Embracing the Great Wide Open: How Third-Party MRO Shops Help CFM’s Fastest-Selling Engine Stay in Flying Shape

In commercial aviation, demand for single-aisle aircraft is experiencing a decade-long surge that shows no sign of letting up. After COVID, domestic travel rebounded relatively quickly, propelling short-haul flights past their 2019 levels by the beginning of 2023. And, powered by more efficient engines capable of longer routes, aircraft like the Airbus A321neo and the Boeing 737 MAX are flying transcontinental routes once served only by widebodies. 

The best-selling jet engine in commercial aviation history, the CFM56, has been a mainstay of short-to-medium-range aircraft since entering service in 1982. Produced by CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines, it now powers more than 14,000 commercial and military aircraft — including Boeing Next-Generation 737 and Airbus A320ceo family aircraft — across more than 600 operators. Meanwhile, its successor, the CFM LEAP engine, has undergone the industry’s fastest-ever ramp-up. In its eight years of service, the LEAP family, which fits all variants of Airbus A320neo, Boeing 737 MAX, and COMAC C919 passenger jets, has logged more than 60 million flight hours on more than 3,500 aircraft with nearly 160 operators worldwide.

As carriers maximize the capacity of their existing fleets and orders for new aircraft pile in, CFM is working to make sure its engines in the field stay in top shape. To meet rising demand, CFM has created an open maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) ecosystem for its LEAP family of engines. Building on a strategy that has been successful for the CFM56 line, the company is licensing third-party shops to provide MRO services for its fastest-growing fleet. As a result, LEAP customers can choose from a variety of locations and work scopes — including standard line maintenance and manual repairs (such as cleaning, inspection, spare part replacement, and borescoping), all the way up to full performance restoration shop visits (PRSVs).

Customers are embracing the open network, as evidenced by the recent agreements signed by its premier shops. In early October, ST Engineering secured a 15-year contract with India’s Akasa Air to provide PRSVs for its LEAP-1B engines. In the past few months, Guangxi Beibu Gulf Airlines and KM Malta Airlines selected Lufthansa Technik for their LEAP-1A fleets, while Avianca and Corendon Airlines selected StandardAero for their -1A and -1B fleets, respectively. At the same time, Air France Industries–KLM Engineering & Maintenance and Delta TechOps marked milestones in LEAP engine overhaul activity. 

As industry leaders gather in Barcelona this week for MRO Europe, CFM is optimistic that its partners can exceed customer expectations. “We’re happy to see that the shops that have come on board are already succeeding,” says Alan Kelly, executive vice president of LEAP services at CFM. “We’re driving forward to what we think is going to be a very successful future together.”

Building on a Successful Strategy with the MRO Industry

CFM spent decades expanding the open MRO ecosystem for its first product line, the CFM56, which now encompasses about 40 overhaul shops around the world. Carriers appreciate the wider array of options, which allows them to choose a facility by location or availability. Because the open system fosters competition, providers are motivated to offer competitive pricing and turnaround times. And with so many options for operators, the ecosystem also supports high engine residual value. After years of positive customer feedback, CFM knew it had to duplicate that system for its next product line. 

“We got the message loud and clear when we were developing the LEAP engine,” Kelly says. “Starting a new engine program from scratch, there’s a lot to consider. But one of the things we committed to was creating an open MRO system.”

Repeating the pattern set by its predecessor, the MRO ecosystem tailored to the LEAP engine program has grown steadily since the engine entered service. In the early stages of the program, before third-party technicians had a chance to get up to speed with the new design, CFM assumed responsibility for most repairs. 

“When we started the LEAP program, GE and Safran each had a basic shop,” says Pierre-Yves Bourquin, executive vice president of services at CFM. “Today there are 22 facilities. We anticipate 800 to 900 annual maintenance events, and Premier MRO providers are ramping up to support these.”

As the LEAP program has matured, the MRO network has evolved in step, expanding to include 17 third-party providers and counting. For these businesses, a LEAP MRO license secures a spot at the vanguard of service for next-generation engines. 

“Interest continues to grow as the program matures, more units are out in service, and the engine’s popularity keeps rising,” Kelly says. 

GE Aerospace Partnering with “the Who’s Who of the MRO Industry” 

To create a nimble and responsive network, CFM established levels of licensing based on the shop’s capability and capacity. At the top are the five Premier MRO shops, previously known simply as facilities licensed with CFM-branded service agreements (CBSAs). Kelly calls them “the who’s who of the MRO industry”: Air France Industries–KLM Engineering & Maintenance, at Paris Orly and Amsterdam Schiphol; Delta TechOps, in Atlanta, Georgia; Lufthansa Technik, in Hamburg, Germany; ST Engineering, in Singapore; and StandardAero, in San Antonio, Texas. As Premier MRO providers, they offer OEM-level services under the CFM Premier MRO brand. In return, CFM furnishes comprehensive support and training, including expanded access to proprietary overhaul and repair technology. 

CFM has also granted general services support licenses (GSLs) to 12 on-site support bases around the globe. While many of these shops are currently dedicated to “quick turn” maintenance jobs, they can add capability, including PRSVs in the future. 

“These early adopters, all of whom have successful track records in engine maintenance, are the foundation of our ecosystem,” Kelly says. “We know these shops are specialists that will do a first-rate job.” 

Those extra hands — and CFM’s confidence in their expertise — free the company to focus on the future. “Fundamentally, our business model is about developing technology, and it requires us to keep looking 10, 15, 20 years down the line,” Kelly says. “The open MRO system helps us to focus our energy and investments into advancing the next generation of engines.” 

Top: The LEAP-1B engine. Credit: CFM International