Delta TechOps has inducted its first CFM Leap-1B engine from a third-party customer.
The initial unit from a contract to support the engines of its SkyTeam partner Korean Air’s Boeing 737 MAX fleet is now in Delta TechOps’ Atlanta facility.
The site is one of six “CFM Premier” MRO providers in the world; the others being Standard Aero and MTU Aero Engines in the U.S., AFI KLM E&M and Lufthansa Technik in Europe and ST Engineering in Asia.
“As airlines transition to next-generation aircraft, the need for advanced engine maintenance is surging,” said Alain Bellemare, a Delta executive who is chairman of its MRO advisory board.
Annual Leap maintenance demand from Asia-Pacific and China is expected to grow by about 50% over the next five years, from just over $1 billion worth in 2026, according to Aviation Week Network’s Commercial Fleet & MRO Forecast 2026. About a quarter of that market will be for the 737 MAX’s Leap-1B variant.
South Korea’s Leap capabilities are limited to a quick-turn center in Seoul, although this will change once a big new shop comes online in 2027.
That will bring the airline new overhaul capabilities for the General Electric GEnx and Leap engine types, while Korean is also exploring the possibility of adding Rolls-Royce Trent XWB capabilities to its roster.
It already maintains the CFM56, Pratt & Whitney GTF and GE90.
The flag carrier expects that the new facility will expand its capacity for overhauls of all engine types from 100 to 360 units per year.
Korean Air currently manages its engine maintenance at its Bucheon facility, near Gimpo Airport in Seoul, complemented by final performance testing at its center in Unbuk by Incheon International Airport.
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