GE Capital Aviation Services , Inc. (GECAS), has placed a $650 million order for CFM56-7 engines to power 65 Boeing Next-Generation 737s, including engines for 45 new firm aircraft, six previously announced aircraft (announced as unidentified customer), and 14 options exercised.
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. CFM is the world's leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines, gaining nearly 50 percent of all orders to power 100+ passenger aircraft in the past 10 years.
The Next-Generation 737s are scheduled to begin delivery in 2001. The CFM56-7 was developed to provide Next-Generation 737 operators with higher thrust, improved efficiency, and lower maintenance costs than its predecessor, the CFM56-3. After two and a half years of revenue service, the CFM56-7 is delivering on that promise while providing industry-leading reliability.
The CFM56-7 has logged more than 3.6 million flight hours and 1.9 million cycles while maintaining a 99.93 percent dispatch reliability rate. In addition, the CFM56-7 has a .012 shop visit rate and a .004 in-flight shutdown rate, which is one of the best in the industry. The CFM56-7 has been able to achieve these outstanding rates in very demanding circumstances. For example, Southwest 737s, which have the highest utilization rate of the fleet, accumulate an average of 13 flights per day.