Aero Norway, an ITP Aero company and specialist MRO provider for CFM56 engines, has signed a multi-year shop visit offload agreement with GE Aerospace covering maintenance of selected CFM LEAP engine modules.
The agreement covers the CFM LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B high-pressure turbine (HPT) rotor and HPT Stage 2 nozzle assemblies and marks Aero Norway’s first agreement of its kind with GE Aerospace for LEAP engine work.
The contract also represents an important step in Aero Norway’s transition from its established CFM56 engine MRO portfolio towards supporting the growing CFM LEAP aftermarket.
Under the agreement, Aero Norway will provide MRO support for HPT components from LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B engines during shop visits.
The partnership expands Aero Norway’s capabilities into a new generation of CFM engines and aligns the company with the increasing requirement for LEAP maintenance capacity.
GE Aerospace has been expanding its open MRO ecosystem by working with third-party providers to increase available LEAP maintenance capacity. The company said the ecosystem is supporting growing demand from more than 8,000 active LEAP engines, alongside a backlog of more than 10,000 engines.
For MRO providers, the growing LEAP installed base is creating opportunities to develop specialised capabilities across engine maintenance, repair and component services.
Aero Norway’s agreement forms part of GE Aerospace’s broader approach to expanding its network of MRO providers as LEAP maintenance demand increases.
Neil Russell, CEO, Aero Norway, said the agreement represents a significant milestone in the company’s LEAP journey and reflects the confidence placed in its technical workforce and quality capabilities. “Together, our objective is to expand capacity within the ecosystem, delivering efficient, high-quality engine MRO support to customers,” Russell said.
Flavio Gregorio, Vice President, CFM LEAP & RISE Programs at GE Aerospace, said the agreement demonstrates the company’s focus on working with technically capable MRO providers to support engine availability and utilisation.
The agreement also supports ITP Aero’s wider strategy to expand its MRO capabilities in line with changing market requirements.
Alan Jones, Executive Vice President of MRO at ITP Aero, described CFM LEAP as a key growth area for the group’s MRO strategy. Aero Norway’s integration into GE Aerospace’s open MRO ecosystem adds LEAP capability to the company’s existing CFM56 expertise and strengthens the group’s ability to provide complementary engine MRO services.
As the LEAP fleet continues to grow, agreements such as this are expected to play a role in expanding the industry’s capacity to maintain the latest generation of CFM engines and their critical modules. The agreement marks a significant development in Aero Norway’s MRO portfolio.
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With its established CFM56 expertise now being extended to LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B HPT modules, the company is positioning itself to participate in the expanding aftermarket requirements of one of the aviation industry’s major next-generation engine programmes.
The collaboration also highlights the growing importance of partnerships between OEMs and independent MRO providers as the global LEAP fleet moves deeper into its maintenance cycle.
