FARNBOROUGH, England July 16, 2008 Southwest Airlines has become one of the first CFM International customers to achieve the TRUEngine™ designation for more than 1,100 CFM56-3 and CFM56-7B engines in its fleet.
TRUEngine™ is a designation of CFM International (CFM), a 50/50 joint company of Snecma (Safran Group) and General Electric Company.
"Our long-standing relationship with CFM has consistently provided us with exceptional quality, reliability, and value," said Mike Van de Ven, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Southwest Airlines. "Achieving TRUEngine status is one more way in which Southwest Airlines can differentiate our fleet from our competitors."
The TRUEngine™ designation will be available to all CFM56 engines meeting the criteria and several fleets of engines are currently being evaluated.
To qualify for TRUEngine™ status, the engine configuration, engine overhaul practices, spare parts and repairs used to service the engine must be consistent with CFM requirements for that engine model. In addition, all maintenance must comply with CFM-issued engine manuals and other maintenance recommendations. The qualification data is obtained through a combination of fleet operational and maintenance records.
Commercial jet engines typically are in service for more than 25 years and change ownership at least once in their operational life. The engine's configuration, material content, maintenance history, and supportability impact overall value as it changes ownership.
The TRUEngine™ designation also facilitates CFM's ability to provide technical support. Jet engines contain multiple, complex systems whose interactions must be carefully controlled. CFM's engine support is built upon technical expertise for genuine CFM56 parts and configurations, as well as data gained from the vast operational history of the global CFM56 engine population.
CFM designs and continually improves the CFM56 family, the world's most utilized commercial jet engine. Nearly 16,000 CFM56 engines are in commercial service powering several aircraft models, most prominently the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320 families, with nearly 500 operators worldwide.