AirAsia has firmed an order for 200 CFM International Leap-1A engines to power its 100 on-order Airbus A321neos.
The budget carrier disclosed its intention to purchase the CFM powerplants when it ordered the jets during the Farnborough air show in July 2016.
CFM says AirAsia has also expanded a 20-year services agreement, under which the manufacturer guarantees maintenance costs on a dollar-per-engine-flight-hour basis, to encompass the carrier's entire fleet of 808 Leap engines. Combined, the order and services agreement have a list-price value of $23.1 billion.
"We have centred our long-term growth and expansion strategy around the larger Airbus A321neo – choosing the right engine to power those airlines is critical to the success of that strategy," says AirAsia group executive chairman Datuk Kamarudin Meranun. "For us, the Leap-1A continues to be the obvious choice. We have been operating it for nearly three years and [we] are very happy."
AirAsia was an early Leap customer. In June 2011 it placed an initial order for 400 Leap-1A engines to power its fleet of A320neos.
Cirium's Fleets Analyzer shows that, in addition to the 100 A321neos AirAsia has on order, it holds options on a further 100. The carrier has 28 A320neos in service and 267 on order.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
