CFM International, a joint venture between GE Aviation and the French engine manufacturer Snecma, added a multi-billion dollar order, bringing the total to $47.5 billion in 2011 (U.S. list price).
The company announced this morning that the low fare carrier Southwest Airlines would purchase a total of 416 engines valued at $4.7 billion. The order includes 300 innovative LEAP engines to power the airline’s 150 new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, and 116 CFM56 engines for 58 planes of the existing 737 model.
To explore how the innovative tech of the LEAP engine reduces costs and emissions, check out the infographic.
GE and Snecma, a member of the Safran Group, each hold a 50 percent stake in CFM. The new airplanes will begin delivery in 2017.
CFM started working on the LEAP engine, short for Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion, in 2005. The goal was to develop a high-bypass turbofan engine that radically increases the fuel efficiency of narrow-body aircraft that carry between 100 and 250 passengers and fly within a 4,000-mile range.
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