China Eastern selects CFM LEAP engines to power more than 100 Airbus aircraft
China Eastern Airlines has selected CFM International LEAP-1A engines to power 101 new Airbus A320neo family aircraft, along with spare engines and a long-term services agreement.
The companies celebrated the contract with a signing ceremony at the 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai.
“CFM LEAP engines are helping us build one of the most modern fleets in the industry, and we’re pleased to strengthen that relationship with this latest agreement,” said Xiaoqun He, executive vice president at China Eastern Airlines. “An airline’s success depends not only on the reliability and fuel efficiency of its engines, but also on reliable support and services. This makes CFM a natural partner.”
China Eastern’s new fleet will include A320neo, A321neo, and A321XLR model aircraft. The airline already has 215 A320neo and A321neo aircraft with LEAP-1A engines, in addition to Boeing 737 MAX and COMAC C919 aircraft powered by LEAP-1B and LEAP-1C engines, respectively. The airline also operates more than 380 aircraft powered by CFM56 engines, including both A320ceo and 737NG families.
“China Eastern Airlines was CFM’s first mainland China customer, going back to 1985, when China Eastern Yunnan took delivery of its first Boeing 737-300 powered by CFM56-3C engines. With this agreement, we’re building on a relationship that spans more than four decades,” said Weiming Xiang, president of CFM Greater China. “We’re committed to upholding the highest standards of reliability, efficiency, and utilization for which CFM LEAP engines have been known.”
In the 10 years since LEAP entered service, CFM has delivered more than 10,000 engines that have accumulated over 100 million flight hours. CFM continues to upgrade the LEAP fleet with a high-pressure turbine (HPT) durability kit to extend time on wing and a reverse bleed system (RBS) to lower airline maintenance burden.
The company is focused on delivering high engine availability through exceptional MRO performance and competitive cost of ownership, with the benefits of aftermarket competition through its open MRO ecosystem.
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