China Eastern Airlines has selected CFM International LEAP-1A engines to power the 101 Airbus A320neo-family aircraft it ordered earlier this year, maintaining a powerplant commonality that already extends across three competing narrowbody families in its fleet.
The agreement covers 202 LEAP-1A engines, along with spare engines and long-term service support. It was signed during the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai and announced by GE Aerospace, which owns CFM International jointly with Safran Aircraft Engines.
China Eastern also signed a separate agreement for 14 spare LEAP-1A, LEAP-1C and CFM56-7B engines. Financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed.
The airline ordered 101 A320neo-family aircraft from Airbus in March in a deal valued at US$ 15.8 billion at list prices. Deliveries are scheduled between 2028 and 2032, with at least 53 older A320-family aircraft expected to leave the fleet during the same period.
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China Eastern has not publicly established a definitive breakdown of the 101 aircraft between the A320neo, A321neo and A321XLR. Aviation Week's Fleet Discovery database currently lists 83 of them as A321neos, but the airline's original filing allows the mix and delivery schedule to be adjusted according to market conditions and capacity requirements.
LEAP across Airbus, Boeing and COMAC fleets
Choosing the LEAP-1A does not introduce a new engine to China Eastern. CFM says the airline already operates 215 A320neo and A321neo aircraft powered by the type, meaning the latest agreement extends an existing engine choice rather than adding the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G, the other powerplant available for the Airbus family.
The relationship becomes more unusual when China Eastern's other new-generation narrowbody aircraft are considered. Its Boeing 737 MAX fleet uses the LEAP-1B, the exclusive engine for the type, and its COMAC C919s are powered by the LEAP-1C, currently the Chinese jet's only available powerplant.
China Eastern therefore operates all three commercial versions of the LEAP across aircraft produced by Airbus, Boeing and COMAC. The three manufacturers compete in the single-aisle market, but their aircraft converge on variants of the same CFM engine in the Chinese carrier's fleet.
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The LEAP-1C has particular importance for the C919. COMAC remains dependent on the Western-built engine for its narrowbody despite efforts in China to develop a domestic alternative, and China Eastern was the launch operator of the aircraft in 2023.
Four decades with CFM
China Eastern also has a large installed base of the LEAP's predecessor. More than 380 A320ceo and Boeing 737NG aircraft across the airline's operations use CFM56 engines.
Its relationship with CFM dates back to 1985, when China Eastern Yunnan began operating Boeing 737-300s powered by the CFM56-3C. The carrier became CFM's first customer in mainland China.
The latest Airbus engine selection follows another agreement signed at the CIIE in 2025, when China Eastern reached a US$ 615 million deal covering LEAP-1A engines and related services.
