The Civil Aviation Administration of China issued the Validated Type Certificate (VTC) for CFM International’s LEAP-1A engine on March 30, 2018, a critical milestone that paves the way for the Airbus A320neo validated type certification and enabling aircraft operations in China.

The document signed by the CAAC validates the original European Aviation Safety Administration (EASA) type certificate issued May 31, 2016 for all LEAP-1A thrust ratings.

“This effort is a great example of true cooperation between several different entities,” said Gaël Méheust, president and CEO of CFM International. “Teams from both our parent companies worked diligently with the CAAC and EASA to achieve this certification as quickly and efficiently as possible. We are looking forward to our many customers in China reaping all the efficiency and asset utilization benefits the LEAP-1A engine will bring to their operations.”