In a delivery ceremony here today, Air Mauritius took delivery of its first CFM56-5B-powered Airbus A319 aircraft, one of the two the airline has ordered.
CFM56-5B engines are produced by CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma Moteurs (Safran Group) of France and General Electric of the United States and the world's leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines.
Air Mauritius is the national flag carrier of the Republic of Mauritius. The airline began commercial operations in 1972 and today serves 33 destinations on four continents, including Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Indian Ocean islands. Air Mauritius has been a CFM customer since 1994 when the airline took delivery of its first CFM56-5C-powered long-range, four-engine Airbus A340-300. Today, Air Mauritius operates five CFM-powered A340s.
"We are honored that Air Mauritius has retained the CFM56 as its engine of choice for its new A319 fleet," said Michel Julliand, regional vice president of sales for CFM International. "This order is testament to the deep trust we've built between Air Mauritius and CFM."
CFM56-5A/-5B engines have been chosen to power nearly 60 percent of the Airbus A318/A319/320/A321 aircraft ordered to date. One of the primary factors behind the engine's broad-based market acceptance has been its simple, rugged architecture, which gives it the highest reliability, durability, and repairability in its class. The CFM56-5 also has the advantage in global cost of ownership, which is determined by such factors as shop visit rate, life-limited parts, in-flight shutdown rate, delays and cancellations, and fuel burn.