SalamAir CEO Bemoans Leap's On-Wing Time

SalamAir CEO Adrian Hamilton-Manns has outlined the challenges the Oman-based LCC is having operating new-generation aircraft powered by CFM International's Leap 1A engine in a harsh environment.

“I talk to all the [airline] CEOs in the region, they are all suffering the same issue: The off-wing time which is required regarding engine maintenance,” Hamilton-Manns tells Aviation Week.

He says that over a year of flying, 10 kg (22 lb.) of dust will be put through an engine in the LCC's region of the Middle East and India.

SalamAir's passenger fleet comprises six Airbus A320neos and seven A321neos, all powered by the Leap 1A. When asked how often the Leap has to be removed from the wing, the CEO says: “It can vary. On the A321neo after 1,800 cycles or just after 13 months it comes from wing.”

SalamAir started operations in 2018. “Three, four years ago, Salam Air committed to grow with an all-Airbus A320neo family fleet. There are no A320ceos on board. We are 100% risk exposed to [the Leap],” he says. “Operating a A320neo-family fleet in the longer term, the strategy will pay off, but in the next 18 months we are facing a lot of pain.”

There are several fixes coming from CFM, and Hamilton-Manns is confident they will improve the situation—for example, the reverse bleed system (RBS) retrofit kits, which blow cold air into the engine once the engines stop. “So the engines don't bake in the heat,” he says. “The second one is a change in the compressor blade, worn down by the dust and the grit.”

SalamAir's current on-time performance is 79%. During the hottest season, engine problems worsened, meaning this fell to 65%. Asked if it would make sense to add A320ceos to the fleet powered by the more mature CFM56 engine to cover the gap, the CEO says that it would take a year to source the aircraft and induct them into its fleet. “Even with the best will in the world, it just doesn't play together,” he says. “It is not a value strategy for us.”

While the LCC is having trouble with the Leap, Hamilton-Manns says that in relative terms, they are “lucky” to be operating the CFM engine rather than the other engine option for the A320neo family, Pratt & Whitney's geared turbofan. “It is sure better compared to Pratt,” he says. 

Derating Thrust

The carrier has been exploring ways to improve the durability of the A321neo in particular. SalamAir has been operating its A321neo fleet in a high-thrust configuration. One solution that might keep the engine on wing longer is to derate the thrust of the engines. 

“We operate the engine with 33,000 lb. thrust at the moment—which is the highest it could be. If you derate them to 30,000 lb. thrust, this extends the on-wing time of the engine,” Hamilton-Manns says. “We do believe this gives us 20% more cycles, 20% more time on the wing.”

The reason why the carrier has been using 33,000 lb. thrust is because it was believed that was needed to operate the aircraft from hot and high airports. The heat during the summer in the Middle East was seen as a problem. “So the high thrust has been seen as the safest solution and to avoid payload restriction,” he says.

“Subsequently, we learned more about the performance of the aircraft. We also learned to fly it with 70%-75% load factor. The aircraft is not full anyway, and it is not in full configuration. It is not a heavy-duty aircraft, it can be sustained at lower thrust,” he says.

Speaking about compensation regarding the engine challenges, he says, “Everyone knows you get compensation, but it doesn't compensate for the profit you don't get, and this will challenge us for the foreseeable future.”