CFM International Leap-1B
MTU Maintenance opened its refurbished 43,000 m2 (463,000 ft.2) facility in Fort Worth, Texas, July 8 and inducted its first engine, a Gol Linhas Aereas CFM International Leap-1B, which is now mounted on a fixed overhaul system and is undergoing an incoming inspection.
The new facility offers Leap-1A and -1B overhauls and in-house engine repairs and is part of CFM’s Premier MRO network. MTU Maintenance Fort Worth also plans to add GE Aerospace GEnx engine services by the end of the decade.
The shop currently employs just over 200 people but hopes to ramp up to 1,200 by 2032, when it expects to be fully ramped up.
This year, it plans to overhaul 10 Leap engines and grow that to 240 shop visits annually once both the Leap and GEnx programs are fully operational.
MTU opened the site in 2023 and invested $120 million to upgrade and expand it to add full disassembly, MRO, assembly and test capabilities. The site also includes a new 100,000 lb.-thrust test cell.
Its onsite training academy offers a 14-week program that includes classroom-based theory and practical training. “We invest this time in our new recruits to ensure familiarization with MTU standards and processes, real operational readiness when they go onto the shop floor, as well as a common and mutual understanding of teamwork at MTU,” says a company spokeswoman.
Launch customer Gol operates more than 64 Boeing 737-8 aircraft powered by the Leap-1B, according to Aviation Week data.
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