Lufthansa German Airlines has placed an order for 10 firm, seven option CFM56-5C-powered Airbus Industrie A340-300 aircraft, bringing the airline's fleet of CFM-powered A340s to 31 firm aircraft. This most recent engine order is valued at $350 million.
The CFM56-5C is produced by CFM International (CFM), a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran Group) of France and General Electric of the United States. The CFM56-5C is the exclusive powerplant for the Airbus A340-200 and A340-300 aircraft models.
"Lufthansa is a long-time CFM customer and one of the world's premier airlines," said Klaus Huber, sales director for CFM. "The technical superiority of this airline's fleet is unsurpassed in the industry, so we are highly gratified by Lufthansa's continued confidence in our products."
Lufthansa was a launch customer for the CFM56-5C-powered long-range, four-engine Airbus A340 and put the first aircraft into revenue service in February 1993. Since then, the airline has taken delivery of 19 additional aircraft. The majority of these planes are powered by the CFM56-5C4, rated at 34,000 pounds takeoff thrust to accommodate the requirements of the higher gross weight A340-300. The airline is scheduled to begin taking delivery of its new wide-body aircraft later this year; if all options are exercised, deliveries will continue through 2003. The airline uses the A340 on its long-haul routes to Asia, the Middle East, and North America.
Since entering service, the CFM56-5C has logged more than 6.5 million flight hours while maintaining a 99.85 percent dispatch reliability rate. The engine's fuel efficiency is such that the A340 can fly completely around the world with only one stop for refueling. In addition, the -5C has the quietest noise signature of any engine in its thrust class, with a cumulative noise margin more than 20 EPNdB (effective, perceived noise in decibels) below industry requirements.