Europe's biggest plane maker Airbus and engine manufacturer General Electric are in talks to develop a “next-generation” aircraft, court documents show.
Airbus is seeking engine ideas for a narrow-body jet it is developing and has drawn a proposal for a new geared design from GE, Bloomberg reported, citing a court opinion that has since been sealed.
The court document did not specify if the Airbus jet would be a new model or an upgrade to existing models such as the A320neo or A220 narrow-body jets. It also did not provide details on when GE proposed the new engine, when or whether the plane might come to market, or how advanced the talks were.
“GE Aviation continually reviews opportunities with airframers, including Airbus and Boeing, about engine technologies for the next generation of aircraft. The details of these discussions are confidential,” GE said in an emailed statement.
The Toulouse-based company is building an extra-long range version of its A321neo that will allow airlines to serve long-distance routes with smaller, more fuel-efficient aircraft.
Airbus is also working on developing a hydrogen-powered aircraft as it seeks to bring the world's first emissions-free passenger plane into service by 2035.
Airbus did not reveal the the nature of discussions with GE.
“We are in constant dialogue with our engine makers about the latest state-of-the-art technologies and ongoing innovations,” the company said. “There are many studies. Not all studies see the light of day.”
GE proposed using a geared turbofan system it is developing, which it considered a “technologically preferred design for the next-generation narrow-body market,” the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit wrote in an opinion on December 23.
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
