StandardAero Signs Long-Term Service Agreement to Support CFM International LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B Engine MRO services

StandardAero has signed a long-term CFM Branded Service Agreement (CBSA) to support the CFM International LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B engines. Under the terms of the CBSA, StandardAero becomes part of CFM’s authorized maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) network for the latest generation LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B engines, providing a full range of MRO services to operators worldwide.

Under the agreement, StandardAero becomes the first independent (non-airline) MRO provider in the Americas to sign a CBSA for both the LEAP-1A, which powers the Airbus A320neo family, and the LEAP-1B, which powers the Boeing 737-MAX series aircraft. Thanks to the family’s commercial success, the global fleet of LEAP-1A and -1B engines is expected to grow significantly in the coming years and this agreement will enable operators to benefit from StandardAero’s expertise in delivering high quality support for narrowbody aircraft engines.

StandardAero will support the LEAP-1A and -1B from its 810,000 sq. ft. facility in San Antonio, which has benefitted from significant investment over the past five years and already provides a full range of narrowbody engine MRO support capabilities. The company’s San Antonio facility also features a large test cell complex, which will provide performance and pass-off testing for the LEAP-1A and -1B.

StandardAero will also be developing new engine component repairs and industrialization through its Components & Accessories division’s network of locations and its Repair & Development Center of Excellence, expanding upon a variety of LEAP engine component and accessories repairs available to customers.

“StandardAero is honored to become part of the worldwide MRO network for the LEAP engine,” said Lewis Prebble, President of Airlines and Fleets for StandardAero. “The CBSA agreement extends our existing 14-year relationship with CFM as an MRO provider for the CFM56-7B powerplant, and continues StandardAero’s expansion of its narrowbody engine support capabilities. We look forward to meeting the needs and expectations of LEAP operators worldwide for many decades to come.”

“We have a long history with StandardAero through our CFM56 engine line. This experience and their reputation as a highly respected MRO provider will help strengthen the CFM open network," said Tom Levin, VP of CFM Commercial Programs for CFM parent company GE Aerospace. “We are proud they are joining the LEAP open MRO ecosystem and anticipate that StandardAero will make significant contributions to the continued development of world-class support for the LEAP engine throughout its lifecycle.”

“We are delighted to add LEAP MRO capabilities in the US through this major partnership with StandardAero,” said Nicolas Potier, VP Support & Services for CFM parent company SAE. “CBSA agreements are part of CFM strategy to give our airlines customers worldwide more choice in the market while helping them maximize their operations with the LEAP engine.”

Introduced in 2016, the LEAP engine family has set new industry standards for fuel efficiency, offering up to 20 percent better fuel consumption than previous generation engines, in addition to lower CO2 emissions. To date, the LEAP family has accumulated more than 29 million engine flight hours and 13 million flight cycles in just over six years of commercial operation, during which time the LEAP has enabled operators to save more than 20 million tons of CO2. LEAP engines power more than 2,300 aircraft in service with 165 operators worldwide.

StandardAero already provides a full range of MRO capabilities for the CFM International CFM56-7B from its CFM- and GE Aerospace-approved facility in Winnipeg, MB, Canada, which first commenced support of the engine as a GE Designated Fulfillment Center (DFC) in 2009. The company also provides an extensive range of additional services for the CFM56 family, including component repair and overhaul capabilities through StandardAero Component Services (SACS); engine, module and used serviceable material (USM) asset management support through PTS Aviation; and engine health monitoring (EHM) data analysis services.

Earlier this year, StandardAero announced the introduction of service center capabilities for the CFM56-7B at its DFW Center of Excellence at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Later this year, the company will be introducing dedicated CFM56-7B test capabilities at the DFW facility’s six-cell engine test center, with CFM56-5B capability to follow.

CFM International is a 50/50 joint company between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines founded in 1974, which has redefined international cooperation and helped change the course of commercial aviation. Today, CFM is the world's leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines with a product line that sets the industry standard for efficiency, reliability, durability, and optimized cost of ownership for narrowbody aircraft. CFM International produces the LEAP family of engines and supports LEAP and CFM56 fleets for more than 600 operators worldwide.