Swissair today took delivery of the first Airbus Industrie A319 powered by CFM56-5B engines equipped with a double annular combustor (DAC).
CFM56 engines are produced by CFM International, a 50/50 joint company of Snecma (Safran Group) of France and General Electric of the United States.
The CFM56-5B is the first commercial engine in history equipped with a low emissions combustor designed to reduce NOx (oxides of nitrogen) emissions by as much as 40 percent. The engine is rated currently from 22,000 to 31,500 pounds (98 to 138 kN) thrust. The 32,000 pound (142 kN) thrust (33,000 pounds equivalent rated thrust at Mach 0.25) CFM56-5B3/P is currently undergoing flight tests on the growth Airbus A321-200. The CFM56-5B is also offered with a single annular combustor.
The base CFM56-5B engine was certified in May 1993, while the DAC configuration was certified in mid-1994 and introduced into service in early 1995 by Swissair. In addition to the A319, the CFM56-5B also powers the Airbus A320 and A321. The 28 aircraft in service have accumulated nearly 117,000 flight hours to date. One CFM56-5B-powered aircraft takes off every 12 minutes, and the engine is expected to reach one million flight hours by 1999.
CFM International is the world's largest producer of commercial jet engines with total orders for more than 10,500 engines at a value of nearly $40 billion.