As MROs look to add more service capabilities as a means of adjusting post-crisis, SR Technics has become the latest maintenance provider to introduce CFM LEAP-1B repair services.

Following an agreement with the engine’s manufacturer CFM International at the end of last year, the Swiss MRO plans to introduce the capability for the LEAP-1B by the first quarter of 2022. 

After establishing an infrastructure and gaining regulatory certification, SR Technics will carry out repairs at its main facility in Zurich, where it currently offers repairs for CFM56 and PW4000 engines.

Florent Leforestier, vice president new engines, who is overseeing the introduction of LEAP capabilities, says the move is a necessary one and will complement its existing line maintenance services on the LEAP-1B powered Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Aviation Week’s Fleet & MRO Forecast predicts a consistent growth for the LEAP-1B engine, the long-term successor to the CFM56 family engine for which SR Technics has carried out more than 2,200 shop visits. 

Forecast data estimates a 30.4% annual compound annual growth rate for the LEAP-1B from 2021-30. At the end of the decade, the LEAP-1B engine aftermarket will be valued at $28.4 billion.

Since last year, SR Technics has sought to realign itself as a predominantly engine and line maintenance focused business as it restructured in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

These restructuring moves included offloading its design engineering solutions unit to groWING.aero and the sale of its Armac Systems subsidiary following a management buyout. At the end of 2020, it also divested its network of UK-based line maintenance stations.