Aircraft

The spare engine ratio on the CFM International CFM56-5B and -7 engine is "below where it needs to be", GE Aviation's vice-president services Tom Gentile told the MRO Europe conference in Madrid last month.

The -5B and -7 variants of the ubiquitous CFM56 power Airbus A320 family and Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft, respectively. Gentile acknowledged the spare engine shortage during a panel discussion on the "bow wave" of CFM56-5B/-7 shop visits expected as the heavily ordered models reach maturity. His views were echoed by fellow panellist Denis Vercherin, chief executive of Snecma Services, who estimated the spare engine ratio at 6-7%, below the recommended level of 8-9%. However, the spare engine ratio on new engines had risen to 10% from a low of 4%, he added.

© CFM

Overhaul turnaround times average around 60 days, says MTU Maintenance senior vice-president marketing and sales Leo Koppers, who was also on the panel. Were a spare engine ratio of 6-7% to persist, turnaround time would need to reduce to around 30 days, he says. Such a reduction was not achievable in the short term.

Koppers is alarmed that some CFM56-5B/-7 operators had no spare engines, and observes that the level of spare parts availability is "relatively low".

However, shop capacity constraints are not likely to be an issue, in the panellists' shared view. In fact, Koppers expects the fast pace of shop development worldwide to result in "huge overcapacity" come 2010. His advice to airlines is to "wait until 2010" to negotiate service contracts, as better deals would be available.