Aircraft
China Southern Takes First CFM56-7BE-powered 737
Boeing delivered the first 737NG powered by CFM56-7BE turbofans–a 737-800–to China Southern Airlines at Boeing Field in Seattle last week.

Boeing delivered the first 737NG powered by CFM56-7BE turbofans–a 737-800–to China Southern Airlines at Boeing Field in Seattle last week. The new engines, now standard on all new 737s, includes improvements to the high-pressure compressor, a new outlet-guide-vane diffuser, fewer high-pressure-turbine blades and an “optimized” low-pressure turbine.

The next phase of the 737NG program, scheduled to last into the third quarter, according to a Boeing spokesperson, involves incorporation of a shortened, exhaust nozzle and a lengthened, re-contoured plug to aid exhaust-flow efficiency.