2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Ryanair orders $500m worth of CFM jet engines
The 30 new Leap-1B engines will bring to 120 the number of spares it keeps on stand-by.
The new engines will be delivered to Ryanair over the next two years and support its growing fleet of Boeing 737 Max 8 jets and the Max-10 aircraft that it hopes to start receiving in 2027.
Ryanair said the new engines will enhance the airline's resilience. The carrier plans to increase its fleet to about 800 Boeing 737s, all powered by CFM engines, as it grows passenger numbers to 300 million a year by 2034.
'Today's purchase of 30 new Leap-1B spare engines is a significant $500m commitment to improve the operational resilience of our group airlines,' said Ryanair group chief executive Michael O'Leary.
'These latest technology CFM engines reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions per seat by up to 20pc when installed on our Boeing 737 Max fleet, which will further widen Ryanair's cost leadership over competitor airlines in Europe.'
The Leap-1B is the exclusive powerplant option for the Boeing 737 Max, and CFM has a backlog of orders for more than 10,000 of the engines. Specially developed technology was created for the engines, helping to make the fan blades of the engine lighter and more durable. Its fuel injectors are also 3D-printed.
Jet engine makers including CFM and Pratt & Whitney have had issues with their products and encountered production delays due to broader issues in the supply chain.
CFM's Leap-1A engine, designed to power the Airbus A320 family, has had a number of problems, some in relation to its durability in harsh, hot environments such as in the Middle East.
In April, CFM said that deliveries of its Leap engines declined 13pc year-on-year in the first quarter due to supply chain issues. It plans to raise its full-year deliveries by up to 20pc, however.
Issues with Pratt & Whitney's GTF engines have been on-going for two years, affecting airlines flying A320 jets using the powerplant.
Last week, shares in Wizz Air plunged as it said that grounded planes hit by the GTF problems had pushed its profits 62pc lower. It had 37 aircraft grounded on May 9 and expects 34 to remain out of action by the end of the first half of its 2026 financial year.
