3C engine holds the all-time world record for initial time on wing. In September 2003, the engine was removed after reaching 40,728 hours and 17,504 cycles without a single shop visit, surpassing the previous record of 40,531 hours set in 2000.
CFM56-3 engines are part of the best-selling CFM56 engine family, which is produced by CFM International (CFM), a 50/50 joint company between Snecma Moteurs (Safran Group) and General Electric Company.
The engine was part of the original installation on a new Boeing 737-500 delivered to Hapag-Lloyd in December 1990; Malev Hungarian Airlines began leasing the aircraft in 1999. During its in-service life, the engine underwent routine inspections but remained trouble free.
Malev, based in Budapest, is the national carrier of Hungary and has been in operation for more than 50 years. The airline currently operates a fleet of 15 CFM56-powered Boeing 737s on routes throughout Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. The airline is in the process of introducing 737-700/-800 powered by CFM56-7 engines into its fleet. The CFM56-3, which has one of the highest utilization rates in the industry, averages 16,000 hours on wing before requiring an initial shop visit, and about 10,000 hours after overhaul.
The CFM56-3-powered 737s in service have logged a total of 130 million flight hours and 93 million cycles since the first airplanes were delivered in 1984. During this time, the CFM56-3 has consistently raised the standards for engine dependability and reliability. The fleet has a 99.98 percent dispatch reliability rate, which translates to less than one departure per 5,000 being delayed or cancelled for engine related issues. The engine also maintains a .002 in-flight shutdown rate or one event every 500,000 flight hours; this aircraft logs between 2,500 to 3,500 flight hours per year. CFM shipped the last installed CFM56-3 in 1999 after a production run of more than 4,400 engines.