LE BOURGET, June 13, 2005 CFM International (CFM) has become the first international joint venture to be awarded Design Organisation Approval certification by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
CFM, the world's leading aircraft engine supplier, is a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran Group) of France and General Electric Company of the United States.
EASA Design Organisation Approval (DOA) establishes a global quality framework for the management, responsibilities, procedures and resources needed for the type certification and maintenance of aviation products.
"We're obviously very pleased to receive DOA certification," said Pierre Fabre, CFM president and CEO. "By granting this approval, EASA is certifying that CFM meets the industry's latest and most stringent requirements."
In awarding the certification, EASA executive director Patrick Goudou noted, "This...represents a concrete achievement that will stimulate further discussions between Europe and the USA on the sharing of design work and the execution of certification activities."
The CFM56 product line includes six engine models spanning the thrust range from 18,500 to 34,000 pounds (82 to 151 kN) thrust. The engines power 30 commercial and military applications for more than 400 customers worldwide.