CFM56-5B Continues To Be Engine Of Choice For A320 Family

July 19, 2004

5 engine has been chosen to power 55 percent of all Airbus A320 family aircraft for which orders have been announced to date. The engine continues to provide airline customers worldwide with the highest reliability and lowest maintenance costs on this application.

CFM56-5 engines are produced by CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma Moteurs (Safran Group) and General Electric Company.

The high reliability, long on-wing life, and low maintenance costs of the CFM56-5 makes it extremely popular with leasing companies, low-cost carriers, and major airlines worldwide. More than 1,600 CFM56-5B engines have been delivered to date, and the fleet is growing at a rate of about 20 engines per month.

Primary factors behind the engine's broad-based market acceptance include this industry's best reliability (with a 0.002 in-flight shutdown rate) durability, and low cost of ownership brought about by the engines simple, rugged architecture. CFM56-5 engines are averaging nearly 16,000 hours on wing prior to initial shop visit, and more than 10,000 hours after overhaul. No competing engine in this thrust class can match this record. On average, CFM56-5B engines have a maintenance cost advantages of nearly $2 million per engine over a 15-year period versus the competition.

The CFM56-5B is the only engine that can power every model of the A320 family keeping the same bill of materials, giving airlines a distinct commonality advantage.

The CFM56-5B core served as the foundation for the development of the CFM56-7B, as well as for the new CFM56-5C/P engine for the Airbus A340 Enhanced aircraft. CFM used advanced three dimensional aerodynamic (3-D aero) design tools to give the 9-stage CFM56 high-pressure compressor better efficiency and improved aerodynamics. The high-pressure turbine also incorporates 3-D aero, active clearance control, and single-crystal N5 material in both the blades and the nozzles for improved durability, lower maintenance costs, and longer on-wing life. The low-pressure turbine incorporated 3-D airfoils for improved efficiency and fuel burn.

CFM also offers the double annular combustor (DAC) as an option on the CFM56-5B. The DAC engines reduce NOx (oxides of nitrogen) emissions by about 45 percent during a typical mission compared to engines equipped with a single annular combustor.

The CFM56-5B-powered A320 fleet currently in service has logged more than 15 million engine flight hours and nine million cycles. The engine maintains a departure reliability rate of 99.95 and an in-flight shutdown rate of just 0.004, among the best in the industry.

Jamie Jewell



Mobile:
+1 513.885.2282

jamie.jewell@ge.com

Charles Soret



Mobile:
+33 (0)6.31.60.96.79

charles.soret@safrangroup.com

Perry Bradley



Mobile:
+1 513 375 2597

perry.bradley@ge.com

Talal Ahmed Almahmood


+973 173 3819


talal.almahmood@gulfair.com