10 April, 2019:
StandardAero has celebrated the delivery of the company's 500th CFM International CFM56-7B turbofan engine from its world-class overhaul facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. This milestone engine powered a Boeing 737 Next Generation passenger jet operated by a major North American airline supported by StandardAero via offload agreements with its valued partner GE Aviation.
StandardAero launched its CFM56-7B programme in June 2009, when it was selected to support WestJet's fleet of engines under an exclusive 13-year OnPoint solution contracted by the Canadian airline with GE Aviation. Under this deal, StandardAero was appointed as a GE Designated Fulfillment Centre for the CFM56-7B, supporting the engine from a newly expanded facility in Winnipeg. StandardAero completed its initial campaign of 57 CFM56-7B mid-life shop visits for WestJet in December 2012, and has to date processed 254 engines for the airline.
After the first five major life-limited part (LLP) shop visits for WestJet were completed, GE agreed to extend the offload programme to include engines from other airlines supported under long-term agreements with the OEM.
Although initially only a major shop visit programme, StandardAero's success regarding workscope control on WestJet unscheduled engine removals (UERs), together with the company's engineering capabilities and convenient North American location, led GE to also begin sending repair and investigation type CFM56-7B workscopes to Winnipeg for additional operators, including United Airlines.
In February 2018, the US Navy selected StandardAero as its support provider for the CFM56-7B engines powering the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft fleet. StandardAero was the Navy's existing provider of support services for the T56 engines equipping its legacy P-3 Orion fleet, and this existing past performance track record - combined with the company's success in supporting the CFM56-7B for commercial operators - made StandardAero a logical choice as the engine support provider for the P-8A.
Besides being a GE Designated Fulfillment Centre for the CFM56-7B, StandardAero has since 2013 also been an independent TRUEngine authorised MRO provider for the engine, demonstrating its commitment to delivered quality.
"The achievement of this milestone engine delivery demonstrates StandardAero's reputation as a leading provider of overhaul support for the global Boeing 737 NG operator community," said Peter Turner, President of Airlines & Fleets for StandardAero. "We look forward to continuing to provide GE Aviation and the global CFM56-7B operator community with world-class support for decades to come."