GE Aerospace and Delta Air Lines have paired up to apply GE's FLIGHT DECK lean operating system to CF6 engine maintenance at Delta TechOps, the airline's maintenance, repair, and overhaul division headquartered at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The collaboration centers on kaizen events, structured workshops in which engineers and technicians from both companies map out engine shop workflows and identify steps that can be simplified or removed.
According to GE Aerospace, teams from both companies have run these sessions directly at Delta's MRO facilities, working through the CF6 engine overhaul process station by station to cut wait times and rework. The CF6 remains one of the most widely used widebody engine families in commercial service, and Delta TechOps performs heavy maintenance on the type for its own fleet as well as third-party customers.
The push comes as Delta has set a goal of cutting CF6 shop turnaround time by roughly a third by the end of 2026, a target that would let the airline return engines to service faster and reduce the number of spare engines needed to keep its widebody fleet flying. Delta TechOps is one of the largest MRO operations in the country, and faster turnaround at its Atlanta hub has ripple effects across Delta's domestic and international widebody schedules.
Source: GE Aerospace News - https://www.geaerospace.com/news/articles/building-muscle-together-how-ge-aerospace-and-delta-air-lines-are-using-flight-deck