Comlux, the VIP charter operator based in Zurich; Switzerland, has again selected CFM56-5B engines to power its new Airbus ACJ ordered today, in addition to an A320 VIP aircraft the company ordered in 2008. The firm engine order is valued at approximately $30 million at list price.
"We are very pleased to continue our long relationship with CFM," said Stephen Laven, chief executive officer of Fly Comlux. "We already operate four CFM56-powered Airbus corporate jets, and the operating economics of this engine help us keep our costs in line. But more importantly, the outstanding reliability of the CFM56-5B gives us confidence that we can assure our customers of the very highest level of service."
Comlux's is scheduled to take delivery of the A320 in 2010, while the ACJ is scheduled for delivery in 2011.
The high reliability, long on-wing life, and low maintenance costs of the CFM56-5 make it extremely popular with major airlines, low-cost carriers, and leasing companies worldwide. All of Comlux's new CFM56-5B engines are of the Tech Insertion configuration. This configuration was introduced in September 2007 and, to date, the fleet of over 800 engines in service worldwide has logged nearly 2 million flight hours and more than 1 million flight cycles without a single engine-related event.
CFM56 Tech Insertion provides operators with a 1 percent improvement in fuel consumption over the life of the product, compared to the base CFM56-5B engine. This lower fuel consumption also significantly lowers CO2 emissions. Improved analytic design tools have also enabled CFM to further optimize the Tech Insertion combustor such that it emits 25 percent lower NOx emissions. As a result, the engine meets the current International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Committee of Aviation Environment Protection standards (CAEP /6) that took effect in early 2008.
Primary factors behind the engine's broad-based market acceptance include this industry's best reliability, durability, and low cost of ownership brought about by the engine's simple, rugged architecture.
CFM56-5B engines are a product of CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran Group) and General Electric Company. CFM, the world's leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines, has delivered more than 20,000 engines to date.