Air India and engine maker CFM International have finalised the order for engines that will power the airline’s new fleet of 210 Airbus A320/A321neos and 190 Boeing 737 MAX family aircraft. The mega aircraft order was first announced in February. Both companies also signed a multi-year services agreement on Thursday that will cover the airline’s entire fleet of LEAP engines.
The agreement comes on the back of continued issues faced by Indian carriers such as IndiGo and grounded carrier Go First with Pratt & Whitney, which services engines of the same aircraft types.
Campbell Wilson, CEO and managing director, Air India. “The introduction on a greater scale of the LEAP engine as well as our services agreement will help us to optimise our operations in terms of environmental footprint and operational cost, while benefiting our customers.”
Air India has been a CFM customer since 2002, when the airline began operating Airbus A320ceo aircraft powered by CFM56-5B engines. In 2017, Air India began operating A320neos, becoming the first LEAP-1A powered operator in India. The airline currently has 27 LEAP-1A-powered A320neo family aircraft in its fleet.
CFM claims that the LEAP engine family has achieved one of the fastest accumulations of flight hours in commercial aviation history, amassing more than 33 million engine flight hours and 15 million flight cycles.
LEAP engines claim to provide 15-20% better fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions, as well as a significant reduction in noise compared to previous generation engines.