Russian carrier UTair to equip new fleet of 20 Airbus A321 narrow-body jetliners with CFM56-5B engines
TYUMEN, Russia, 27 Aug. 2012. UTair Aviation (UTair) in Tyumen, Russia, is choosing the CFM International CFM56-5B engine for the airline's 20 Airbus A321 single-aisle passenger jetliners ordered last month at the Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, England.
The engine order for the UTair commercial aviation aircraft is worth $420 million, and deliveries are to begin in 2013. CFM is a partnership of Snecma in Courcouronnes, France, and GE Aerospace in Evendale, Ohio. All of UTAir’s A321 aircraft will be powered by the CFM56-5B Performance Improvement Package (PIP) engine.
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.
The engine has a new high-pressure turbine blade, and changes to the fan and compressor blades and vanes. The engine also features fewer parts to help lower maintenance cost, Snecma officials say.
To support its A321 fleet, UTair also signed a long-term rate per flight hour (RPFH) agreement for 40 CFM56-5B engines, which provides a multi-year maintenance program. CFM guarantees the maintenance cost on a dollar-per-engine flight hour basis.
UTair has been a CFM customer since 2007 and operates a fleet of CFM56-powered Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft. The new A321s, which will be configured for 220 passengers, will fly on domestic and international tourist routes.
UTair is among the top three Russian airlines, and will fly about 10 million passengers this year, UTair officials say. UTAIR operates more than 200 commercial aircraft from its hub at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow, from which it operates 100 flights daily.
For more information contact UTair online at http://utair.ru, or CFM International at www.cfmaeroengines.com.
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John Keller | Editor-in-Chief
John Keller is the Editor-in-Chief, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine--provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronics and optoelectronic technologies in military, space and commercial aviation applications. John has been a member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since 1989 and chief editor since 1995.
