Air India, CFM finalise order for engines for 400 planes

Air India has finalised an order for over 800 CFM International Leap-series engines to power its incoming fleet of new narrow body aircraft.

At the recent Paris air show, the carrier firmed tentative commitments, unveiled in February, for 210 Airbus A320neo-familiy aircraft, alongside 190 Boeing 737 Max jets.

The Leap-1A is an option on the A320neo, while the -1B is the exclusive power plant for the Max.

In addition, the two companies signed a multi-year services agreement to cover the entire Leap engine fleet.

Air India has been a CFM customer since 2002, when the airline began operating Airbus A320ceo aircraft powered by CFM56-5B engines. It took delivery of its first Leap-powered A320neo in 2017 and now operates 27 examples of the re-engined narrow-body aircraft.

“The introduction on a greater scale of the Leap engine, as well as our services agreement, will help us to optimise our operations in terms of environmental footprint and operational cost, while benefiting our customers,” says Campbell Wilson, Air India chief executive.