Japan Airlines has signed a five-year CFM56-7B services agreement with GE Aviation.

The ‘TrueChoice Overhaul’ agreement covers the time and material required to overhaul more than 100 CFM56-7B engines, which power Japan Airlines’ 48 737-800s.

“We are convinced that the agreement for the CFM56-7B engine will provide a new competitive edge with both cost reduction benefits and OEM high reliability,” said Japan Airlines’ executive officer in charge of procurement Yukio Nakagawa.

GE Aviation Services’ president and chief executive officer Russell Stokes said the agreement was a “natural extension” of the companies’ existing relationship. “GE has been honoured to provide MRO services and material for JAL’s GE90, GEnx-1B, CF34-8E and -10E and CF6-80C2 engines,” he noted. “This agreement will enable us to provide high-quality OEM service to JAL’s CFM56-7B engine fleet to keep these engines flying.”

The TrueChoice suite of engine maintenance offerings incorporates an array of GE capabilities and customisation across an engine’s lifecycle, GE said. “Each TrueChoice offering is underpinned by GE Aviation’s data and analytic capabilities and experience to help reduce maintenance burden and service disruptions for customers,” the company added.