GE Announces Fix For "Previously Undisclosed" Issue With Leap Engine Written 6 March 2018

Bloomberg News reports that General Electric (GE) plans to replace a part in “hundreds of recently delivered engines after uncovering a durability problem inside the turbines powering the upgraded workhorse jets” of The Boeing Company and Airbus. GE has identified a solution for a “previously undisclosed issue with the Leap engine,” and the redesigned part “will be incorporated into the production line starting in May, said Rick Kennedy, a spokesman for GE Aviation.” The issue is related to flaking of the coating on a shroud in the engine’s hot section, and according to Kennedy, it presents a “long-term durability issue.” In a statement sent to operators, CFM International, the joint venture between GE Aviation and Safran Aircraft Engines, wrote that the glitch manifests in the “exhaust gas temperature margin.” According to Kennedy, more than 500 engines produced by CFM currently in service will be replaced or retrofitted during regular maintenance. The engine powers both the Boeing 737 Max and the Airbus A320neo, and more than 40 Leap engines have been removed from A320neo aircraft due to the issue, according to the CFM statement.
More Info (Bloomberg News)