Vietnam Airlines has selected CFM International's CFM56-5B4 engines to power 10 new Airbus Industrie A320 aircraft in an engine order valued at more than $130 million.
CFM International, the world's leading aircraft engine manufacturer, is a 50/50 joint company of Snecma (Safran Group) of France and General Electric of the United States.
Vietnam Airlines, which currently operates a fleet of seven CFM56-5A-powered A320s, will take delivery of the 10 new aircraft between June of this year and early 1997.
The CFM56-5B4, rated at 27,000 pounds thrust for this application, is offered at five thrust ratings ranging from 22,000 pounds to 32,000 pounds for the Airbus A319, A320, and A321. The engine entered service in July 1994 and has performed exceptionally well in operational service. The engine has logged more than 129,000 flight hours with no in-flight shutdowns, has a 99.9 dispatch reliability rate, and is the most economical of the A320 powerplants to operate due to its leading reliability and low maintenance costs.