Akasa Air and CFM International have closed a deal for three hundred CFM LEAP-1B engines that will power the 150 Boeing 737 MAX acquired by the company last week. The agreement also includes spare engines and comprehensive maintenance services.
The Bombay-based airline commenced operations in August 2022. Originally, they had ordered a total of 76 737 MAX 8 aircraft, of which 22 are currently in service. This new order expands CFM’s presence in the Indian subcontinent: in total, more than 400 aircraft use these engines in the country, with 2,500 engines in line for delivery.
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CFM’s parent companies, GE Aerospace and Safran, have invested in India to build facilities dedicated to the production and maintenance of LEAP engines. Gaël Méheust, President and CEO of CFM International, stated, «customers, including Akasa, are leveraging the fuel efficiency improvement of their fleets powered by our LEAP. Additionally, they benefit from the highest reliability rates in their class.»
Vinay Dube, Founder and CEO of Akasa Air, also affirmed, «this agreement will allow us to have CFM as our engine maintenance provider for our 737 MAX fleet. It reaffirms our focus on operational reliability and our commitment to safety. We will continue to strive to become one of the top 30 airlines in the world by the end of this decade.»
The LEAP engine family has the fastest accumulation of flight hours in the history of commercial aviation. Since its introduction in 2016, it has accumulated more than 45 million flight hours in 18.7 million cycles. Thanks to its efficiency compared to the previous generation of engines, the LEAP has helped save more than 30 million tons of CO2.
