FAA and EASA certify more durable CFM LEAP HPT hardware

FAA and EASA certified the updated high-pressure turbine 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, and includes the HPT stage 1 blade, HPT stage 1 nozzle, and forward inner nozzle support.

Gaël Méheust, president and chief executive officer at CFM International commented: "This new 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 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.

The CFM LEAP engine family delivers 15 to 20 percent lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, as well as a significant improvement in noise, compared to previous generation engines. With more than 3,500 LEAP-powered aircraft in service, the engine has allowed CFM customers to avoid more than 40 million tons of CO2 emissions.* The engine has been the most successful new product introduction in CFM's 50-year history, with the fastest ramp-up of engine flight hours ever in the industry – surpassing 60 million hours in eight years.