The CFM56-powered Boeing 737 aircraft in service with Futura International Airways have logged 500,000 flight hours with outstanding reliability. CFM56 engines are produced by CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma Moteurs (Safran Group) of France and General Electric of the United States.
Futura, a charter carrier 85 percent owned by Aer Lingus, became a CFM customer in 1989 when it began operating the CFM56-3-powered 737-400. Today, the airline has seven 737-400s, in addition to six Next-Generation 737-800s it began introducing into its fleet last November. Futura's 737s fleet has also logged more than 220,000 flight cycles while maintaining a departure punctuality rate of 99.99 percent. The newer 737s are being used on charter routes from Futura's bases in Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife, Arrecife, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Malaga.
The CFM56-3 is the sole powerplant for the 737-300/-400/-500 Classic series of aircraft. The final Classic 737 was delivered earlier this year after a production run of 3,975 engines and 1,987 airplanes. This fleet has logged a total of nearly 100 million flight hours as the work horse for narrow-body fleets worldwide.
The CFM56-7 is the exclusive powerplant for the Boeing Next-Generation 737-600/-700/-800/-900 series. With firm orders for nearly 1,650 airplanes already, the CFM56-7 is well on its way to surpassing the -3s' record. The first CFM56-7-powered 737 entered service in December 1997 and the fleet has logged more than four million flight hours while maintaining reliability ratings comparable to mature engine programs. This reliability has allowed the aircraft to achieve 180-minute extended-range, twin-engine operations (ETOPS) approval only two years after entry into service.
CFM56 engines have been selected to power more than 50 percent of the commercial aircraft with a capacity of 100 passengers or more ordered over the last decade. Since the company's formation in 1974, CFM has received orders for about 14,000 engines from 300 customers worldwide at a value of nearly $70 billion. There are currently more than 11,000 CFM56 engines in service.