SYDNEY, Australia, 22 April 2012. Leaders of the Qantas Group, which operates Australian flag air carrier Qantas Airways, Ltd., are choosing the LEAP-1A engine to power 78 Airbus A320neo fuel-efficient single-aisle passenger jetliners ordered last October in one of the largest aircraft deals for the Australian passenger airline.
The Qantas jet engine order is worth about $2 billion at list price, including spare engines. The LEAP 1A engine manufacturer is CFM International based in Courcouronnes, France -- a joint venture of GE Aviation, a division of General Electric in the U.S. and Snecma in France.
The first aircraft are scheduled for delivery in 2016 and will support Jetstar, the low-fare subsidiary of the Qantas Group. The Qantas buy brings LEAP orders and commitments to more than 3,500 engines. In addition to the LEAP-1A being an option on the Airbus A320neo, the LEAP-1B and LEAP-1C are the powerplants for the Boeing 737 MAX and COMAC C919.
The Jetstar Group has airlines in Singapore, Japan, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand. It operates as many as 3,000 flights a week to almost 60 destinations, including 30 in Asia and eight in China. The Jetstar Group is on track to carry more than 20 million people in 2012.
The LEAP engine offers advanced aerodynamics and materials technology designed to provide 15 percent better fuel consumption and an equivalent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to today’s best CFM engine, along with a 50 percent reduction in oxides of nitrogen emissions, and as much as a 75 percent reduction in engines noise.
For more information contact CFM International online at www.cfm56.com, or Qantas at www.qantas.com.au, or the Jetstar Group at www.jetstar.com.
Follow Military & Aerospace Electronics and Avionics Intelligence news updates on Twitter
