CFM International will supply LEAP-1B turbofan engines to Allegiant Air as the power units for as many as 100 737 MAX aircraft that the low-cost and charter airline recently booked from Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The contract could be worth up $3 billion based on the listed price of the LEAP-1B, though the supplier has not indicated the value of the order.
The engine order also includes a service agreement, according to CFM International.
Earlier this month Allegiant ordered the new twin-engine jets – it’s first purchase of new aircraft, rather than previously owned units – with deliveries to run from 2013 through 2025. The Las Vegas-based airline will receive 50 737-7 and 737-8-200 jets and took options for 50 more. It was the first order for the 737 MAX series in 2022.
“When we made the decision to purchase new 737s, we knew CFM would be the ideal partner to work with us as our fleet continues to evolve,” according to Allegiant chairman/CEO Maurice J. Gallagher, Jr.
Allegiant’s current fleet includes 110 aircraft powered by the CFM56 engine, an earlier turbofan model from CFM, a joint-venture engine co-owned by GE Aviation and Safran Aircraft Engines, a French aircraft and aerospace group.
The LEAP-1B is one of three variants the LEAP high-bypass turbofan engine: It is optimized for the 737 MAX, as other variants are optimized for the Airbus A320neo and Comac C919 aircraft.
The LEAP series was designed to promote fuel efficiency, reduced CO2 emissions, noise improvements, and asset utilization for airlines, and it has logged more than 14 million engine flight hours in commercial operation, according to the developer.
The LEAP-1B engine entered into service with the Boeing 737 MAX in 2017, and more than 1,460 LEAP-1B engines have been delivered to airlines, and these have logged approximately 3 million engine-flight hours.
