Vietjet Aviation Joint Stock Company has signed a 300 million USD engine maintenance deal with CFM International, the world’s leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines.
Accordingly, CFM will provide technical assistance for 45 CFM56-5B engines installed on 21 Airbus A320 aircraft for 12 years, including free of charge spare engines if necessary.
Vietjet Managing Director Luu Duc Khanh expressed his hope that the contract will help the carrier lower its maintenance costs and increase the reliability of the aircraft it used.
All new engines equipped for the fleet will be part of CFM International’s CFM56-5B PIP (Performance Improvement Programme), he added.
CFM’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing Gael Meheust noted that the PIP is the new production configuration for all CFM56-5B engines, which provide a 0.5 percent improvement in fuel burn through hardware changes to the core, including new high-pressure turbine blade, and manufacturing changes to the fan and compressor blades and vanes to improve performance retention.
The noise of the engine also meets current International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and Committee of Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP/6) standards, he said.
Earlier this year, Vietjet Air signed an 800 million USD contract to buy CFM56-5B engines from CFM International for 14 Airbus A320ceo planes and other 7 Airbus A321ceo ones, bringing its total planes with the engine to 39 so far.-VNA
