CFM signs third-party LEAP aftermarket support agreements
CFM International has signed agreements with Lufthansa Technik and AFI KLM E&M to provide maintenance and overhaul support for the company’s advanced LEAP engine product line.
CFM has long-standing relationships…
CFM International has signed agreements with Lufthansa Technik and AFI KLM E&M to provide maintenance and overhaul support for the company’s advanced LEAP engine product line.
CFM has long-standing relationships with both companies on the CFM56 family, and has granted licences for them to develop MRO services offerings to provide both on-wing and on-site support, as well as engine overhaul for LEAP.
CFM has three of its own shops with LEAP capability to support the engine’s entry into commercial service: Lafayette, Indiana in the US, which can support both the LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B; Brussels, Belgium, which has capability for the LEAP-1A; and Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France, which will support the LEAP-1B.
The company has also established worldwide on-site support (OSS) capabilities to provide customers with extended on-wing support. These facilities can also perform lighter MRO workscopes.
The new third-party shops will provide additional LEAP- 1A and -1B capacity as they come online over the next couple of years.
“We committed a competitive LEAP overhaul approach to our customers, similar to what they have enjoyed with the CFM56 family,” said Gaël Méheust, president and CEO of CFM International.
“We just passed the one-year anniversary of the LEAP entry into service. The engine is doing very well and our customers are pleased with the high utilisation and great fuel efficiency the engine is bringing to their operations. When these engines eventually do need to be overhauled, our customers will have a choice.”
The first LEAP-1A-powered Airbus A320neo entered service with Pegasus Airlines in August 2016. Since then, the fleet has grown to include the LEAP-1B-powered Boeing 737 MAX. Currently, there are more than 20 airlines operating a total of nearly 100 aircraft. The fleet has logged nearly 150,000 flight cycles and 300,000 flight hours of highly reliable service.
