cost carrier Frontier Airlines has announced that it has selected the CFM56-5B engine to power six new Airbus A320 family aircraft scheduled for delivery between 2008 and 2010. The engine order is valued at $75 million at list price.
CFM56-5B engines are produced by CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran Group) and General Electric Company. CFM is the world's leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines with more than 15,600 engines in service with more than 450 operators worldwide. The CFM56-5 is the engine of choice for Airbus A320 family aircraft and has been selected to more nearly 60 percent of the aircraft ordered to date.
Frontier Airlines is a long-time CFM customer, operating a fleet of 52 owned and leased CFM56-5B-powered A318 and A319 aircraft. In addition to the new A320 orders, the airline has converted existing eight A319 aircraft orders to four additional A320s and four A318s. "We're pleased to continue our long relationship with CFM International," said Jeff Potter, Frontier President and Chief Executive Officer. "The outstanding quality, reliability, and support CFM provides have contributed to our continued growth. Having one engine model power our entire fleet has also provided a distinct maintenance cost advantage, which is helping us keep our total cost of ownership low."
Currently in its 12th year of operations, Denver, Colorado-based Frontier Airlines operates routes linking its Denver hub to 54 destinations including 47 destinations in 29 states spanning the nation from coast to coast and to seven cities in Mexico. In July 2005, Frontier ranked as one of the "Top 10 Domestic Airlines" as determined by readers of Travel & Leisure magazine.
The CFM56-5B is the only engine that can power every model of the A320 family with one bill of materials. The engines high reliability, long on-wing life, and low maintenance costs make it extremely popular with leasing companies, low-cost carriers, and major airlines worldwide. More than 2,100 CFM56-5B engines have been delivered to date, and the fleet is growing at a rate of about 30 engines per month. The CFM56-5B-powered A320 fleet currently in service has logged more than 24 million engine flight hours and 14 million cycles. The engine maintains a departure reliability rate of 99.96 percent and an in-flight shutdown rate of just .002, among the best in the industry.