ZHUHAI, China – 13 November 2012 — CFM International and its partners are celebrating the 10,000th student to complete CFM56 line maintenance training at the Aero Engine Maintenance Training Center (AEMTC).
AEMTC is a cooperative venture between CFM, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), Civil Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CASC), Civil Aviation Flying University of China (CAFUC), GE Aviation, and Snecma (Safran group) established in 1996.
“The AEMTC embodies CFM’s sustained commitment to the China aviation industry and we are honored to be a part of this great institution,” said Jean-Paul Ebanga, president and CEO of CFM International.
“We are very happy to support this long-term cooperative venture in China,” said Zheng Xiaoyong, president of CAFUC. “This training center is making a significant contribution to aviation safety in China, as well as the long-term growth of the industry here.”
CFM was one of the earliest Western engine manufacturers to support China’s airlines when the first CFM56-3-powered Boeing 737 aircraft was delivered to China Yunnan and China Southwest in 1985. Today, more than 10 percent of CFM’s worldwide commercial fleet is in operation in Greater China. Chinese airlines operate a total of more than 1,120 CFM56-powered Airbus, A320s and A340s, as well as Boeing Classic and Next-Generation 737 aircraft.
AEMTC was the first training center of its kind in China and was the first such world-class training facility outside the U.S. and France. It originally opened on scheduled in 1996 to support operation of CFM56 and GE CF6 engines in China. The school is located within the CAFUC campus in Guanghan, Sichuan Province and trains 700 to 800 students each year.
GE and Snecma have continued to invest in AEMTC over the years to both equip the Center and to expand its capabilities. In addition to helping design the school to U.S. standards, the companies have equipped the school with CFM56-3, CFM56-5B, CFM56-7B and CF6-80C2 training engines, tooling, instructional manuals, and teaching aides.
The school curriculum features comprehensive, hands-on courses in basic engine introduction, line maintenance, fan balancing, borescoping, and other skills. The training provided at AEMTC - a state-of-the-art 4,500 square meter facility with six engine shop bays and five classrooms - is equivalent to the training at the CFM centers in the United States, France, and India. All four centers are staffed with experienced instructors who facilitate exercises in the classroom and hands-on procedures in the engine shop. Each center also provides computer-based training, both self-paced and instructor-led. AEMTC is staffed by two co-leaders and three full-time instructors.
About CFM
The CFM56 engine family is a product of CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran group) and GE. CFM is the world’s largest commercial aircraft engine supplier, and the company has delivered approximately 24,200 engines to more than 530 operators around the globe. The CFM56 fleet has logged more than 600 million flight hours in the past 30 years as the most reliable engines in the air.
