ST Engineering today announced that its Commercial Aerospace business has deepened its support for Safran Aircraft Engines¹ by entering into a two-year agreement, with an option for extension, to provide module repair offload support for the CFM LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B engines.

Under the agreement, Safran Aircraft Engines will offload module repair work on the high pressure turbine (HPT) rotor assembly and stage 2 HPT nozzle assembly of the LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B engines to ST Engineering. This collaboration addresses the growing MRO demand for LEAP engines as operators ramp up their flying operations. ST Engineering’s offload support augments Safran Aircraft Engines’ MRO capacity and optimises the turnaround time of engine shop visits for customers.

In addition to the module repair offload agreement, ST Engineering will reinforce its support to Safran Aircraft Engines in LEAP-1B engines maintenance offload services.

Other ongoing offload support ST Engineering is providing for Safran Aircraft Engines includes maintenance for the CFM56-5B, CFM56-7B and LEAP-1A engines, underscoring the strong trust and partnership between the two companies.

"Expanding our partnership with ST Engineering is part of our strategy to develop our global capacities for LEAP MRO activities," said Nicolas Potier, VP Support & Services at Safran Aircraft Engines. "The LEAP fleet has experienced the fastest ramp-up in commercial aviation industry with a growing fleet of over 3,300 aircraft, which means that we will need to rely on our valued MRO partners as part of our growing network to keep providing our customers with the highest CFM standards."

Tay Eng Guan, SVP/Head, Engine Services at ST Engineering, said, "This offload agreement is the latest win-win arrangement that strengthens our partnership with Safran Aircraft Engines and support for LEAP engines operators. We are well positioned to address the rising demand for quick-turn and performance restoration shop visits for LEAP engines, having made the investments in equipment such as shroud grinding machinery, and built up a strong team of skilled technicians. We will continue to ramp up our LEAP engine capabilities and look forward to providing even greater support to Safran Aircraft Engines and airlines so that they can maximise their operations."

ST Engineering was the first independent MRO provider in Asia to join LEAP open MRO ecosystem under the CFM Branded Service Agreement in 2023. Its Commercial Aerospace business currently has LEAP-1B engine testing capabilities and is progressively adding on more LEAP engine services at its Singapore facility. This will enable the business to soon provide the full suite of MRO services for both LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B engines, including LEAP-1A engine testing, which is expected to be ready in 3Q2024.

The LEAP engine fleet has recently surpassed 50 million engine flight hours, and it will keep growing based on a strong backlog of over 10,600 engines.

¹ Safran Aircraft Engines is one of the parent companies of CFM International, which produces the CFM and LEAP engines.