IndiGo selects CFM's LEAP-1A engines for its 310 new aircraft

IndiGo said on Friday it has selected CFM International's LEAP-1A engines to power its fleet of 310 new Airbus A320neo, A321neo and A321XLR aircraft.

"This agreement (with CFM International) includes 620 new installed engines and associated spare engines, as well as a long-term, multi-year service agreement," the airline's statement noted.

IndiGo is at present operating seven A320neo and 15 A321neo with LEAP-1A engines. It has a total fleet of 280 plus aircraft and around 90 per cent of them are powered by Pratt and Whitney (PW) engines.

The PW engines on IndiGo's A320neo planes had been facing specific glitches -- low press turbine failure incidents -- both mid-air and on-ground since their induction in 2016.

GoAir's A320neo planes powered by PW engines had been facing similar incidents too.

These specific glitches ceased by 2020 when the two airlines replaced old PW engines with modified ones.

IndiGo said on Friday that the aforementioned agreement will secure LEAP-1A engines and service agreements for its A320neo, A321neo and A321XLR aircraft that will be delivered from 2023 onwards.

In 2019, IndiGo had selected LEAP-1A engines and signed a long-term service agreement for engines to power 280 A320neo family aircraft.

This new agreement, therefore, secures the LEAP-1A engine and its long-term service agreements for a total of 590 IndiGo A320neo family aircraft, the airline's statement noted.

CFM International is a 50-50 joint venture between US-based GE and France-based Safran Aircraft Engines.

IndiGo is India's largest airline with around 53 per cent share in domestic air traffic.

The airline's order of LEAP-1A engines for its 310 new aircraft has come at a time when India and its aviation sector has been badly hit by the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

A couple of weeks ago, the daily domestic air passenger traffic in India was around 2.2 lakhs. It reduced to around 40,000 by May 18 due to the second wave.

Speaking about the agreement, IndiGo's Chief Executive Officer Ronojoy Dutta said: “This is a pivotal milestone that reflects our long-standing commitment to rapidly strengthen our network both domestically and internationally."

"This expansion will serve as a catalyst to boost India's economic growth and the mobility of its people. India's aviation sector is poised to grow from strength to strength, and we will continue on our mission of building a world class transportation network," Dutta mentioned.