This issue contains figures up to the end of November 2011 at which point the total number of large civil jet engines firm ordered since the start of the year amounted to 3,032. The total firm engine order book amounted to close to 15,100 large civil jet engines and the total engine requirement for every large commercial jet aircraft on backlog order was well over 17,400.

It sounds like a massively booming industry but, actually, only five engine programs currently have larger order books than at the start of the year. The new CFM LEAP-X and Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engines have attracted a great deal of attention and, since the start of June when demand for the A320 neo really took off, these two engine programs have together taken half of all the engines that have been firm ordered. But there is more to this than initially meets the eye; over 520 A320 neo Family aircraft have been firm ordered but the customers have not yet made an engine selection, so the LEAP-X and PurePower engines will share those engine orders when they are finalised. In effect these two engine programs have picked up firm and potential orders for just over 2,200 engines in the six months to the end of November.

Figures in our January issue show that while the LEAP-X and PW1000G have had massive order book gains this year, things have not gone quite so well for other engine programs. The GE90's order book has gained over 250 engines since the start of 2011, the Trent 700 order book has gained 26 engines and the CFM56-7B currently has 12 more engines on order than at the start of the year. Every other engine program currently has a smaller order book than at the start of the year.

2011 could well be a record production year though. By the end of November a total of 1,862 new civil jet engines had been deliveried which is 152 fewer than in the whole of 2009 (the record year). The monthly average over the last six months has been 175 engine deliveries and there were 208 in November. It certainly looks as though 2011 will be a record year but, there again, it cannot possibly be a record year for all engine programs; some are delivering at a far slower rate than in either 2009 or 2010.

All the figures are in our current issue. (Click on the link below to download the cover and contents page.)