Southwest Airlines has announced the purchase of advanced CFM International LEAP-1B engines to power 100 Boeing 737 MAX 7 aircraft. Southwest originally launched the LEAP-1B engine on the 737 MAX in 2011 with an order for 150 firm aircraft. The new airplanes are scheduled to begin delivery in 2022.
CFM’s advanced LEAP engine continues to set new industry standards for fuel efficiency and asset utilization, logging more than 10 million engine flight hours in commercial operation. The fleet is providing better fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions, as well as a significant improvement in noise compared to the best CFM56 engines. The LEAP-1B engine entered into service on the Boeing 737 MAX in 2017. More than 460 aircraft have been delivered to some 50 operators worldwide and the fleet has logged 1.7 million engine flight hours.
