Air India and CFM International have recently inked an agreement finalizing the purchase of over 800 LEAP engines to be used in the airline’s forthcoming fleet of 210 Airbus A320/A321neos and 190 Boeing 737 MAX family aircraft.
“We are delighted to celebrate with CFM a major deal that will play a key role in our future development,” Campbell Wilson, CEO and Managing Director of Air India said in a statement. “The introduction on a greater scale of the LEAP engine as well as our services agreement will help us to optimize our operations in terms of environmental footprint and operational cost, while benefiting our customers.”
The agreement also includes a multi-year services contract that encompasses Air India’s entire fleet of LEAP engines.
Air India has been utilizing CFM engines since 2002, when the carrier first introduced Airbus A320ceo aircraft powered by CFM56-5B engines. In 2017, Air India became the first in India to operate A320neos with LEAP-1A engines and currently boasts 27 LEAP-1A-powered A320neo family aircraft in its fleet.