Ryanair and CFM International signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Feb. 10, outlining their mutual willingness to collaborate. Together, they’re establishing a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar engine material services agreement tied to the airline’s long-term maintenance strategy. The deal is designed to ensure spare-parts supply as the Irish carrier plans to handle more of its own engine overhauls in the coming years.
Expanding Fleet, Securing Supply
Through the terms of the agreement, Ryanair will commit to purchasing all engine spare parts directly from CFM. As the airlines fleet grows toward 800 Boeing 737 family aircraft, it will be powered by more than 2,000 CFM engines.
CFM is jointly owned by France’s Safran Aircraft Engines and U.S. company GE Aerospace. It will continue supporting Ryanair’s maintenance program while the airline develops two in-house engine MRO shops in Europe, with both expected to open from 2029.
The agreement reflects a wider push by large carriers to lock in parts supply while global shortages continue to pressure the industry. For the past 30 years, CFM has serviced Ryanair’s CFM56 engines. However, this responsibility is expected to taper as the carrier develops its own technical capability. Currently, the material services contract covers and LEAP-1B engines that power Boeing 737 NG and 737 MAX aircraft operated by Ryanair.
Ryanair Group CEO, Michael O’Leary underscored the scale of the deal, he said:
“Ryanair will place substantial orders for initial spare parts provisioning with CFM to support the opening of each of these two Ryanair engine maintenance facilities.” He added, “When Ryanair takes over all its engine maintenance in-house, we expect this contract will be worth in excess of $1 billion annually to CFM in spare engines and spare parts supplies.”
Long-Term Industry Ties
Executives at CFM’s parent companies stressed how the agreement serves as a continuation of a long-standing working relationship rather than a typical supplier arrangement. Safran CEO, Olivier Andriès reflected upon the growth and depth of the partnership, he shared:
“This new major milestone further strengthens the strategic relationship we have built with Ryanair over the past three decades, and we are proud to support their continued growth through this comprehensive MRO services offering.”
Meanwhile, at GE Aerospace, executives focused more on the operational side of the agreement. Chairman and CEO Henry Lawrence Culp, Jr. commented:
“Ryanair is one of our largest customers, and we value the opportunity to work with them on solutions to increase capacity and reduce turnaround time. This MoU demonstrates our commitment to an open MRO ecosystem that supports growing demand while reducing cost of ownership.”
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