Engine manufacturer CFM International has announced it achieved record production numbers in 2013for its CFM56 turbofan, and also record orders for the CFM56 and forthcoming LEAP high-bypass turbofan.
A joint venture company between Snecma (Safran) and GE, CFM delivered 1,502 CFM56 engines in 2013, primarily for installation on the Boeing 737 and its military derivatives such as the P-8 Poseidon, up from 1,420 in 2012.
CFM also took orders for 1,330 CFM56s and 1,393 LEAP engines in 2013 valued at US$31bn (A$33bn), a massive jump from a total of 1,998 engines ordered in 2012.
“2013 was a big year for us in so many ways,” Jean-Paul Ebanga, president and CEO of CFM said on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow. “The LEAP engine has seen the highest order ramp up in commercial aviation history and we are still more than two years away from entry into service. At the same time, the level of CFM56 engine orders is incredible – they nearly matched our LEAP orders for the year.”
The LEAP engine will be available on the A320neo, 737MAX and the Comac C919 lines from 2016, and is projected to reduce fuel consumption by about 16 per cent over the CFM56.
