EasyJet Airlines Ltd. has placed an $85 million order for CFM56-3 engines to power its 12 new Boeing 737-300 aircraft scheduled for delivery in 1998 and 1999.
The CFM56-3 is produced by CFM International (CFM), a 50/50 joint company of Snecma (Safran Group) of France and General Electric of the United States.
EasyJet, a scheduled passenger carrier based at London's Luton Airport in the United Kingdom, currently owns five 737-300s, with a sixth scheduled for delivery shortly. The 12 new aircraft are part of the airline's expansion plans.
With nearly 1,700 aircraft currently in service, the CFM56-3-powered 737 is one of the most popular aircraft/engine combinations in the industry. The CFM56-3/737 fleet has logged more than 65 million flight hours since entering service in 1984, and this aircraft sets the standards for reliability, durability, and low cost of ownership. The CFM56-3 has an in-flight shutdown rate of .003, which translates to only three events every one million flight hours. The engine's dispatch reliability rate of 99.98 percent means that fewer than one departure per 5,000 is delayed 15 minutes or more or canceled due to engine-related issues. In terms of durability, the average CFM56-3 remains on-wing for nearly 14,000 flight hours before requiring its initial shop visit, and the fleet leader has logged 30,000 hours without a single removal.