The advanced CFM56-7 powerplant for the Boeing Next-Generation 737 family has achieved 10 million flight hours in just under four years, achieving an outstanding record.
The CFM56-7 is produced by CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma Moteurs (Safran Group) of France and General Electric of the United States. Nearly 1,900 CFM56-7-powered 737s have been ordered to date, making it the fastest selling engine/aircraft combination in history.
"We are obviously very proud of the CFM56-7," said Pierre Fabre, president and CEO of CFM International. "When we began development work in 1993 we made some significant promises to our customers: better fuel burn, lower maintenance cost, longer time on wing, and improved reliability. This engine has delivered on each of those promises, and then some."
The first CFM56-7-powered 737-700 was delivered to launch customer Southwest Airlines in December 1997. Today, nearly 1,000 aircraft are in service with 99 airlines worldwide. The fleet, which includes 737-600/-700/ -800/ -900, , has also accumulated more than six million flight cycles. These engines have maintained a 99.95 percent dispatch reliability rate, which translates to less than one departure per 2,000 flights being delayed 15 minutes or more or canceled for engine-related issues. The CFM56-7 also has one of the lowest in-flight shutdown rates in the industry: .002 per 1,000 hours. The rate is equivalent to one engine-caused in-flight shutdown every 500,000 flight hours.
In addition to the commercial 737 applications, the CFM56-7 also powers the Boeing Business Jet for 43 customers. The first military application, the C-40A was delivered to the U.S. Naval Reserve in April of this year. The aircraft is a modified 737-700 combination passenger and freighter airplane which was designed to replace the Navy's C-9 fleet. A second military application, the Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) Wedgetail, will enter service with the Australian Defense Force in 2006.