Today, at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, Avio signed an agreement with General Electric and Snecma to participate in the CFM 56 – 7BE engine, the new version of the CFM 56 engine that will power the Next-Generation Boeing 737 aircraft.

Avio, already present on the previous version of the CFM family, will produce the third-stage rotor blades of the low-pressure turbine and some components of the "core" engine. The contract is worth about $ 1,8 Billions.

The CFM56 is currently the best-selling engine worldwide with almost 20,000 units in service. The new engine will enter into service in mid-2011, and the CFM56-7BE-powered Next-Generation 737 enhanced airplane/engine combination will provide a 2% improvement in fuel consumption, which, in turn, equates to a 2% reduction in carbon emissions; there will also be a reduction in maintenance costs of about 4%.

Starting from 2010, Avio will produce the first components at its industrial plants in Pomigliano d'Arco (Naples, Italy) and Bielsko-Biala (Poland).