By Grady Andersen, Newswire Intern

General Electric’s Aerospace branch’s, Russel Stokes, CEO of their Commercial Engines and Services (CES) team has announced that he will retire in July of this year. The company will combine their CES team, which works to manage engines’ life cycles, with their Technology and Operations group.

“Russell was one of the first leaders I worked with at GE, and I am grateful for his years of counsel and his partnership in successfully launching GE Aerospace. He has earned his reputation of not only demonstrating exceptional leadership and operational performance but also as a talent magnet and builder of purpose-driven teams. GE Aerospace is thankful for—and stronger from—his service,” Larry Culp, President and CEO said in a LinkedIn post.

Stokes has been within the General Electric umbrella for over 28 years, working with the transportation and power branch, before making his final stop with GE aviation. He also works with UPS, serving as a board member. 

Mohamed Ali will be succeeding Stokes. Ali, who earned his doctorate from Cornell, has worked with General Electric his entire professional career, over 25 years. He has had stops at the Global Research and Oil & Gas branches, before landing at Aviation, being a part of the project for over 15 years. 

“We stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before us, and I am confident this expanded CES team will continue to advance the company and serve the industry for the next generation. With customers at the center of everything we do, I am grateful for the opportunity to lead CES forward,” Ali stated in an official statement.

General Electric Aviation, headquartered in Cincinnati, is one of the city’s largest companies, employing over 9,000 people in the company. They provide engines for some of the most iconic widebody commercial aircraft still in the air today. Examples include the Boeing 787 dreamliner series, 777-300ER and 200ER and the 777-8 and 9. In addition, they provide engines for regional jets, some of which are the Bombardier CRJ series, the Embraer E-jet family and ARJ21/Comac C909. 

This move hopes to position the company with several new generation engines designed for narrow body aircraft, as Boeing’s 737 and Airbus’s 320 and 220 families of designs start to reach their operational limits. 

Boeing has already been drawing up several new designs to replace the 737MAX and has been discussing with engine providers about potential options. While Airbus seems to have little plans to develop a successor, instead being good with their New Engine Option (NEO), the possibility of a new line of aircraft could put some pressure on the manufacturer. 

While GE main competitors, Pratt and Whitney, currently seem to have the narrow body market controlled, the company is rolling out a new engine built for narrowbody aircraft, seeming to announce that they are willing and able to put up a challenge. The executive changes become official in July.