The Qantas Group today announced that it has selected CFM International’s advanced LEAP-1A engine to power 78 Airbus A320neo aircraft currently on order. The engine order is valued at $2.0 billion U.S. at list price, including spare engines.

Today’s announcement takes total LEAP orders and commitments to more than 3,500 engines. In addition to the LEAP-1A being an option on the Airbus A320neo, the LEAP-1B and LEAP-1C are the exclusive powerplants for the Boeing 737 MAX and COMAC C919, respectively.

“The LEAP engine was chosen for our new A320neo aircraft because of its performance, fuel efficiency and maintenance program,” Qantas Group Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce said.

The first aircraft are scheduled for delivery in 2016 and will support Jetstar, the low-fare subsidiary of the Qantas Group.

“We are both honored and excited to launch this next phase of our relationship with the Qantas Group,” said Jean-Paul Ebanga, president and CEO of CFM. “We consider the benefits of LEAP technology, including better fuel burn and lower noise and emissions compared to today’s best CFM56 engines, along with CFM’s industry-leading reliability and low maintenance costs, will have a very positive impact on operational efficiency and help support their exciting growth plans.”

“The Qantas Group is a great CFM customer and Jetstar is an industry leader among low fare airlines, so we are extremely proud it has chosen to expand that relationship to the A320 platform as part of their future franchise and fleet growth, making CFM such an important part of its operations,” said Kevin McAllister, vice president of sales for CFM parent company GE Aviation. “We are looking forward to a great future with the Qantas Group and to working hard each day to show that their trust is in good hands.”

Qantas has been a CFM customer for more than two decades with Boeing 737 aircraft and now adds Airbus with CFM’s new LEAP engine to that stable.

The Jetstar Group is one of Asia Pacific’s fastest growing and largest low fares network by revenue, with airlines in Singapore, Japan, Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand. It operates up to 3,000 flights a week to almost 60 destinations, including 30 in Asia and eight in Greater China. The Jetstar Group is on track to carry more than 20 million people in fiscal year 2012.

The foundation of the LEAP engine is heavily rooted inadvanced aerodynamics and materials technology development programs. The engine is designed to provide 15 percent better fuel consumption and an equivalent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to today’s best CFM engine, along with a 50 percent reduction in oxides of nitrogen emissions, and up to a 75 percent reduction in the engines noise footprint. All this technology brings with it CFM’s legendary reliability and low maintenance costs.

LEAP engines are a product of CFM International (CFM), a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran group) and GE and the world’s leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines.

Boeing press release