Flight Friday: CFM Engines Power Majority Of European Commercial Flights In 2025

Looking ahead to Aviation Week’s upcoming Aero Engines Europe 2025 event in Hamburg, this week’s Flight Friday looks at European operators and which engines are powering them.

Through the end of July 2025, there have been almost 5.5 million flights carried out by commercial operators’ aircraft in Europe. The top five engine types that have powered almost 90% of all flights so far in 2025 are the CFM International CFM56 and Leap, IAE’s V2500, the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G (GTF) and GE’s CF34.

The CFM56 alone has powered more than 40% of the European fleet’s flights; it equips many prior-generation Boeing 737s and Airbus A320 family aircraft. This workhorse of an engine continues to keep Europe moving. CFM tops up its number of cycles with its latest engine entrant, the Leap, which powers several 737 MAX and A320neo aircraft and accounts for almost an additional 15% of all 2025 utilization so far.

Collectively, CFM will continue to account for a large percentage of utilization as more Leap-powered aircraft are delivered, even with some of the legacy CFM56-powered aircraft coming up for retirement.

IAE’s V2500 powers almost 10% of Europe’s flights. Powering a portion of the prior-generation A320 family aircraft, this engine will continue to be used, especially with the difficulty of getting new-build aircraft delivered and into service.

Pratt’s GTF and GE’s CF34 round out the top 5 engines. Both account for a little under 10% of the total 2025 utilization. While the GTF works through its durability issues, and with ongoing deliveries, the GTF’s market share should slowly rise over the coming years.

This article was put together using Aviation Week’s Tracked Aircraft Utilization tool.