American Trans Air, Inc. (ATA) has placed a $240 million order for CFM56-7 engines to power 20 new Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 aircraft scheduled to begin delivery in June 2001.
CFM56-7 engines are produced by CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran Group) of France and General Electric of the United States. ATA, which becomes a new CFM customer with this order, is based in Indianapolis. The airline is the 11th largest U.S. passenger airline and the largest U.S. commercial/military passenger charter service. The airline's fleet of 20 purchased 737s will be augmented by 17 leased 737 aircraft, 12 from International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) and five from GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS). These aircraft were announced previously.
"We are quite pleased that ATA has chosen to join the CFM customer family," said Mike Wilking, sales director for CFM International. "ATA, in its 27th year of operation, has become one of the major airlines in the U.S., with revenues exceeding $1 billion in 1999. We're proud that our products are going to serve such a key role in this airline's continued growth."
The CFM56-7 has built an outstanding in-service record since its first delivery in 1997. About 500 airplanes have been delivered to date, and the fleet has logged more than 2.8 million flight hours while maintaining a 99.94 dispatch reliability rate. The CFM56-7-powered 737 made history last year when it became the first single-aisle aircraft in its class to be granted 180-minute Extended-Range, Twin-Engine Operations (ETOPS) approval by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
CFM is the world's leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines and received firm orders for nearly 14,000 engines at a value of about $70 billion. These orders represent nearly 50 percent of the market for 100+ passenger aircraft. In 1999, the company experienced its fourth best year ever, with firm orders for 986 engines. There are nearly 11,000 CFM56 engines in service.