Lufthansa Technik Celebrates 100th CFM LEAP Engine Induction At Hamburg Shop
Lufthansa Technik AG have announced the induction of the 100th CFM LEAP engine at its Hamburg headquarters.
The most recent Quick Turn Shop Visit (QTSV) of a LEAP-1B engine from the Brazilian airline GOL Linhas Aéreas was the engine to reach the milestone. The latest-generation LEAP engine is slowly growing more popular than previous models, like the CFM56, at the site.
Engine manufacturer CFM International awarded the first LEAP-1A Premier MRO license (dubbed “CFM Branded Services Agreement” at that time) to Lufthansa Technik in February 2018.
In November 2019, Lufthansa Technik also received authority approval from:
- The German LBA
- The European EASA
- The U.S. FAA
The first LEAP-1A engine arrived for its QTSV during April 2020 of the COVID pandemic, and it was completed as planned. Lufthansa Technik received the OEM license for the LEAP-1B engine in 2022, with the underlying framework now rebranded to Premier MRO by CFM International.
The company also completed a Performance Restoration Shop Visit (PRSV) on a LEAP-1A in October 2022. This occurred before Lufthansa Technik began working on specimens from the of the Boeing 737 MAX powerplant in November 2023.
“Lufthansa Technik’s 100th CFM LEAP engine induction is a testament to its capabilities, and to the value of CFM’s open MRO ecosystem,” said Gaël Méheust, president & CEO of CFM International. “As a Premier MRO shop, Lufthansa Technik is bringing important capacity to help meet the ramp in demand for LEAP engine services.”
“The successful CFM LEAP engine family is on its way to become the backbone of our engine services operations here in Hamburg, perfectly filling in for its predecessor CFM56, whose numerous variants kept us busy for decades and still do for quite some years”, said Harald Gloy, chief operations officer at Lufthansa Technik.
Gloy continued, “Reaching the 100th LEAP engine induction is a milestone well worth celebrating. I would like to express my sincere thanks: First, to our various customers for their trust in our services. Second, to CFM International for the outstanding cooperation. And, of course, to our remarkable team on the shop floor and in the back offices, whose enormous expertise and spirit made this achievement possible.”
The Hamburg engine shop has inducted a total of 74 LEAP-1A and 26 LEAP-1B powerplants.
Extra capacity for maintenance, repair, and overhaul of CFM LEAP engines is provided through Lufthansa Technik’s global network. In the company’s Poland-based joint-venture with GE Aerospace, XEOS, Lufthansa Technik can use extra overhaul capacity for LEAP-1B engines.
Lufthansa Technik Canada, a new facility hoping to open by 2027 in Calgary, will also provide quick turn and test cell capacities for LEAP-1B engines. By 2030, Lufthansa Technik aims to achieve more than 250 annual LEAP engine inductions across its network.
LEAP stands for Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion and consists of three different engine families, two of which are currently commercially relevant for Lufthansa Technik:
- The LEAP-1A engine is one of two powerplant options for Airbus’ A320neo family of narrowbody aircraft.
- The LEAP-1B engine is the only propulsion option for Boeing’s 737 MAX narrowbody airliners.