NEW DELHI: Following the order for an additional 150 Boeing 737 Max placed last week,
Akasa
Air on Friday announced an agreement to purchase over 300
CFM
LEAP-1B engines to power those planes. This is the only engine option for the B737 MAX unlike Airbus A320 family of planes that have two engine options -- Pratt & Whitney GTF and CFM's LEAP-1A.
Akasa signed the agreement with CFM International, which is a 50/50 JV between France's Safran Aircraft Engines and General Electric, during the state visit of French President
Emmanuel Macron
to India.
The agreement also includes spare engines and a services contract.
Akasa founder & CEO Vinay Dube said: "This long-term agreement is testament to the confidence that CFM International has in Akasa Air. Continuing to partner with CFM as our engine maintenance provider not only reaffirms our focus on operational reliability but equally underscores Akasa Air’s relentless pursuit of safety."
“With CFM as our long-term engine maintenance provider, we remain confident in our path to becoming one of the top 30 leading airlines in the world, by the turn of this decade," Dube added.
Before the 150-aircraft order, Akasa had earlier ordered 76 B737 MAX of which 22 are currently in service.
The latest Akasa order grows CFM’s footprint in India, with more than 400 CFM-powered aircraft in service and 2,500 LEAP engines in the backlog. Both CFM’s parent companies GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines have significantly invested in India to build state-of-the-art facilities dedicated to LEAP production and maintenance, while signing strategic partnerships with Indian aerospace companies as part of the “Make in India” policy.
“Our customers, including Akasa, are seeing 15 to 20 percent better fuel efficiency with their LEAP-powered fleets and it has the highest reliability and daily utilization rates in this thrust class,” said Gaël Méheust, president & CEO of CFM Internationalz adding, '“Today’s order will continue to bring these benefits to Akasa and support their continued growth, as well as play an important role in India’s economic development.”
English (US) ·