LEAP engines awarded 180-minute ETOPS certification

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency have jointly granted 180-minute Extended-range, Twin-engine Operations (ETOPS) approval on June 19 to the LEAP-1A engine for the Airbus A320neo and the LEAP-1B for the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft families. The engine approval now paves the way for the aircraft manufacturers, as well as airlines interested in operating ETOPS routes, to achieve their own certification. ETOPS is defined as the number of minutes flying time from a suitable airport a twin-engine aircraft can operate in the event that one engines become inoperable. ETOPS approval, which is based on engine/aircraft reliability, provides airlines greater route-scheduling flexibility by allowing more direct routes such as long over-water flights.