Arkia Israeli Airlines (Arkia) has selected CFM International's advanced LEAP-1A engine to power four A321neo (new engine option) aircraft. The value of the engine order is $112 million U.S. at list price; the aircraft order was announced in July 2012.

Based in Tel Aviv, Israel, Arkia is the country's second largest airline. As a new CFM customer, it will be the first airline to operate the LEAP engine in Israel.

"We chose the LEAP engine after a very thorough evaluation," said Nir Dagan, President & CEO of Arkia.  "CFM has a good reputation for customer support, reliability and low cost of ownership; from everything we have seen, the engine is also delivering the promised fuel efficiency.  All of these factors are very important to us and we expect this engine to deliver significant benefits to our A321neo fleet."

"We are delighted to welcome Arkia to the CFM family of operators," said Gaël Méheust, president and CEO of CFM International. "It is an honor to be chosen by such a respected airline.  We believe that the LEAP engine will more than live up to their expectations and we are excited to help them introduce this technology into their fleet next year. "

The LEAP-1A engine entered commercial service in August 2016 and is providing its ten operators with a 15 percent improvement in fuel efficiency, with an equivalent reduction in CO2 emissions; lower noise and emissions; and CFM's industry-leading reliability and low overall operating costs.  To date, the fleet in service has logged more than 47,000 engine flight cycles and more than 80,000 engine flight hours.

Source:safran-group.com