FlyDubai Selects CFM56-7B Engines to Power its Fleet of Boeing 737-800s

Released on Monday, July 14, 2008

FARNBOROUGH, England � July 14, 2008 � The Dubai government's new low-cost carrier, FlyDubai, has ordered 50 CFM56-7B-powered Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 and 737-900 aircraft. The engine order is valued at nearly $700 million U.S. at list price. The airline will begin taking delivery in 2009 and is scheduled to have all 50 aircraft operating by 2016.

The CFM56-7B is a product of CFM International (CFM), a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (SAFRAN Group) and General Electric Company.

FlyDubai has its first flight planned for mid-2009. The new start-up airline will initially focus on flights within the Gulf region.

"Reliability and low operating costs are very important for us as a low cost carrier and this is what this engine offers." Said Ghaith Al Ghaith, chief executive, FlyDubai. "When you combine these factors with the benefits to the environment of the CFM56-7B engine, it was a natural choice for FlyDubai."

"We are delighted to provide the very reliable CFM56-7B engines to FlyDubai for its 50 737 aircraft," said Muhammad Al-Lamadani, CFM' s senior executive � Regional Sales for the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Commonwealth of Independent States (former Soviet Union). "The high reliability and low operating costs of the CFM56-7B-powered 737s will be critical to help this new airline get off the ground. In addition, we will bring the full force of our world-class customer and product support organization to bear to help ensure the airline has a very smooth startup."

The CFM56-7B engines powering FlyDubai's new 737 aircraft are the Tech Insertion configuration, which incorporates advanced technologies that provide operators with lower fuel consumption, lower emissions, and lower maintenance costs. Improved analytic design tools have enabled CFM to optimize the Tech Insertion combustor so that it will provide 25 percent lower NOx emissions, allowing the engine to meet the new International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Committee of Aviation Environmental Protection emissions standards (CAEP /6) scheduled to take effect in 2008. In addition, the engine's 1 percent improvement in fuel consumption will also lower CO2, reducing these emissions by 200 tons per aircraft per year.