Cargo Air orders Chromalloy CFM56-7B PMA parts for 737 fleet

By Nathan Brooks

Cargo Air has ordered two sets of Chromalloy’s CFM56-7B High-Pressure Turbine Blade Parts Manufacturer Approval parts, with deliveries planned for 2027 and 2028. The order extends a decade of Chromalloy work on the Sofia-based carrier’s Boeing 737-300 and 737-400 fleet.

Chromalloy announced the two-set order for its CFM56-7B HPT blade PMA. The blades operate in the hottest section of the engine. The CFM56-7B powers Boeing’s 737 Next Generation family and ranks among the most widely operated narrowbody engines in service.

What has been certified, and what remains scheduled?

Chromalloy’s CFM56-5B/7B HPT Blade PMA received Federal Aviation Administration approval in October 2025. That approval covers both engine designations, while Cargo Air’s order specifies the CFM56-7B parts used on its 737 freighter fleet.

Certification and supply are separate milestones here. Chromalloy has the approved PMA and a customer order; Cargo Air still has to receive the parts during the announced 2027-2028 window. The announcement does not claim that either delivery has occurred or quantify the maintenance work the sets will support.

Can Chromalloy supply the order?

Chromalloy describes itself as the largest independent provider of turbine-engine hot-section and HPT blades. It produces the CFM56-5B/7B blade at its own facilities, where each part is cast, machined and coated. Chromalloy says control over that sequence supports consistent quality.

That process-control claim remains a supplier assertion until production and delivery records provide the practical test. The announcement gives no manufacturing capacity, backlog, output rate or interval between the two planned deliveries. Chromalloy’s compliance with the planned schedule will determine whether the order supplies Cargo Air on the promised timetable.

“Cargo Air has trusted Chromalloy solutions on its B737-300/400 fleet for a decade, and we are proud to continue our collaboration. This order shows the value Chromalloy PMA and repair solutions create for cargo operators,” said Russ Shelton, executive vice president for business development at Chromalloy.

What can Cargo Air expect from the deal?

Cargo Air specializes in Boeing 737 cargo aircraft, making engine availability and maintenance cost central to the fleet it can keep operating. The announcement does not disclose Cargo Air’s fleet count, the aircraft allocated to receive the parts, or an installation schedule. Without those details, the two sets cannot be converted into a per-aircraft coverage figure.

“We are very pleased to partner with Chromalloy to support our B737 fleet while unlocking substantial engine maintenance savings in the future,” said Angel Petrov, commercial director and shareholder of Cargo Air.

Petrov’s savings claim remains forward-looking. Cargo Air provided no baseline maintenance expense, expected saving, overhaul interval, utilization rate or dispatch-reliability figure. The order identifies a route to lower engine-maintenance costs, but neither the scale of the reduction nor its effect on operating expense has been established.

For a cargo carrier, reliable engine parts support aircraft availability and the network capacity it can offer shippers. A shortage could force work to wait; an on-time delivery and sustained savings would support the opposite result. The announcement does not predict groundings, cancellations or frequency changes, so it cannot yet support a specific capacity claim.

The next test will be whether Chromalloy meets the announced 2027-2028 delivery window and whether Cargo Air can convert that supply into measurable maintenance savings.