CFM Also Logs Orders For More Than 160 CFM56-7B Engines For
Boeing 737s
As part of what may be the largest single firm aircraft order in
aviation history, AirAsia announced Friday that it has selected CFM
International's advanced LEAP engine to power 200 Airbus A320neo
aircraft. The airline is scheduled to begin taking delivery in
2016. The company also announced that it has secured orders for 160
CFM56-7B engines from Boeing for its Next Generation B737s
To support the new LEAP-powered A320neo fleet, AirAsia has also
signed a 20-year RPFH (Rate per Flight Hour) agreement with CFM to
provide comprehensive engine maintenance service. Under the terms
of this agreement, CFM will guarantee maintenance costs on a dollar
per engine flight hour basis.
"LEAP is absolutely the right engine for our A320neo aircraft,"
said Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of AirAsia. "We did an exhaustive
evaluation before making our decision and the technical superiority
of this engine speaks for itself. LEAP technology will enable us to
realize double-digit improvements in fuel burn, emissions, and
noise, which will have a huge impact our bottom line and fuel our
future growth. When you add to that our decade of experience with
CFM and the company's unrivaled reputation for delivering on it
promises, the choice was an easy one to make."
"We are both honored and excited to launch this next phase of
our relationship with AirAsia," said Jean-Paul Ebanga, president
and CEO of CFM. "We believe that all of the benefits of LEAP
technology, including better fuel burn and an improved
environmental footprint with CFM's industry-leading reliability and
low maintenance costs, will have a very positive impact on
AirAsia's operational efficiency and help fuel their continued
growth long-term."
On the Boeing side, the company reports the total value of those
engine orders to be approximately $1.6 billion U.S. at list
price.
CFM56
Orders announced at the Paris Air Show last week include:
- UTair Aviation ordered 33 Boeing737-800s and seven 737-900ER
aircraft.
- Malaysia Airlines exercised options to purchase 10 737-800
aircraft.
- Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA (Norwegian) ordered 15 737-800
aircraft.
- Air Lease Corporate announced its plan to purchase 14
737-800s.
- MIAT Mongolian Airlines orders two 737-800s.
All of the aircraft will be powered by the CFM56-7BE, which is
the new production configuration for the engine and is on schedule
to enter commercial service in July 2011. The CFM56-7BE-powered
Next-Generation 737 enhanced airplane/engine combination will
provide a 2 percent improvement in fuel consumption, which, in
turn, equates to a 2 percent reduction in carbon emissions.
Additionally, the enhanced -7B will provide up to 4 percent lower
maintenance costs, depending on the thrust rating.
CFM is using advanced computer codes and three-dimensional design
techniques to improve airfoils in the high- and low-pressure
turbines to improve engine performance. In addition, CFM is
improving engine durability and reducing parts count to achieve
lower maintenance costs.