Snecma bags Russian maintenance contract

Bangalore: The Brussels-based Snecma Services, part of the SAFRAN Group, has bagged a contract from Orenair, an airline based at the Orenburg airport in Russia, for maintenance of the CFM56-3 engines on its fleet of Boeing 737 'Classic' jetliners.

This new contract is a boost for Snecma's position in the CFM56 engine maintenance market in Russia, where it already provides services to Aeroflot, S7 and Ural Airlines, the company's managing director Wilfried Theissen said. Orenair plans to double its traffic and carry over one million passengers in 2008, expanding its Boeing 737 fleet to 11 aircraft, in addition to its Tupolev jets. "We need a reliable, experienced and available MRO partner," Orenair managing director Boris Portnikov said.