HYDERABAD, India — 2 March 2010 — Delivering on a commitment made to its customers in 2007, CFM International (CFM) today formally opened the new CFM56 Training Center here. The Hyderabad facility, the fourth such engine maintenance training center for CFM56 customers worldwide, has the capacity to train 500 engineers annually and mirrors those in China, France, and the United States.
There are currently more than 500 CFM56 engines in service in India and Southern Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka, power Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft. The first students are scheduled to begin training the week of March 8, 2010.
This new state-of-the-art training center, which will be fully certified by the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), will represent an investment of approximately $15 million U.S. by CFM over the next decade, including initial start-up costs.
“It gives me great pleasure to open this new CFM56 training center on behalf of CFM,” said Eric Bachelet, president and CEO of CFM International. “We felt that Hyderabad in general, and the Rajiv Gandhi Airport in particular, was the logical location for this new facility. The area is rapidly establishing itself as a regional leader for excellence in aviation and we are proud to be part of it. This CFM facility will provide extensive maintenance training that we believe is simply unequalled in the region.”
The newest CFM56 Training Center will provide advanced hands-on courses in line maintenance and borescope inspection for CFM56-7B and CFM56-5B engines, which power Boeing Next-Generation 737 and Airbus A320 families aircraft, respectively. In addition to Indian operators, the facility will also provide training to students from such near-by regions as the Gulf states, the Middle East, and Far Eastern countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.
CFM, a 50/50 joint company between France’s Snecma (Safran Group) and the General Electric Company of the United States, is the world's leading manufacturer of commercial aircraft engines. Since the company was founded in 1974, it has delivered more than 20,250 engines to more than 500 operators around the globe.
