will see a total of 5,484 shop visits related to engine overhauls and 764 related to engine LLP services. The data above illustrates the spike in the engine shop visits in 2025, with 808 shop visits.
The data shows that the CF6 engine family will see an average of about 7,417,163 hr. this year, which is expected to increase for the next two years. Beyond then, the data shows the gradual decline in engine hours.
Source: Aviation Week Intelligence Network Commercial Aviation 2023 Fleet & MRO Forecast
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