Low-cost carrier Ryanair is spending $500 million on 30 new spare LEAP-1B engines in an effort to boost operational resilience.
Ryanair announced on June 10, 2025, that an agreement signed with CFM International will see the fuel-efficient engines delivered over the next two years.
According to the airline, the additional engines will increase its spare stock to over 120 and support its fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft and the upcoming 737-10s which are scheduled to start arriving in 2027.
“We are pleased to continue to develop our longstanding partnership with CFM (Safran & GE Aerospace). Today’s purchase of 30 new LEAP-1B spare engines is a significant commitment to improve the operational resilience of our Group airlines,” said Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair.
He added: “These latest technology CFM engines reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions per seat by up to 20 percent when installed on our B737 MAX fleet, which will further widen Ryanair’s cost leadership over competitor airlines in Europe.”
According to CFM, Ryanair operates the largest fleet of CFM-powered Boeing jets, including the largest CFM56-powered Next-Generation 737 fleet in Europe.
Ryanair currently operates 181 LEAP-powered 737-8-200 aircraft, with 29 aircraft still to be delivered from a 2014 order.
In 2023, the Irish airline placed a new order for LEAP-1B engines to power 150 firm and 150 option Boeing 737-10 aircraft.
“This new agreement is another milestone in the long and successful partnership we have built with Ryanair,” said Gaël Méheust, President and CEO of CFM International. “We look forward to continuing to support Ryanair’s significant growth by providing them with industry-leading reliability and utilization standards.”
By 2034, Ryanair aims to operate a fleet of 800 CFM-powered Boeing 737s, and transport over 300 million passengers a year.
Engines have been a major pain point for airlines and aircraft manufacturers over the past two years.
Numerous airlines have been forced to operate with a reduced fleet during unexpected engine maintenance, and deliveries of new aircraft have been hampered due to the lack of availability.
