FAA and EASA certify more durable CFM LEAP HPT hardware

LEAP-1A durability updates extend time on wing for the A320neo family.
Design validated through proprietary dust testing.
LEAP-1A operators in the Middle East include Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, Kuwait Airways, Pegasus Airlines, Qatar Airways, Saudia, Air Arabia, Flynas, Jazeera, Egypt Air, Air Cairo, Flyadeal and Salam Air.

Dubai, UAE – The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency have certified updated high-pressure turbine (HPT) hardware durability kit for the CFM LEAP-1A engines that power Airbus A320neo family aircraft. The durability kit was designed to increase time on wing, especially in hot and harsh environments, and includes the HPT stage 1 blade, stage 1 nozzle, and forward inner nozzle support.

“This new hardware is fulfilling our promise to ensure that LEAP engines achieve the same level of maturity, durability, and time on wing that our customers have enjoyed with the CFM56 product line,” said Gaël Méheust, president and chief executive officer at CFM International.

To ensure that the improvements would address durability challenges in harsh environments, CFM worked with a team of geologists to engineer dust that mimicked what engines experience in these environments around the world. Using a proprietary dust ingestion system, the company was able to replicate HPT blade wear that operators were seeing in the field. This then allowed CFM to design, test, and validate improvements to increase the durability and time on wing of these parts.

“More than a dozen airlines in the Middle East rely on CFM LEAP-1A engines to power their Airbus A320neo family aircraft,” said John Azzi, Vice President of Sales for Middle East and Africa at Safran Aircraft Engines. “These durability improvements will help us increase time between shop visits and better meet our customers’ expectations for time on wing – expectations which were set with our prior-generation CFM56 engines.”

“Middle Eastern carriers are some of the most technically and financially astute in the world,” said Aziz Koleilat, President & CEO – Middle East, Türkiye & CIS at GE Aerospace. “That’s why they demand not only high reliability, which LEAP engines already offer, but also high durability. For LEAP-1A engines, today’s announcement represents is a significant step forward in this regard, which will benefit airlines throughout the region.”

The CFM LEAP engine family delivers 15 to 20 percent lower fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions, as well as a significant improvement in noise, compared to previous generation engines. With more than 3,500 LEAP-powered aircraft in service, the engine has allowed CFM customers to avoid more than 40 million tons of CO₂ emissions.* The engine has been the most successful new product introduction in CFM’s 50-year history, with the fastest ramp-up of engine flight hours ever in the industry – surpassing 60 million hours in eight years.

*Compared to the same flights powered by CFM56 engines.