CFM56 in China

Asian Aerospace 2000 -- CFM International engines have logged more than five million flight hours in China since the CFM56 entered service in the region in 1985, according to the consortium. More than 215 CFM-powered aircraft, including Airbus A320s and A340s, and classic and new-generation Boeing 737s, have been delivered to the region, and at least 50 more CFM-powered twins are on order for delivery in the next five years.

Flying more than three million cycles, CFM engines in China have a dispatch reliability of 99.995-fewer than one departure per 10,000 is cancelled or delayed for engine-related causes. Unplanned shop visits occur less than once in 25,000 flying hours-once in five to eight years for the average single-aisle aircraft.

CFM has two major support operations in China. The Aero Engine Maintenance Training Center (AEMTC) in Guanghan, Sichuan province, which CFM and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) opened in 1996, has trained more than 1,600 students. The CMF Spares Service Center in Beijing, operated by CFM and China Aviation Supply Company, has reduced the time taken to deliver spare parts from two to three weeks to one to two days.

By Bill Sweetman