EVENDALE, Ohio - International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) has placed a $500 million order for CFM56 engines to power 10 Airbus Industrie A319/A320/A321 aircraft and 31 Boeing Next-Generation 737s, bringing its total CFM56-powered airplane order to nearly 360 aircraft.

CFM56 engines are produced by CFM International (CFM), a 50/50 joint company between Snecma of France and General Electric of the United States and the world's largest supplier of transport aircraft engines.

The Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft will be powered by the advanced new CFM56-7 engine. The CFM56-7 is the exclusive powerplant for the best-selling Next-Generation 737s; today's announcement brings ILFC's total order for this aircraft to 86. The new 737-700 was certified last December and is scheduled to go into revenue service with launch customer Southwest Airlines later this month.

The CFM56-5 engine will power ILFC's 10 new A320 aircraft, bringing its fleet, either in service or on order, to more than 75 aircraft. CFM offers both the CFM56-5A and CFM56-5B engines for the A320 family, and these engines have been chosen to power the majority of new aircraft ordered. In addition, CFM is the only engine manufacturer to offer an advanced, low-emissions combustor for single-aisle aircraft. This technology was successfully introduced on the A320 family in 1995, and has since been incorporated into the CFM56-7.

ILFC, the Los Angeles-based aircraft leasing company, is one of CFM's largest customers, operating the complete CFM56 commercial product line. Of the 357 CFM56-powered aircraft ILFC has on order, more than 200 are currently in service.