based low-cost carrier Ryanair today announced that it has placed an order for additional CFM56-7 engines to power 22 firm Boeing 737-800 aircraft, as well as taking options on 78 more. In January 2002, Ryanair placed one of the largest orders ever when it purchased 100 CFM56-7-powered 737s for its fleet expansion and renewal. This latest purchase brings the airline's total 737 order to 125 firm, 125 option aircraft.
The CFM56-7 is the newest member of the CFM56 engine family produced by CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma Moteurs (Safran Group) of France and General Electric Company. With more the 13,000 engines in service, CFM is the world's leading aircraft engine supplier.
Ryanair first became a CFM customer in 1998 when it ordered 28 CFM56-7-powered 737-800s. The airline currently has operates 28 of these aircraft on routes throughout Europe from hubs in Dublin, London-Stansted, Frankfurt-Hahn, and Brussels-Charleroi. Ryanair will take delivery of 14 airplanes in 2003; the newest aircraft are scheduled for delivery in 2004 and 2005.
The CFM56-7 engine was selected by Boeing as the exclusive powerplant for its 737-600/-700/-800/-900 family of aircraft and the engine provides operators with substantial benefits, including dramatically lower operating costs, better performance, higher reliability, lower noise and emissions and improved operability versus the CFM56-3 for the classic 737 series. These advantages make the CFM56-7-powered 737 ideally suited for low-cost operators such as Ryanair and Southwest Airlines.
The first CFM56-7-powered 737-700 was delivered in December 1997. Today, more than 1,250 aircraft are in service with airlines worldwide. The fleet has accumulated more than 17 million flight hours and nine million flight cycles while maintaining a 99.95 percent dispatch reliability rate, which translates to less than one departure per 2,000 flights being delayed 15 minutes or more or canceled for engine-related issues. The CFM56-7 also has one of the lowest in-flight shutdown rates in the industry: .003 per 1,000 hours. The rate is equivalent to one engine-caused in-flight shutdown every 333,333 flight hours. The CFM56-7 has been able to achieve these outstanding rates in very demanding operating environments. For example, some operators accumulate an average of 13 flights per day.
The CFM56-7-powered Boeing 737 was the first single-aisle airplane in its class to be granted 180-minute Extended Twin-Engine Operations (ETOPS). ETOPS approval, which provides airlines greater route-scheduling flexibility such as long over-water flights, is based on engine/aircraft reliability.