By Robert Wall
LONDON--Safran SA (SAF.FR) Chief Executive Jean-Paul Herteman
said the new Leap aircraft engine the company is developing with
General Electric Co. (GE) would meet its performance target at
service entry.
Mr. Herteman told reporters he was "totally confident" the
engine, which is due to power the Airbus Group NV (AIR.FR) A320neo
airliner in service from next year and the Boeing Co. (BA) 737 MAX
single-aisle plane from 2017, will achieve its performance goals
amid reports the Leap was consuming more fuel than planned.
The engine is generally one of the main factors determining the
fuel efficiency of Airbus and Boeing jets. Both plane makers have
promised airlines big efficiency gains with the upgraded
single-aisle jets they are now developing.
Mr. Herteman, who wouldn't address the Leap engine's specific
performance during trials, said the development process was "really
doing very well."
Airbus plans to begin flight tests of the A320neo with the
Safran-GE engine in the summer. A version flying with an engine
from rival Pratt & Whitney, the engine unit of United
Technologies Corp. (UTX), is already in flight testing and due for
first delivery before year-end.
The departing Safran chief executive also said he hoped the
Airbus A380 superjumbo would win new orders. The Paris-based French
aerospace supplier provides the engine casing on the plane and
other parts. He said a decision on putting new engines on the
plane, referred to as the A380neo, rested with Airbus and would
depend on the business case.
Airbus officials have said they are studying the issue.
Emirates Airline, the biggest buyer of the plane, has been
urging the Toulouse-based plane maker to launch the program. Tim
Clark, the airline's president, has promised as many as 200 orders
for the new jet.
Write to Robert Wall at robert.wall@wsj.com
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