LE BOURGET -- Avianca today announced that it has selected the advanced CFM56-5B engine to power its new fleet of 33 Airbus A319/A320 aircraft in an engine order valued at $500 million over the life of the product, including spare engines.
CFM56-5B engines are a product of CFM International (CFM), a 50/50 joint venture between Snecma (SAFRAN Group) and General Electric Company and the world's leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines.
Avianca is a new CFM customer and will begin operating two leased CFM56-5B-powered A319s in early 2008. The airline is scheduled to take delivery of its purchased aircraft between 2008 and 2012.
"We believe that the CFM-powered A320s will be a great addition to our fleet," said Fabio Villegas, CEO of Avianca. "The advanced technology of this engine, coupled with its industry-leading reliability and low cost of ownership will help Avianca fulfill its mission of earning customer loyalty through on-time performance, flexibility, and innovation."
Avianca, the first airline founded in the Americas, is part of the Synergy Group, which also has economic interests in Brazil's Oceanair, and Ecuador's Vipsa. With more than six thousand (6,000) direct employees and a fleet of 51 short, middle and long haul aircraft, Avianca directly operates to 20 destinations in Colombia and 19 cities in America and Europe. From its Bogota hub, it offers an average of 300 flights a day among destinations in Colombia and abroad. Travelers have a wide range of choices for connections among directly operated destinations, or through 170 interline or code-share agreements with major international airlines. Besides offering air transportation to passengers, Avianca also offers tourist services, cargo, and courier as well as air transportation services to third parties through its business units Deskubra, Deprisa and Avianca Services. For more information, enter: www.avianca.com.
The CFM56-5B is the engine of choice for the Airbus A320 family and is popular with major airlines, low-cost carriers, and leasing companies alike.
More than 2,650 CFM56-5B engines have been delivered to date, and the fleet is growing at a rate of about 32 engines per month. Primary factors behind the engine's broad-based market acceptance include this industry's best reliability, durability, low cost of ownership, and world-class customer and product support. The CFM56-5B is the only engine that can power every model of the A320 family, from the small A318 up to the A321, with the same bill of materials.