Air India and CFM International have signed an agreement for LEAP engines that will see the manufacturer “exclusively power” the carrier’s newly announced orders of 210 Airbus A320/A321neo and 190 Boeing 737 MAX family aircraft.
Air India requires 800 LEAP engines, including 420 LEAP-1A, 380 LEAP-1B, plus spares, CFM said. The Tata Group-owned carrier also signed a CFM services contract. CFM said it is the biggest deal it has ever signed.
“CFM has been a longstanding partner of Air India, and we are delighted to take it to a higher level with this significant order for new engines. They will help power a key part of Vihaan.AI, Air India’s comprehensive transformation plan, by dramatically expanding our fleet and global network,” said Campbell Wilson, Air India chief executive and managing director.
“We appreciate Air India selecting CFM for this milestone order and are proud to continue our longstanding partnership,” said H. Lawrence Culp, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of General Electric (GE) and CEO of CFM parent company GE Aerospace. “With the LEAP engine under wing, “Air India will be able to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions across its narrow-body fleet,” he added.
Air India also signed a firm order for 40 GEnx-1B and 20 GE9X engines, plus a multi-year engine services agreement, GE Aerospace said in a separate announcement.
“All of us at Tata Group and Air India are delighted to have this partnership with GE Aerospace, where we will build Air India to be a world class airline and one of the most technology-advanced airlines,” said N. Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons and Air India.
“We are very honoured by Air India’s renewed trust in CFM,” said Olivier Andriès, chief executive officer of CFM parent company Safran.
