CFM (Stand 1160) is planning on passing the 2,000-engine order mark this year by the time the Dubai Airshow ends, CEO Jean-Paul Ebanga said here on Monday morning. At that time, the GE-Snecma joint venture had received 1,912 orders since January 1st. This included a vast majority (1,225) of Leap turbofans.
“The Middle East market is the most demanding in the world,” Ebanga emphasized. He referred to the harsh environment, with sand and high temperatures, and intense utilization. “One low-cost operator here flies up to 15 legs a day with its aircraft,” he said. At the other end of the spectrum, CFM has some VIP operators, with aircraft such as ACJs and BBJs, in the region.
“Roughly speaking, we have 1,000 engines in service and 1,000 engines on order in the Middle-East and North Africa,” Ebanga went on. He claimed a 64 percent market share for the Leap on the A320neo in the region. Turkey's Pegasus Airlines will be one of the first Leap operators.
Meanwhile, production of the CFM56 will reach its peak in 2016, at about 1,700 (up from 1,650 this year). So does this make the transition with the Leap even more challenging? “Not really, the transition is about the Leap ramping up, but we cannot slow down on the CFM56 as we ramp up the Leap,” executive VP François Bastin answered.
