Delta TechOps has become the first North American airline maintenance organization authorized to support both the CFM International LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B engine families, expanding the work it can perform at its Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport campus.
The LEAP-1B powers the Boeing 737 MAX and the LEAP-1A powers Airbus A320neo family aircraft. Until now, North American airline MRO shops held authorization for one variant or the other, which pushed operators toward original equipment manufacturer shops or overseas network members for the second type.
The Atlanta operation has already inducted its first LEAP-1B engine from a third party customer. That unit came from a contract to maintain engines on Korean Air's 737 MAX fleet, the shop's first third party LEAP-1B agreement. The provider expects to induct its first LEAP-1A before the end of the year.
The move fits a broader pattern at the Atlanta campus, which spans roughly 200 acres and about 2.7 million square feet of hangar, shop and engine test cell space in Clayton and Fulton counties. Third party maintenance revenue reached about $822 million in 2025, and company guidance for 2026 puts that figure between $1.0 billion and $1.2 billion.
Engine overhaul capacity remains the constraint across commercial aviation. Shop visit backlogs on newer narrowbody engine types have kept aircraft on the ground longer than operators planned, and additional authorized shops in the domestic network reduce ferry time and shipping distance for US carriers.
Source: Airways Magazine - https://www.airwaysmag.com/new-post/delta-techops-full-leap-1a-1b-first-north-america