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Delta Air Lines Places CFM56-7BE Engine Order to Power 100 Boeing Next-Generation 737-900ER Aircraft

Dépèche transmise le 25 août 2011 par Business Wire

WEST CHESTER, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Delta Air Lines today announced that it has ordered 200 CFM56-7BE engines to power 100 Boeing Next-Generation 737-900ER aircraft scheduled to begin delivery in 2013. The engine order is valued at approximately $2.2 billion U.S. at list price.

“We are very pleased to bring this level of technology to Delta as they replace older aircraft”

This new Delta order contributes to what has already been a very successful year for CFM. In 2011 to date, the company has received orders for more than 1,250 CFM56 engines at a value of approximately $12.5 billion U.S. at list price.

Delta was one of CFM’s original commercial customers, launching the CFM56-2 into commercial service on the DC-8 Super 70 in 1982. Today, the airline operates a fleet of more than 200 CFM56-7B-powered Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft and CFM56-5-powered Airbus A320 family aircraft.

“The CFM56-7BE-powered 737-900ER is a great choice to replace older technology aircraft in our fleet,” said Nat Pieper, Vice President of Fleet Strategy and Transactions for Delta Air Lines. “With this airplane, we get outstanding operating economics and reliability.”

“We are honored that Delta continues to incorporate CFM products into its fleet,” said Jean-Paul Ebanga, President and CEO of CFM International. “Nearly 30 years after it began, we have laid a solid foundation for the next 30 years of this great relationship.”

“We are very pleased to bring this level of technology to Delta as they replace older aircraft,” said Kevin McAllister, Vice President of sales for CFM International. “The CFM56-7BE is really the embodiment of the CFM philosophy of continually investing in the product line and, as a result, our customers reap the benefit with better fuel economy, higher durability, and lower maintenance costs, all without any sacrifice in the levels of reliability that have made the CFM56 product line legendary.”

The CFM56-7BE is the new production configuration for the Next-Generation 737 family and entered commercial service in July of this year. This enhanced airplane/engine combination is designed to 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 Delta with lower maintenance costs.

CFM used advanced computer codes and three-dimensional design techniques to redesign airfoils in both the high- and low-pressure turbines to improve engine performance. In addition, CFM improved engine durability and reduced the part count to help achieve lower maintenance costs.

The CFM56-7B is the sole powerplant for the Boeing Next-Generation 737 family of aircraft. Today, more than 7,550 engines have been delivered to 190 operators around the globe and the company has a backlog of approximately 4,000 engines still to be delivered.

CFM56-7B engines are a product of CFM International (CFM), a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran group) and GE and the world’s leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines.