GE Aerospace Says CFM Leap-1B Durability Kit Approved

CFM International earned FAA approval for its Leap-1B upgrade package, GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp confirmed July 16, clearing the way for installations of the new parts during shop visits and on new-production engines in the coming months.

“We have certification for the Leap-1B durability kit,” Culp said on GE Aerospace’s second-quarter earnings call July 16. “That will give us the opportunity through the back half of this year to really work through the industrialization plan and give us a full cut-over, both with respect to the aftermarket and new [engines] really, in 2027.”

The kit, which addresses wear issues seen particularly in hot, harsh operating environments, includes new turbine blades, nozzles and forward inner nozzle supports. A similar kit for the Leap-1A was approved in late 2024 and is now on more than 30% of the CFM-powered Airbus A320neo-family fleet.

“The fleet retrofits really will be a multi-year effort,” Culp said. “Those engines are due to come in for their first shop visit on a relatively predictable schedule. I don’t think you’re going to see many engines come in early for the durability kit. It will really be in the early 2030s until we can look at both the Leap-1A and Leap-1B fleets as being fully retrofitted.”

The kits are part of a broad durability improvement program that CFM partners Safran and GE Aerospace are rolling out to address multiple issues. Other key steps include the reverse bleed systems that target fuel nozzle coking and electronic engine control software changes.