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The dawn of the jet age changed the landscape of commercial flight forever, giving rise to affordable, faster travel hallmarked by chic flight attendants and non-stop flights that could take you across the ocean in hours. In the decades since, planes have gotten faster, hitting supersonic speeds, and larger. Aviation safety has also drastically improved: with millions of flights annually, fatal accidents are now exceptionally rare. 

Statistically speaking, that old adage that flying is safer than driving is definitely true, though several incidents a year typically make the headlines. In February 2026, a JetBlue flight departing out of Newark Liberty International Airport was forced to return after engine failure. Just a few days later, a Delta Air Lines flight sparked a grass fire near a Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport runway after an engine blew out during takeoff. No one was injured in either incident.

At the time of writing, there’s no indication that these incidents were related to the age of the engines, but just what is the average lifespan of a jet engine? According to Aerospace Global News, the majority of engines used on modern commercial planes have a life of about 25 to 35 years, or about 150,000 flight hours with proper maintenance. To put it another way, the engines on your commercial flight will last much longer than your car probably will! Military aircraft, of course, perform much differently than commercial aircraft, and this vastly affects the lifespan of their engines. These jet engines tend to see about 5,000 to 10,000 mission hours before being retired.

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We talk about ourselves, our kids, and even our cars in terms of chronological age — your car may be five years old, for example. But when it comes to jet engines, their lifespan is affected more by flight hours and flight cycles than physical age. Most of us keep our vehicles in top shape by performing regular, preventive maintenance, and jet engines are no different, though the process is typically much more extensive! In addition to their own version of an oil change, most jet engines typically require several maintenance visits during their lifespan, where the engine is removed from the aircraft. It may be dismantled, inspected, and serviced to ensure that it continues to operate safely and efficiently.

We are not jet engine mechanics, but we do know that maintaining a jet engine is a complicated process with many metrics. Different parts of the engine have different life cycles and are replaced at different intervals, and there are many factors that can affect the lifespan of a jet engine. These include its maintenance history and its typical operating conditions.

Commercial jets that fly short-haul routes often require more frequent maintenance than long-haul jets, because they experience more takeoff and landing cycles than aircraft that are flying longer routes. Engines on jets that fly short-haul flights typically follow a maintenance schedule based on Engine Flight Cycles, or EFC, and planes that fly longer flights are maintained based on total Engine Flight Hours, or EFH. Ultimately, passengers should feel assured that airlines adhere to strict maintenance guidelines and schedules to keep everyone safe in the air.