New Delhi, Jan 26 (IANS): In conjunction with the state visit of the French President Emmanuel Macron to India, Akasa Air and France origin company, CFM International on Friday announced an agreement to purchase CFM LEAP-1B engines to power 150 Boeing 737 MAX airplanes, the sale of which was announced last week.

The agreement also includes spare engines and a services contract.

Akasa Air, the Mumbai-based operator launched its operations in August 2022 and had previously ordered a total of 76 LEAP-1B- powered 737-8 aircraft, of which 22 are currently in service.

“This significant, long-term agreement is testament to the confidence that CFM International has in Akasa Air. Continuing to partner with CFM as our engine maintenance provider not only reaffirms our focus on operational reliability but equally underscores Akasa Air’s relentless pursuit of world class safety,” said Vinay Dube, Founder and CEO of Akasa Air.

“With CFM as our long-term engine maintenance provider, we remain confident in our path to becoming one of the top 30 leading airlines in the world, by the turn of this decade,” he said.

This new order grows CFM’s footprint in India, with more than 400 CFM-powered aircraft in service and 2,500 LEAP engines in the backlog.

Both CFM’s parent companies GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines have also significantly invested in India to build state-of-the-art facilities dedicated to LEAP production and maintenance, while signing strategic partnerships with Indian aerospace companies as part of the “Make in India” policy.

“Our customers, including Akasa, are seeing 15 to 20 percent better fuel efficiency with their LEAP-powered fleets and it has the highest reliability and daily utilisation rates in this thrust class,” said Gael Meheust, president and CEO of CFM International.

Meheust said that today’s order will continue to bring these benefits to Akasa and support their continued growth, as well as play an important role in India’s economic development.