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Hot-section turbine blade availability continues to pace CFM Leap new-engine production rates, but supplier Howmet Aerospace insists its output is keeping up with demand, both on existing blades and an upgraded part slated for certification soon.
Speaking on the company’s recent third-quarter earnings call, Howmet CEO John Plant reiterated that Leap high pressure turbine (HPT) blade casting production is up 40% year-over-year. This excludes improved Leap-1A blades that are on track for certification soon, he clarified.
“We’ve increased production by the specific [current-generation] blades that I’ve talked about, while also producing many tens of thousands, and in fact, 500 engine sets of blades for the new type pending approval,” Plant said. “And those castings have left Howmet and been delivered to the customer.”
CFM is closing in on regulatory approval for new Leap-1A HPT stage 1 blades designed to address hot-section durability issues that have led to lower-than-expected time-on-wing durations. A Leap-1B version is also being developed but is not expected to be ready until late 2025 at the earliest.
Meanwhile, Leap deliveries are accelerating but were still 24 engines lower in the first nine months of 2024 compared to year-earlier figures. In July, Safran CEO Olivier Andries pointed to “a significant drop of yield at the HPT blade supplier” as the culprit, suggesting the issue was not quantity-related, but a quality problem.
“The yield has improved,” Andreis said on Safran’s most recent earnings call. Safran and GE Aerospace are 50-50 joint-venture partners in CFM.
Plant’s commentary pointed to another potential bottleneck. Given Howmet’s castings supplied to CFM and other engine manufacturers feed both new-engine and spare parts demand, parts-allocation issues may be contributing to production-line shortages.
“When the casting leaves Howmet, we don’t designate which part of the end market it goes to,” he said.
The lingering issues with both new-aircraft deliveries and current-engine durability means Howmet’s sales mix is shifting. Dedicated aftermarket sales account for about 17% of its engine business, Plant said. He expects that figure to eclipse 20% in as few as two years, even with new aircraft engine deliveries projected to rise as well.
“That is a very significant increase,” Plant said.
“We’re working really well with our customers to try to drive further increases in output, which ideally would be required,” he said. “We expect both the increase in engine production next year to be robust and also the increase in spares requirements, which are also going to be robust. And even more importantly, leading to that longer-term trend of increasing engine spares and total spares for the company as a percent of our revenues.”
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