LE BOURGET, France — 20 June 2017 — China Eastern Airlines has placed an order for CFM International LEAP-1A engines to power 70 new Airbus A320neo aircraft. The order is valued at $3.2 billion U.S., including a long-term support agreement, and the airline is scheduled to begin taking delivery in 2018. The aircraft order was announced February 2014.

China Eastern has signed a 15-year Rate per Flight Hour (RPFH) maintenance agreement with CFM. Under the terms of the agreement, CFM will guarantee maintenance costs on a dollar per engine flight hour basis.

China Eastern has been a CFM customer since 1984 and currently operates a fleet of more than 650 CFM56 engines.

“We are honored by China Eastern Airlines’ continued confidence in CFM and our products and we look forward to introducing all of the benefits of the LEAP engine to their fleet,” said Gaël Méheust, president and CEO of CFM. “China Eastern and CFM have a long-standing relationship, and this engine selection demonstrates the continued confidence the airline has in our products and services.”

Since the first LEAP-1A-powered A320neo aircraft entered service in August 2016, the engine has been delivered to 14 operators worldwide. The fleet is delivering a 15 percent improvement in fuel efficiency, with an equivalent reduction in CO2 emissions; and lower noise and NOx emissions. To date, the fleet in service has logged more than 77,000 engine flight cycles and more than 145,000 engine flight hours while maintaining CFM’s industry-leading reliability.