IndiGo Selects CFM LEAP Engines to Power New Aircraft

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IndiGo, India’s premier low-cost airline, has selected CFM’s LEAP-1A engine for its Airbus aircraft fleet. An agreement to this effect was announced on May 21, 2021, by CFM and IndiGo.

According to Riyaz Peermohamed, Chief Aircraft Acquisition and Financing Officer of IndiGo –

We are pleased to extend our partnership with CFM for our next batch of Airbus A320neo, A321neo, and A321 XLR aircraft. The introduction of the CFM LEAP engines in our fleet will allow us to maintain our strong focus on lowering operating costs and delivering fuel efficiency with high standards of reliability.”

At the same time, Gaël Méheust, President & CEO of CFM International said –

We are incredibly honored by IndiGo’s renewed trust in CFM. We are fully committed to helping IndiGo optimize its operations by providing them with industry-leading asset utilization, fuel efficiency, and overall cost of ownership.

According to the press release, CFM states that the LEAP engine has logged more than 10 million engine flight hours in less than five years of commercial service. It also reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 15 percent while maintaining the highest reliability rates in this thrust class.” SAS had recently also concluded a deal with CFM International.

IndiGo Expands Fleet During Pandemic

IndiGo operates the Airbus A320 CEO & NEO, the A321 NEO, and the ATR 72-600 aircraft. At present, the airline has 250 aircraft (See Table). It is noteworthy that the airline kept expanding its A321 fleet during the past year. IndiGo added 44 new aircraft during 2020, which was impressive by any standards. At the beginning of 2020, IndiGo had ten A3221neo and added another thirty A321neos in the last eighteen months. No wonder it remains Airbus’s biggest customer.

The large and modern fleet helps IndiGo retain its ‘largest domestic airline’ tag with a market share of 54.3% in January 2021. The airline has expanded its operations to smaller cities such as Ranchi, Gorakhpur, and Patna. In addition, the airline will soon add international destinations like Moscow, Istanbul, Cairo, and Manila. IndiGo plans to use the A321neos on such routes, giving it an edge over airlines that use wide-body jets on the same sectors.

The CEO of IndiGo, Ronojoy Dutta, expects the airline will be back to normal by the end of 2021.

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