HELSINKI, FINLAND May 12, 2005 In a ceremony here, Finnair and CFM International celebrated two key milestones: achieving 500,000 flight hours by the airline's CFM56-5B-powered A320 fleet, and the first complete overhaul of a CFM56-5B engine by Finnair Technical Services, the airline's maintenance arm.
CFM56-5B engines are produced by CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma Moteurs (Safran Group) and General Electric Company. CFM is the world's leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines with nearly 15,000 in service with more than 400 operators worldwide.
Finnair, one of the world's oldest airlines, celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2003. The Helsinki-based Finnish flag-carrier first became a CFM customer in 1998 with an order for CFM56-5B engines to power Airbus A319/A320/A321 aircraft. Today, the airline operates 29 CFM-powered aircraft.. Finnair operates scheduled services to more than 50 international and domestic destinations.
All of the CFM56-5B engines in Finnair's fleet are equipped with CFM's advanced double annular combustor (DAC). CFM revolutionized low emissions technology when it introduced the DAC into airline service in 1995. This combustor reduces oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions by 40 percent compared to engines equipped with single annular combustors (SAC). CFM is still the only manufacturer to offer this technology in this thrust class. In addition, CFM56 DAC engines have maintained the same reliability as SAC engines.
The CFM56-5 is extremely popular with leasing companies, low-cost carriers, and major airlines worldwide. More than 1,800 CFM56-5B engines have been delivered to date, and the fleet is growing at a rate of about 20 engines per month. 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 engines simple, rugged architecture. On average, CFM56-5B engines have a maintenance cost advantages of nearly $2 million per engine over a 15-year period versus the competition. The CFM56-5B is the only engine that can power every model of the A320 family keeping the same bill of materials, giving airlines a distinct commonality advantage.