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SPOOLING UP

AIR INDIA’S ORDER to Boeing’s older 737NG family, the 737 MAX delivers a 14 per
cent improvement in fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions. This is
FOR 470 JETLINERS CFM International’s largest LEAP order ever. The announcement
includes a multi-year CFM services agreement.
COULD ACCELERATE Air India has been a CFM customer since 2002, when it started
operating A320ceo aircraft powered by CFM56-5B engines and
INDIA’S TRANSITION in 2017, Air India become the first LEAP-1A powered operator in
India, when it started operating A320neos. CFM International’s
TO AN MRO HUB (a 50-50 joint venture between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines)
LEAP-1A engines are an engine option on Airbus’ A320neo air-
craft family, while its LEAP-1B engines are the sole powerplant
 Atul Chandra on Boeing’s 737 MAX jetliner.

Air India’s recent decision to purchase 210 CFM already has orders from IndiGo for nearly 1200 engines,
Airbus A320/321 Neos and 190 Boeing 737 while Akasa Air has 144 engines on order. IndiGo ordered LEAP-1A
MAXs, powered by CFM International Leap-1B engines for its A320neo fleet in 2019. In March 2018, SpiceJet had
engines, 20 Boeing 787s, 10 Boeing 777-9s announced in that it would purchase LEAP-1B engines to power a
with GE Aerospace engines and 40 Airbus total of 155 Boeing 737 MAXs. It had also entered into a 10-year
A350s powered by Rolls-Royce engines, could Rate per Flight Hour (RPFH) agreement with CFM Services to
accelerate India’s emergence as an MRO hub. cover all LEAP-1B engines powering its 737 MAX airplanes. CFM
Rolls-Royce has received an order from Air had guaranteed maintenance costs for all of SpiceJet’s LEAP-1B
India for 68 Trent XWB-97 engines. Air India engines on a pay -by-the-hour basis. SpiceJet’s older Boeing 737
has had its aircraft powered by GE Aeropace NGs are powered by CFM56-7B engines.
engines since 1982, when it took delivery of
its first CF6-powered Airbus A300. CFM’s Training Center in Hyderabad has now been in operation
for over a decade and was inaugurated in 2010. The US$150
Air India, which is part of Tata Sons has million facility cater to CFM56 engines and provides advanced
ordered more than 800 CFM LEAP engines hands-on courses in line maintenance and borescope inspection
(420 LEAP-1A and 380 LEAP-1Bs, plus spares), for CFM56-7B and CFM56-5B engines. Over 500 engineers are
to power its entire narrowbody purchase of trained annually at this facility. CFM added LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B
210 Airbus A320/A321neo aircraft and 190 capabilities in 2018. The Tata Group had partnered with GE in
Boeing 737 MAX-family aircraft. As compared November 2017 to manufacture LEAP engine components in
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