The turbofan manufacturer has also now deployed a durability kit to 30% of in-service Leap-1As.
GE Aerospace kept up a brisk engine delivery pace in the first quarter of 2026 and progressed with the roll-out of a durability improvement kit for Leap-1A turbofans.
The Ohio engine maker delivered 520 of its fast-selling Leaps in the first quarter, up 63% from the 319 Leaps it handed over in the same period of 2025, GE said on 21 April when reporting its first-quarter financial results.
Those deliveries were down slightly compared to the fourth quarter of last year, when GE handed over 562 Leaps.
The turbofan family includes Leap-1As, which are one power option — alongside Pratt & Whitney (P&W) PW1100Gs — for Airbus A320neo-family aircraft, and Leap-1Bs, the sole engine available for Boeing’s 737 Max.
Including both Leaps and turbofans for widebody jets, GE delivered 640 engines in the first quarter, a 50% year-on-year bump.
GE has for years has been struggling to ramp production and deliveries amid stressors including parts and labour shortages. The company says its first-quarter delivery pace reflects “improved material supply”.
The first-quarter activity puts CFM on track to meet its goal of delivering more than 2,000 Leaps this year, up from 1,802 in 2025.
Like competitor P&W, GE has also been busy addressing durability problems with its latest-generation turbofan.
P&W is in the midst of a broad PW1000G recall addressing problems caused by potential defective metallic components, while GE has taken the path of developing and introducing durability kits as aftermarket upgrades for both Leap models.
The Federal Aviation Administration certificated the first such kit — for Leap-1As — in late 2024
On 21 April, GE said 30% of in-service Leap-1As now have the kits, which include redesigned high-pressure turbine blades and new high-pressure turbine stage one fuel nozzles and nozzle supports.
GE has said it intends to start delivering kits for Leap-1Bs this year.
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