Irish/Kuwaiti JV Has 30 Planes On Order

Ireland-based AerVenture selected CFM International's CFM56-5B engines this week to power the 30 Airbus A319/A320 aircraft the company ordered in late 2005. The firm engine order is valued at $360 million at list price.

CFM International (CFM) is a 50/50 joint company between Snecma and General Electric Company. It supplies aircraft engines for commercial and military transport aircraft, with orders for more than 19,000 engines from more than 450 customers worldwide.

All of the new engines will be the new CFM56-5B Tech Insertion configuration. The CFM56 Tech Insertion program incorporates advanced technologies that provide operators with lower maintenance costs, improved oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions, and better fuel burn. CFM56 Tech Insertion includes improvements to the high-pressure compressor, the combustor, and the high- and low-pressure turbines.

The high reliability, long on-wing life, and low maintenance costs of the CFM56-5B make it extremely popular with leasing companies, low-cost carriers, and major airlines worldwide. More than 2,250 CFM56-5B engines have been delivered to date, and the fleet is growing at a rate of about 30 engines per month.

The CFM56-5B-powered A320 fleet currently in service has logged more than 25 million engine flight hours and 15 million cycles. The engine maintains a departure reliability rate of 99.96 percent and an in-flight shutdown rate of just .002, among the best in the industry.

There are nearly 16,000 CFM56 engines powering more than 6,430 aircraft worldwide.

Ireland-based AerVenture is a joint venture between AerCap, a global provider of aircraft and engine leasing, trading and asset management, and LoadAir, a recently established cargo airline based in Kuwait.

AerVenture was established to acquire, manage and market a fleet of new Airbus A320 family aircraft. AerCap will provide the complete asset management services for the portfolio including marketing, lease, technical, cash and administrative services.

FMI: www.airbus.com, www.cfm56.com