ARNBOROUGH, England — 13 July 2014 — American Airlines has selected CFM International’s advanced LEAP-1A engine to power its new fleet of 100 Airbus A320neo family aircraft. CFM values the engine order at $2.6 billion U.S. at list price. The aircraft order was originally announced in July 2011 and American will begin taking delivery in 2017.
American also has orders for LEAP-1B engines to power 100 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which are also scheduled to be delivered beginning in 2017. American has been a CFM customer since 1996 and the airline’s fleet includes 375 Airbus A320 Family and Boeing 737 aircraft powered by CFM56 engines.
“With its improved fuel efficiency, reduced maintenance requirements and lower operating costs, the LEAP engine is a great fit for our A320neo aircraft,” said Robert Isom, chief operating officer of American Airlines. “We are pleased with how the engine has performed during testing and we look forward to introducing it into our fleet in 2017.”
"We are thrilled that American Airlines has again chosen to make CFM an integral part of its long-term fleet strategy and look forward to continuing our very successful relationship with this airline," said Jean-Paul Ebanga, president and CEO of CFM International.
"We appreciate the high level of confidence this order shows in CFM," said Chaker Chahrour, vice president and general manager of Global Sales & Marketing for CFM parent company GE Aviation. "American is one of our largest customers and its faith in the LEAP engine is highly gratifying. Our job now is to deliver on our promises and show American that it has made the right choice.”
The foundation of the LEAP engine is heavily rooted in advanced aerodynamics, environmental, and materials technology development programs. This revolutionary engine will provide up to a 15 percent improvement in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions compared to today’s best CFM engine, along with a dramatic reduction in engine noise. All this technology brings with it CFM’s legendary reliability and low maintenance costs.
The first full LEAP-1A engine began ground testing in September 2013, two days ahead of schedule, launching the most extensive ground and flight test certification program in CFM's history. The total program, which encompasses all three LEAP engine variants, includes 28 ground and CFM flight test engines, along with a total of 32 flight test engines for Airbus, Boeing, and COMAC.
Over the next three years, these engines will accumulate approximately 40,000 engine cycles leading up to entry into service. By the time this engine enters services, CFM will have simulated more than 15 years of airline service with 60 different engine builds.
American plans to take delivery of 230 new Airbus aircraft from the A320 Family, including 130 current-generation aircraft from the A319 and A321 variants through 2017, and 100 A320neo aircraft with next-generation engine technology beginning in 2017.
About CFM International
CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran) and GE, is the world's leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines, has delivered more than 26,500 CFM56 engines to date. The LEAP engine has experienced the fastest order ramp up in commercial aviation history, with 6,770 orders on the books as of June 30, 2014. For more information, visit us at www.cfmaeroengines.com or follow us on Twitter @CFM_engines.
