PARIS --- Czech Airlines, the Czech Republics flagship carrier, has awarded a seven-year engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) contract to Snecma Services (SAFRAN group) covering their CFM56-3 engines.>> Snecma Services engineers will work with Czech Airlines in this ESPO Engine Services Per Operation contract to provide a complete package of services that ensures excellent reliability at optimum cost. Snecma Services will be able to anticipate required servicing and more effectively plan shop visits, thus avoiding emergency situations while ensuring continuously improved dispatch reliability.>> Snecma Services experts will provide remote engine monitoring services, while the engine shop visits will be handled by Snecma Services Brussels, a center of excellence in CFM56-3 engine support within the Snecma Services OEM network. This latest long-term contract follows a number of contracts already signed with Czech Airlines, and bolsters the partnership that was started over a dozen years ago.>> We are very satisfied with this contract, said Radomir Lasak, CEO of Czech Airlines. Snecma Services was very flexible in meeting our price and service requirements. We have every confidence in the technical expertise offered by Snecma Services, as well as their company-wide culture of continuous improvement, a critical factor in a contract of this length.>> Won in a difficult economic environment, this contract proves our ability to offer innovative solutions to reduce costs for our airline customers said Denis Vercherin, Chairman and CEO of Snecma Services. We are very proud to have won this maintenance contract, which clearly reflects Czech Airlines confidence in our services." Czech Airlines is a major Eastern European airline, with a fleet of 51 aircraft including 20 Boeing 737 and 16 Airbus A320 family aircraft, carrying some 5.7 million passengers per year. It now flies to 120 destinations in more than fifty countries in Europe, North America, the Middle-East and North Africa.