LE BOURGET June 16, 2003 CFM International has taken orders for 436 CFM56 engines in 2003 at a value of more than $2 billion at list pric.
CFM International is a 50/50 joint company between Snecma Moteurs (Safran Group) of France and General Electric Company. With more than 13,500 CFM56 engines in commercial and military service worldwide, CFM is the industry's leading aircraft engine supplier.
Mostly recently, All Nippon Airways (ANA) selected the CFM56-7B-powered Boeing 737 family as part of a future streamlining of its fleet. ANA estimates a need for approximately forty-five 737s. The airline currently operates twenty-five A320s, and twenty-seven 737-400/500s, all with CFM56 engines.
The CFM56 engine family's low-cost, high-reliability characteriestics make it an airline favorite a position further solidified this year when Europe's easyJet selected the CFM56-5B to power 120 firm A319 aircraft.
Dublin, Ireland, based Ryanair ordered twenty-two 737s as a follow-on to its 2002 order for 100 airplanes. Aircraft deliveries are scheduled to extend to 2010. Currently, the airline operates 36 Boeing 737s on routes throughout Europe from hubs in Dublin, London-Sansted, Frankfurt-Hahn, and Brussels-Charleroi.
Long-time CFM customer Virgin Blue expanded its fleet of CFM56-powered 737s to 38 with an order for 10 new airplanes.
CFM56 engines also power more than 60 percent of the leased aircraft in operation today. Bouilloun, CIT, and International Lease Finance Corp. have each placed follow-on orders this year for CFM-powered 737 and A320 family aircraft.