GE Aircraft Engines has claimed half of a $1.2 billion engine order announced Friday by Australian carrier Qantas Airways Ltd.

        The $600 million order includes engines for 19 wide-body jets, part of a 10-year, 31-aircraft fleet modernization by Qantas announced in November.

        GEAE will supply its CF6 engines for seven Airbus Industrie A330-200s, six A330-300s and six Boeing Co. 747-400 long-range aircraft. Those engines are for delivery starting in 2002.

        But GE and its partner Pratt & Whitney were shut out by rival engine-maker Rolls Royce plc of Qantas' order for a dozen of Airbus' new superjumbo A380 twin-deck jetliners. Qantas picked the Rolls Trent 900 engine to power its fleet of A380s starting in 2006.

        GEAE and Pratt, a unit of United Technologies, which formed a partnership to develop a new engine, the GP7000, for the Airbus superjumbo, have yet to announce an order for their engine.

        Still, the Qantas order was a victory for GEAE because the airline was an exclusive Rolls customer as recently as a decade ago.

        Qantas said its engine choices followed an exten sive review.

        “Both General Electric and Rolls-Royce have established successful partnerships with Qantas that will be extended into the next era of the airline's growth,” said Geoff Dixon, Qantas chief executive designate.

        Dave Calhoun, GEAE president, said, “We are very gratified with Qantas' confidence in our CF6 family.”

        The CF6 engines are assembled at GEAE's large engine plant in Durham, N.C.

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