Indian aviation has been on a growth path. With demand growing by leaps and bounds, the number of aircraft in the skies has soared. And the growth is likely to continue. These aircraft are faster, more efficient and more advanced than ever before and much of this efficiency is by virtue of the engines. Each aircraft is powered by specific …
Read More »
The CFM56 engine family has become the first ever to cross one billion engine flight hours. CFM International (a JV of Safran and GE) ran the first CFM56 in 1974. By 1979 the engine had not received any major orders and the JV was weeks from being dissolved. However, in April of 1979 Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Flying …
Read More »
Over the last year, the media has covered the various challenges AirAsia India is facing. Ranging from executive level departures late in 2017 onwards, to filing a First Information Report (FIR i.e. a criminal complaint) against former officers of the airline, to CBI (Central Bureau of Investigations) investigations of its director. In this analysis, we explore how the hyper-competitive Indian …
Read More »
The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has followed the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and issued a follow-on emergency airworthiness directive (EAD or AD) and mandated inspection of fan blades on CFM56-7B engines. These engines power the Boeing 737NG aircraft globally. In India, the 737NG forms bulk or all of the fleet of Air India Express, Jet Airways and …
Read More »
CFM International, the sole supplier of engines powering the Boeing 737 Next-Generation aircraft (the 737-600, 737-700, 737-800, 737-900 and 737-900ER) has issued a new service bulletin in the wake of the Southwest Airlines accident in which a passenger perished. The service bulletin calls for operators of CFM56-7B engines to inspect the fan blades on long-service engines. The Southwest Airlines tragedy, …
Read More »
Engine manufacturer CFM has expanded the capability of it’s Hyderabad training center to include both the LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B engines. The training center provides courses in line maintenance and borescope inspection. The LEAP-1A entered service in India with Air India in February 2017. The engine now powers 15 Air India and five Vistara A320neos. The LEAP-1B will enter service in …
Read More »
Earlier this week, Turkey’s leading low cost carrier, Pegasus Airlines, became the first airline to fly the Airbus A320neo powered by CFM International’s LEAP-1A engines, and the fourth airline globally, after launch customer Deutsche Lufthansa and India’s IndiGo and GoAir. This is the first of the up to 100 A320neo (new engine option) the airline had ordered back in 2012. …
Read More »
The Airbus A320neo (new engine option) powered by the CFM LEAP-1A has received joint certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This paves the way for deliveries to those airlines which opted for the CFM engine. Airbus also offers the neo with the Pratt & Whitney PW1127G Geared Turbo Fan engine, which was …
Read More »
Exactly one year after the first flight of the Airbus A320neo, the first production airframe MSN 6720, made its maiden flight. This particular airframe is destined for IndiGo as part of the Indian carrier’s 180 A320neo order placed at the Paris Air Show in 2011. While MSN 6720 is the first production airframe, it will not be the first to …
Read More »
American airframer Boeing and engine manufacturer CFM International have successfully initiated flight testing of the LEAP-1B engine on a modified 747 flying testbed at GE Aviation Flight Test Operations in Victorville, California. The LEAP-1B engine is the exclusive powerplant for the Boeing 737 MAX family. The testing is the next major milestone in a two-year program that will culminate in …
Read More »
CFM International’s LEAP engine achieved its first flight taking off on a modified 747-100 flying testbed at GE Aviation flight test operations in Victorville, California. In a release the company said “the engine behaved well and completed multiple aero-mechnical test points at various altitudes during the nearly three-hour first flight. Over the next several weeks, the engine will complete a …
Read More »
CFM International has successfully started ground testing of the first LEAP-1B engine. The LEAP-1B will be exclusive engine for the Boeing 737 MAX. CFM ran the engine for the first time on June 13, three days ahead of schedule. The LEAP-1B engine, installed in a test cell at Snecma (Safran) facilities in Villaroche, France, successfully completed a series of break-in runs before …
Read More »
European airframer Airbus has marked the start of manufacturing of the much awaited A320neo by performing the first ‘cutting of metal’, machining the first engine pylon component at the “Saint-Eloi” factory in Toulouse, France. The A320neo (new engine option) is slated to enter into service (EIS) from late 2015. Its key feature are the new generation CFM LEAP and Pratt …
Read More »flydubai today announced that it has signed an agreement with CFM International to purchase up to 200 LEAP-1B engines to power Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The airline has also ordered 22 CFM56-7BE engines to power up to an additional 11 Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 aircraft. The order is not surprising since CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran) and …
Read More »
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, announced that it has selected CFM International’s advanced LEAP-1A engine to power 26 Airbus A321neo scheduled to begin delivery in 2018. The order is valued at $2.8 billion U.S. at list price, including a long-term services agreement. To support the new fleet, Etihad has signed a 15-year Rate per Flight …
Read More »Deutsche Lufthansa has selected CFM International’s CFM56-5B engine to power 30 firm Airbus A320ceo (current engine option) aircraft. The agreement is valued at more than $610 million U.S. at list price. The aircraft order was announced in June of this year. Nico Buchholz, executive vice president, Fleet Management for Lufthansa Group said: “Our choice of the CFM56-5B engine is a …
Read More »By BA Staff Pegasus Airlines has finalized its order for CFM International’s advanced LEAP-1A engine to power its 100 Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft on order. The agreement is valued at approximately $4.3 billion U.S. at list price, including a long-term service agreement. Under the terms of the 20-year Rate per Flight Hour (RPFH) maintenance agreement, CFM will guarantee maintenance …
Read More »by Devesh Agarwal Manufacturer, Boeing has delivered the second P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft to the Indian Navy. The first P-8I was delivered in May. The P-8I is the Indian Navy variant of the P-8A Poseidon that Boeing has developed for the U.S. Navy. Indian Navy’s second P-8I IN-320 departs for India The two aircraft are currently …
Read More »By BA Staff Shannon Engine Support (SES) today announced that it is expanding its extensive spare engine portfolio with the addition of a mix of 29 LEAP-1A/-1B engines, scheduled to begin delivery in 2016. The order is valued at more than $375 million U.S. at list price. SES is the largest lessor of CFM56 and LEAP spare engines in the …
Read More »By BA Staff Boeing and WestJet announced today that they have firmed up an order for 65 737 MAX airplanes, fulfilling the carrier’s letter of intent to purchase the airplanes announced on Aug 29. The order, valued at $6.3 billion at list prices, consists of 40 737 MAX 8s and 25 737 MAX 7s. The airplanes are a key component …
Read More »
Bangalore Aviation News, Reviews, Analysis and opinions of Indian Aviation