Akasa Air orders more than 300 Leap-1B engines from CFM International

The agreement also includes spare engines and a services contract

Home-grown low-cost airline Akasa Air has signed an agreement with CFM International to buy more than 300 Leap-1B engines to power the 150 aircraft it brought from American plane maker Boeing earlier this month.

The agreement also includes spare engines and a services contract.

CFM International is a joint venture between GE Aerospace and French aerospace engine manufacturer Safran Aircraft Engines. The contract with Akasa Air was signed during the ongoing state visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to India.

"Continuing to partner with CFM as our engine maintenance provider not only reaffirms our focus on operational reliability but equally underscores Akasa Air’s relentless pursuit of world class safety," Vinay Dube, Founder and CEO of Akasa Air, said in a press release.

“With CFM as our long-term engine maintenance provider, we remain confident in our path to becoming one of the top 30 leading airlines in the world, by the turn of this decade”, he added.

Last week, India's youngest low-fare carrier announced the conclusion of a procurement deal for 150 fuel-efficient Boeing 737 MAX narrow-bodied aircraft. The latest order, comprising of 737 MAX 10 and 737 MAX 8-200 jets will provide the airline a steady aircraft delivery stream through 2032, cementing the company’s domestic and international expansion plans, the company said in a statement.

With this new order from Akasa Air, CFM's footprint in India will grow -- with more than 400 CFM-powered aircraft in service and 2,500 Leap engines in the backlog.

According to an official statement, both CFM’s parent companies - GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines - have also significantly invested in India to build state-of-the-art facilities dedicated to Leap production and maintenance, while signing strategic partnerships with Indian aerospace companies as part of the “Make in India” policy.

Gaël Méheust, president and CEO of CFM International, said, "Our customers, including Akasa, are seeing 15 to 20 percent better fuel efficiency with their Leap-powered fleets and it has the highest reliability and daily utilisation rates in this thrust class. Today’s order will continue to bring these benefits to Akasa and support their continued growth, as well as play an important role in India’s economic development."