50 MILLION LEAP

The CFM LEAP engine family achieves 50 million flight hours, setting new standards in fuel efficiency, reliability, and sustainability in global aviation

- AYUSHEE CHAUDHARY

THE CFM LEAP ENGINE FAMILY CELEBRATED A SIGNIFICANT milestone in April this year, achieving 50 million flight hours across more than 3,000 aircraft operated by over 150 airlines globally. Since its entry into service in 2016, the LEAP engine, designed for the Airbus A320neo, Boeing 737 MAX, and COMAC C919 passenger jets, has consistently delivered on its promises of enhanced fuel efficiency, reduced noise, and lower CO2 emissions. This has enabled operators to achieve higher aircraft utilisation rates. Compared to its predecessor, the CFM56 engine, the LEAP engine offers a 15 per cent to 20 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency and boasts best-in-class departure reliability rates.

Produced by CFM International, a joint venture between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines, the LEAP engine's impressive double-digit fuel efficiency gains allow aircraft to fly farther on a single tank of fuel while significantly reducing carbon and nitrogen oxide emissions. The advanced LEAP engine family sets new industry standards for fuel efficiency and asset utilisation, providing substantial improvements in fuel consumption, CO2 emissions, and noise levels.

Since its introduction, the LEAP engine has enabled operators to save more than 15 million tonnes of CO2. The LEAP-1A, LEAP-1B, and LEAP-1C models have all been jointly certified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The LEAP engine family is considered CFM's most sustainable, with fuel usage 66 per cent lower than driving the same distance and up to a 20 per cent improvement in fuel and CO2 emissions.