EVENDALE, OhioDelta Air Lines has placed an $800 million order for CFM56-7 engines to power 70 Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft scheduled to begin delivery in mid-1998.
The CFM56-7 is produced by CFM International (CFMI), a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran Group) of France and General Electric of the United States. CFMI is the world's largest supplier of commercial aircraft engines.
"Our relationship with Delta Air Lines goes back a long way," said Dick Papes, sales director of North America for CFMI. "Delta helped launch the CFM56 engine when it chose the CFM56-2 to re-engine its fleet of DC-8 freighters. The airline also launched the GE CF6-80A on the Boeing 767-200. The confidence Delta has shown by selecting the CFM56-7-powered 737 as the foundation of its narrow-body fleet for the next 20 years is highly gratifying."
Delta Air Lines, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is the third largest U.S. carrier. The airline currently operates 13 CFM56-3-powered 737s and plans to use the Next-Generation 737s to begin phasing out its older narrow-body aircraft.
Delta's order brings the total of announced Next-Generation 737 aircraft orders to 605, making this the fastest-selling engine/aircraft combination in aviation history.
The CFM56-7 is the exclusive powerplant for the Boeing 737-600/-700/-800 aircraft. The engine was certified at 18,000 to 26,300 pounds takeoff thrust in late 1996 and is currently undergoing certification flight tests on the 737-700. The first Next-Generation 737 is scheduled for delivery in October of this year.
Nearly 8,000 CFM56 engines are currently in service on more than 2,700 aircraft worldwide, and this fleet has logged more than 85 million engine flight hours and 53 million cycles. Overall, the company has received orders and commitments for more than 12,000 engines valued at more than $50 billion.