UTAir Selects CFM56-5B for A321 Aircraft

UTAir Aviation, one of Russia’s leading airlines, has selected CFM International’s CFM56-5B engine to power its new fleet of 20 Airbus A321 aircraft. The engine order is valued at $420 million U.S. at list price and the airline is scheduled to begin taking delivery in 2013. The aircraft order was announced at the Farnborough Air Show in July of this year.

To support its new fleet, UTAir also signed a long-term Rate per Flight Hour (RPFH) agreement for 40 CFM56-5B engines ordered today. Under the terms of the multi-year comprehensive maintenance program customized to UTAir’s specific requirements, CFM will guarantees the maintenance cost on a dollar per engine flight hour basis.

“We selected CFM56-5B after a thorough evaluation of all proposals for its proven reliability, acceptable cost of ownership and fuel efficiency,” said Andrey Martirosov, UTair CEO. “We believe this aircraft/engine combination will be a great addition to our growing fleet and look forward to the first deliveries in 2013.”

UTAir has been a CFM customer since 2007 and currently operate a fleet of CFM56-powered Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft. The new A321s, which will be configured for 220 passengers, will be used on domestic and international tourist routes. 

“As one of Russia’s major airlines and a mainstream operator of helicopters and commercial aircraft in the region, we are particularly honored that UTAir has selected the CFM56-5B engines for its newly added A321 fleet,” said Jean-Paul Ebanga, president and CEO of CFM International. “We are confident that these engines will serve UTAir’s future development plans well.”

“We appreciate the high level of confidence this order shows in the CFM56 product line and are very glad to have the opportunity to extend our strong relationship with UTAir,” said Gael Meheust, senior vice president of Sales for CFM.  “We are excited to bring all the benefits of CFM56-5B PIP technology to its fleet, including world-class reliability and industry-leading cost of ownership,”

All of UTAir’s A321 aircraft will be powered by the CFM56-5B Performance Improvement Package engine, which has been the production configuration since October 2011. The PIP improvements, which provide a 0.5% improvement in fuel burn, include hardware changes to the core, including new high-pressure turbine blade, as well as manufacturing changes to the fan and compressor blades and vanes to improve performance retention. The engine also features fewer parts to help lower maintenance cost.

The CFM56-5B PIP engine maintains the same noise signature as the previous production model and also meets current International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Committee of Aviation Environmental Protection standards (CAEP /6) requirements.

CFM56-5B engines are a product of CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran group) and GE. CFM, the world's leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines, has delivered more than 24,000 engines to date. The CFM56-5B engine powers every model of the Airbus A320 family and has been chosen to power nearly 60% of all A320 aircraft in service or on order.