SINGAPORE February 24, 2004 CFM International booked orders for 813 CFM56 engines in 2003, including military and spare engines, at a value of more than $4.5 billion at list price.
CFM International is a 50/50 joint company between Snecma Moteurs (Safran Group) and General Electric Company. With more than 14,000 CFM56 engines in commercial and military service worldwide, CFM is the industry's leading aircraft engine supplier.
In November, the Chinese Governement signed an agreement for the purchase of 30 CFM56-7-powered Boeing 737 aircraft.. Theses aircraft, a mixture of 737-700s 800s and 900s, will enter service with Air China, Hainan, Shandong, Shenzhen, and Xiamen airlines.
In July, U.S. low-fare carrier AirTran Airways placed one of the largest orders of the year and became a new CFM customer when it ordered up to 100 Boeing 737s.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) also 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 42 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.