A CFM56-7B engine powering a Boeing Next-Generation 737 for TUIfly, the German holiday airline, has logged more than 40,000 hours on wing without a single removal, setting a new record for this engine model. The CFM56-7B engine was installed in February 1999 and, to date, has logged 40,654 flight hours and more than 14,000 flight cycles.
TUIfly, part of TUI Travel PLC in which TUI AG of Germany, the world's largest tour operator company, holds a majority stake, has operated a CFM56-powered Boeing fleet exclusively for more than 20 years. The airline has chosen CFM56-7B engines for all of its airplanes since1997 and has more than 80 aircraft in service or on order.
"We are very proud of our contribution to the record-setting performance of this CFM56-7B, through our extensive on-condition trend monitoring, coupled with maximum engine de-rating by our flight crews," said Friedrich Keppler, Managing Director Flight and Technical Operations at TUIfly.
The CFM56-7B engine is still on wing, and continues to show a very good EGT (exhaust gas temperature) margin, indicating that it will be able to stay in service until the first LLP (life limited part) reaches its limit at about 48,500 hours.
"We have built a great relationship with TUIfly over the years and this record marks a new chapter in our relationship," said Eric Bachelet, president and CEO of CFM. "We are obviously honored by their continued confidence in the CFM56 product line and look forward to maintaining our relationship for many years to come."
In September 2003, a CFM56-3 engine powering a Hapag-Lloyd Boeing 737-500 on lease to Malev Hungarian Airlines set the time on wing record for that engine model, also achieving more than 40,000 hours on wing without a shop visit.
About TUIfly
Hapag-Lloyd Express (HLX) and Hapagfly merged in the summer of 2007 to form the new German airline "TUIfly", part of TUI Travel PLC in which TUI AG of Germany, the world's largest tour company, holds a majority stake. TUIfly flies on behalf of TUI and other German tour operators to traditional holiday destinations throughout the Mediterranean, Canary and Cape Verde Islands, Madeira and Egypt. TUIfly offers high quality transportation at a fair price, with excellent reliability, punctuality and safety. It is based at the Hanover airport, and carried nearly ten million passengers in 2009.
About CFM
CFM56-7B engines are a product of CFM International, a 50/50 joint company of Snecma (Safran Group) and General Electric Company. The CFM56-7B is one of the world's most reliable engines. More than 6,650 engines have been delivered to date, and the fleet has logged more than 105 million flight-hours while maintaining an industry-leading rate of 0.002 in-flight shutdowns per 1,000 flight hours - equal to only one engine-related event every 500,000 flight-hours. The primary factors behind the engine's broad-based acceptance include industry-leading reliability and environmental-friendliness, low cost of ownership and world-class customer support. For more information on CFM International, visit us at www.cfmaeroengines.com.