Aerospace firm Safran will construct a new plant in Hyderabad, India, to make parts for the LEAP turbofan engine.

The LEAP engine is manufactured by CFM International, which is a 50/50 joint venture company between Safran and GE.

To be built by Safran Aircraft Engines, the proposed €36m plant will be located near the company’s electric wiring facility in the special economic zone (SEZ) of GMR.

With construction scheduled to begin in June, the 13,000m² plant will include 8,000m² of workshops. The first parts are targeted to be produced by early next year.

The plant will initially employ 50 staff to kick-start the operations before additional employees are hired to take the total workforce to 300.

“We want to fully support this dynamic by bolstering our investments and training programmes in the country.”

Safran CEO Philippe Petitcolin said: “We’re delighted to open a new chapter in our long history with the Indian aerospace industry, thus reasserting Safran’s commitment to our ‘Make in India’ strategy.

“Aerospace continues to be a significant driver of India’s growth, and we want to fully support this dynamic by bolstering our investments and training programmes in the country.”

The plant is expected to reach peak production in 2023 when it will have the capacity to manufacture 15,000 parts a year.

Safran noted that CFM’s LEAP engine production for this year is set to be 1,800 units, with output planned to be increased to 2,000 starting in 2020.

The new-generation LEAP engine entered service in 2016 and is deployed in more than 700 Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX commercial airliners.

The company expects to complete the LEAP engines harnesses and Rafale fighter electrical wiring interconnections systems manufacturing factory in the SEZ by mid-2019.