NEW DELHI: Aircraft engine-makers have long blamed the “harsh environment” — read high levels of dust, moisture and extreme heat — of places like India and the UAE for the frequent troubles customer airlines of the region face. Now, Franco-American engine-maker CFM says a change will allow its LEAP-1A — that powers the most popular narrow body Airbus A320 family of planes which is the backbone of IndiGo and Air India fleets — “increase the durability and time on wing of (engine) parts” for airlines.
The US Federal Aviation Administration and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency have certified the 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, the engine-maker says.
CFM’s announcement comes amid competitor Pratt & Whitney’s (PW) continuing issues with its engines for the A320 family of planes that had led to dozens of IndiGo planes being grounded across Indian airports for some years now. Defunct GoAir had blamed large-scale aircraft groundings due to PW issues for its collapse. IndiGo and erstwhile GoAir used PW-powered A320 family of planes. IndiGo subsequently ordered CFMs. Air India and Vistara used CFM-powered A320 family of planes.
CFM International president & CEO Gaël Méheust said: “This new (HPT) hardware is fulfilling our promise to ensure that LEAP-1A engines achieve the same level of maturity, durability, and time on wing that our customers have enjoyed with the CFM56 product line.
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 says it was was “able to replicate HPT blade wear that operators were seeing in the field. This innovative system allowed CFM to design, test, and validate improvements to increase the durability and time on wing of these parts.”
GE Aerospace CEO (south Asia) Vikram Rai said: “Airlines like Air India and IndiGo rely on CFM LEAP-1A engines to power most of their Airbus A320neo family aircraft. The more durable hardware certified today reflects our commitment to delivering engines and services that support high asset availability and aircraft utilisation.”
Cyril Catherine, VP sales (India & Asia Pacific) at Safran Aircraft Engines, said: “Engine reliability and durability are of the utmost importance to airlines in India. Our latest generation LEAP engines already offer high efficiency and reliability, and low noise and emissions. With today’s improvements, we’re addressing our customers’ expectations for longer time between overhauls.”
CFM is a 50:50 JV between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines.