China's Qiantang Airways Places $150 Million CFM56-5B Engine Order

June 20, 2007

Qiantang Airways has selected the CFM56-5B engine to power its new fleet of 10 Airbus A319/A320 in an engine order valued at approximately $150 million over the life of the product. The airline will take delivery between 2009 and 2011.

CFM56-5B engines are a product of CFM International (CFM), a 50/50 joint venture between Snecma (Safran Group) and General Electric Company and the world's leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines.

Qiantang Airways, a new Chinese start up, is the first private airline in Zhejiang Province of China and has been in development since June 2006. The airline is headquartered in Hangzhou, and is scheduled to begin scheduled passenger service in January 2008.

"The CFM56-5B engine is an ideal match for our A320/319 fleet," said Chen Xijian, Chairman of Qiantang. "The outstanding quality and reliability of this engine will be a big advantage to our operations as we launch revenue service and begin to win new customers. The engine's low cost of ownership will also be a strong contributor to our ability to implement a long-term growth strategy."

"We are honored to welcome Qiantang Airways as our newest CFM56 customer," said Eric Bachelet. "We look forward to working with them as the launch their airplane and we see this order as the beginning of what we hope will become a great and lasting relationship."

The CFM56-5B is the engine of choice for the Airbus A320 family and is popular with major airlines, low-cost carriers, and leasing companies alike. More than 2,650 CFM56-5B engines have been delivered to date, and the fleet is growing at a rate of about 32 engines per month. Primary factors behind the engine's broad-based market acceptance include this industry's best reliability, durability, low cost of ownership, and world-class customer and product support. The CFM56-5B is the only engine that can power every model of the A320 family, from the small A318 up to the A321, with the same bill of materials. For more information on CFM International, visit us at www.cfmaeroengines.com

Jamie Jewell



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Charles Soret



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Perry Bradley



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Talal Ahmed Almahmood


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