Air India finalises 800 LEAP engine deal with CFM

Months after signing the biggest aviation deal in India's history, the Tata group-owned Air India has finalised another mega order for over 800 LEAP-series engines from CFM International. The financial value of the CFM engine deal has not been revealed yet.

The CFM’s LEAP-series engines will power Air India's airline’s new fleet of 210 Airbus A320/A321neos and 190 Boeing 737 MAX family aircraft.

A 50:50 joint company between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines, CFM International produces the LEAP engine family and supports both LEAP and CFM56 fleets with operators around the globe.

The mega deal, which was first announced in February 2023, also entails a multi-year services agreement that will cover Air India's entire fleet of LEAP engines.

Air India has been using CFM engines since 2002 when the airline began operating Airbus A320ceo aircraft powered by CFM56-5B engines. In 2017, Air India started 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.

Air India MD and CEO Campbell Wilson says the introduction on a greater scale of the LEAP engine as well as the services agreement will help the airline company optimise operations in terms of environmental footprint and operational cost while benefiting customers. “We are delighted to celebrate with CFM a major deal that will play a key role in our future development."

Gaël Méheust, president and CEO of CFM International, says the renewed trust of Air India is a major milestone in CFM history. “This order strengthens our presence in India and commits us to further support Air India’s development with the best CFM standards in terms of reliability, efficiency and customer support.”

The company claims 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".

According to CFM, LEAP engines provide "15 to 20 percent better fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions", as well as a significant reduction in noise compared to previous generation engines. "Since its entry into service in 2016, the LEAP engine has allowed our customers to save more than 20 million tons of CO2 compared to the same flights operated using aircraft powered by previous generation engines," says CFM.

In February 2023, Air India had scripted history by announcing to buy 470 aircraft—250 from Airbus and 220 from Boeing—for a total value of $80 billion, which is the largest order by any single carrier. The airline also has the option to buy 370 more aircraft. With this, the full order of 840 planes is bigger than the total operating fleet of all Indian carriers combined currently.

The soft-to-software Tata group had taken over the management and control of Air India from the government in January 2022, after 69 years. Through the divestment, the government sold off its 100% stake in the state-owned national airline, including Air India's 100% shareholding in Air India Express Ltd and 50% in Air India SATS Airport Services Private Ltd.