LE BOURGET — 16 June 2015 — At a special ceremony at the Paris Air Show, SMBC Aviation Capital, the world’s third largest aircraft lessor, announced its selection of CFM International’s LEAP-1A engine to power 30 new Airbus A320neo aircraft. The firm engine order is valued at $885 million U.S. at list price.

A long-time CFM customer, Dublin-based SMBC Aviation Capital currently has a fleet of more than 350 aircraft powered by CFM56 and LEAP engines in service or on order.

“CFM has a strong reputation in the industry and these engines are an important part of our portfolio,” said Peter Barrett, CEO of SMBC Aviation Capital. “We focus on supplying our customers with aircraft that are the right solutions for their specific needs and requirements, and we are confident that the CFM-powered A320 aircraft will provide them with a highly efficient and reliable solution.” The operating economics of the CFM56 engines keep them in high demand with our customers and we are looking forward to the new LEAP engines continuing that great tradition.”

“We are pleased to continue our great long-standing relationship with SMBC Aviation Capital,” said Jean-Paul Ebanga, president and CEO of CFM International. "We are proud to bring the industry’s most reliable, cost-effective engines to their worldwide customer base.”

The LEAP-1A engine promises to be the most advanced, reliable, fuel-efficient powerplant for the new Airbus A320neo (new engine option). The engine incorporates many industry firsts, including the 3-D woven carbon fiber composite fan blade and case; the one-of-a-kind debris rejection system; fourth-generation 3-D aerodynamics; the first commercial use of ceramic matrix composites (CMCs); the revolutionary combustor design featuring fuel nozzles grown using additive manufacturing; and light-weight Titanium Aluminide airfoils. The lower weight and higher durability these components provide will result in a 15 percent improvement in fuel efficiency, with an equivalent reduction in CO2 emissions; a 50 percent margin to new emissions regulations; a dramatically lower noise signature; CFM’s industry-leading reliability and low overall operating costs.