Ryanair and
CFM International (a Franco-American aircraft engine manufacturer that is a joint venture between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines) have signed a purchase agreement for 30 CFM LEAP-1B spare engines, to support the airline’s growing fleet of Boeing 737 MAX aeroplanes.
Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary said: “We are pleased to continue to develop our longstanding partnership with CFM. The purchase of 30 new LEAP-1B spare engines is a significant commitment to improve the operational resilience of our Group airlines. These latest-technology CFM engines reduce fuel consumption and CO
2 emissions per seat by up to 20% when installed on our B737 MAX fleet, which will further widen Ryanair’s cost leadership over competitor airlines in Europe.”
Ryanair has been a CFM customer since 1998, operating the largest fleet of CFM-powered Boeing aeroplanes, including the largest CFM56-powered Next-Generation 737 fleet in Europe. The Ireland-based airline currently operates 181 LEAP-powered 737-8-200 aircraft, with 29 aeroplanes still to be delivered from a 2014 order. Ryanair placed a new order in 2023 for LEAP-1B engines to power 150 firm and 150 option Boeing 737-10 aircraft.
Since entering service, CFM LEAP-1B engines have accumulated nearly 30 million flight hours and 12 million cycles. The CFM LEAP engine family reduces fuel consumption CO
2 emissions by 15% compared to CFM56 engines — and they offer a significant reduction in noise.
Ryanair Holdings plc, Europe’s largest airline group and the parent company of Buzz, Lauda, Malta Air, Ryanair and Ryanair UK, carries around 206 million passengers a year on some 3,600 daily flights from 93 bases. The Group connects over 230 airports in 37 countries on a fleet of almost 620 aircraft; it currently has around 330 new Boeing 737s on order, which will enable the Ryanair Group to grow traffic to 300 million passengers a year by FY34.