Ryanair has signed a purchase agreement for 30 spare LEAP-1B engines from CFM, in a bid to support the Irish carrier's growing fleet of 737 MAX aircraft.
With a list price of $500 million, the airline said the purchase of these spare engines will reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions per seat by up to 20%, when installed to the airline's fleet of 737 MAX aircraft.
Ryanair currently operates 181 LEAP-powered 737 MAX 8-200 aircraft, with 29 aircraft 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 737 MAX 10 aircraft.
“We look forward to continuing to support Ryanair’s significant growth by providing them with industry-leading reliability and utilisation standards,” said Gaël Méheust, president and CEO of CFM International.
The airline plans to increase its fleet to 800 737 aircraft, all powered by CFM engines, in order to grow its traffic to 300 million passengers by 2034.
These engines now take Ryanair’s pool of spare engines to over 120, with these additional 30 LEAP-1Bs to be delivered over the next two years.