Safran Aircraft Engines has inaugurated a new engine maintenance facility in Querétaro, Mexico, dedicated to CFM LEAP engines. The US$140 million investment strengthens Safran Aircraft Engine Services Americas as a comprehensive maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) hub for the region.
The 50,000 m² site brings together two MRO shops for CFM56 and LEAP engines, an engine test cell and a repair facility. By 2030, the two maintenance shops will be capable of carrying out up to 350 LEAP engine shop visits each year.
The investment forms part of Safran Aircraft Engines’ wider €1 billion expansion of its global MRO network. Together with recently opened facilities in India, Morocco and Belgium, the new shop will help support the rapidly growing global fleet of LEAP engines.
Safran Aircraft Engine Services Americas will also house one of the world’s most advanced engine test cells for CFM engines. The facility is expected to carry out up to 350 engine tests annually by 2030, with additional capacity planned in the years ahead.
At full capacity, the new LEAP maintenance shop will employ more than 450 people. Across its four facilities in Querétaro, Safran Aircraft Engine Services Americas currently employs around 1,450 people, with the workforce expected to grow to almost 2,000 by 2030. An on-site training centre, developed in partnership with local educational institutions, will train more than 300 inspectors and technicians each year, supporting skills development and job creation.
The LEAP engine family powers many of the latest generation narrowbody aircraft, including the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX families. Around 10,000 LEAP engines are currently in service worldwide, with the fleet expected to double by 2030.
Safran has operated in Mexico for 35 years and today has 21 facilities across the country, employing more than 16,000 people. The Group is the largest employer in Mexico’s aerospace industry.
