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Flightpath.
[CFM INTERNATIONAL / SNECMA]
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51% OF INTERNATIONAL TOURISTS TRAVEL BY AIR.
[ALEXSTAR / iSTOCKPHOTO]
» MANUFACTURING
CFM International is in the unique position of having the largest production rate in the industry, producing more than 1,500 new CFM56 engines each year. At the same time, the company must support an ever-growing fleet that, today, includes more than 25,000 engines delivered to airlines around the globe. The company meets this challenge by working with an international network of partners and suppliers that are helping to drive economic growth worldwide. CFM continues to invest heavily abroad in support of its belief that a sustainable future also means ensuring that the engines are operated and
CFM: SUSTAINABILITY WITHOUT BOUNDARIES
properly maintained anywhere in the world. The company has invested in training locations around the world. Just in China, the Aircraft Engine Maintenance Training Center, Guanghan City, has trained more than 10,000 mechanics since it opened in 1996. Through this school, CFM not only supports a highly-skilled Chinese workforce enhancing the country’s aviation safety, but also demonstrates that sustainability goes beyond just products and technology. CFM also provides a showcase with Sichuan Services Aero Engines Maintenance Company (based in Chengdu, China) a world-class engine
overhaul facility, in partnership with Air China, on how an aircraft engine business can be a catalyst for global growth. In addition to a highly-skilled 300-person workforce, the facility also supports a network of Chinese sub-contractors. As a result, this one facility is helping Sichuan province build a sustainable future. The value of future engines is not only measured in terms of price, but also in terms of sustainability. Social and economic impacts are now a new currency that accompanies the life of a product. CFM is an active and responsible stakeholder in the aviation industries’ continued efforts to support a more sustainable world. F.
AIR CARGO... WITH A TWIST! Whether you like them in a stir-fry, a pie or a gin and tonic, fresh limes are big business for Mexico, the world’s second largest producer. And demand is growing fast: in the first nine months of 2012, there was a 44% increase in exports compared with the previous year. The country shipped 492,000 tonnes of the fruit with an export value of $211 million in that period. With every 20 to 30 tonnes of the fruit grown in Mexico supporting some 120 jobs, the ability for the growers to export to markets such as the USA, the Netherlands, UK, Canada and Japan by air within 48 hours is also a valuable creator of rural employment.