China Eastern Airlines and CFM Sign Rate-Per-Flight-Hour Agreement

November 6, 2020

China Eastern Airlines and CFM broaden long-standing relationship
Rate-Per-Flight-Hour agreement covers LEAP-1A engine
Six spare LEAP-1A engines included

SHANGHAI, China – China Eastern Airlines and CFM International (CFM) have signed a 12-year Rate-Per-Flight-Hour agreement for the LEAP-1A engines that power the airline’s fleet of 36 A320neo aircraft and has ordered six spares engines to support its operation.

Under the terms of the agreement, CFM guarantees maintenance costs on a dollar per engine flight hour basis.

This agreement adds to a previous LEAP-1A engines order placed by China Eastern in 2017 to power 70 A320neo aircraft. The airline is currently operating 41 LEAP-Powered A320neo from this batch.

We are honored by China Eastern Airlines’ continued confidence in CFM. We have a long-standing, successful relationship dating as far back as 1985. It’s a pleasure to be able to continue to serve the airline and its excellent operations.

Weiming Xiang, president of CFM China

“This agreement further demonstrates the continued confidence the airline has in our products and services and is a recognition of the LEAP performances in commercial operations,” said Gaël Méheust, president and CEO of CFM. “We look forward to providing the best, most timely and comprehensive support possible. China has always been a key driver of the narrow body market especially in the current context of the Covid-19 pandemic recovery.”

Since entering commercial service, the LEAP engine has accumulated more than 9 million flight hours, more than 4,000 engines delivered to over 100 operators worldwide.

About China Eastern
Based in Shanghai, China Eastern Airlines was the first Chinese airline to be listed on New York, Hong Kong and Shanghai stock markets in 1997. Currently, it operates a fleet of more than 750 aircraft with average age less than 5.5 years, making it one of the youngest major airline fleets in the world. As a member of the SkyTeam Alliance, CEA serves over 130 million passengers globally annually and is among the top 10 airlines in the world. Through an air network, CEA now reaches 1,150 destinations in 175 countries.