Jet engine developer CFM International confirmed it will supply 200 LEAP-1A engines to Air France KLM to power 100 Airbus A320neo aircraft. The order could be worth up to $740 million to CFM, a joint venture of GE Aviation and Safran Aircraft Engines.
Late in 2021 Airbus announced Air France-KLM ordered 100 A320neos, with options for 60 more of those narrow-body jets, which would be in service for the KLM and Transavia airlines.
The new aircraft deliveries are seen starting in mid-2023 and continue over 10 years as KLM and Transavia replace older jets.
The LEAP series are high-pressure turbofan engines that two partners are responsible for the manufacturing, with Safran producing the A version of their LEAP engine series, for Airbus aircraft.
The LEAP engine was introduced in 2016, following nearly a decade of development, to improve fuel efficiency and support OEMs plans for more new aircraft – such as the A320neo – that would achieve better fuel consumption and lower CO2 emission standards.
CFM claims that since the introduction the LEAP engines in commercial service have logged more than 20 million engine flight hours and nine million flight cycles, and achieve 15 percent better fuel consumption, lower CO2 emissions, and reduced engine noise levels than the previous-generation engines.
Noting that Air France-KLM jets currently operate with CFM56-7B and CFM56-5B engines, CFM Intl. president and CEO Gaël Méheust said the “renewed trust is a valuable recognition of LEAP engine performances in terms of sustainability and fuel efficiency.”
