Safran Aircraft Engines is to create a new foundry works in Rennes, Brittany, to manufacture turbine blades for its M88 and LEAP engine programmes. Safran Turbine Airfoils will employ around 200 people, with potential expansion in the future.

The new facility will be operational in 2027 and will further extend the company’s global production network for advanced fan blades.

Said Safran chief executive Olivier Andriès: “The strategic decision to locate Safran Turbine Airfoils here in France reflects our support for the country’s national sovereignty and industry renaissance. We want to make Safran Turbine Airfoils a showcase of our flair for innovation, industrial efficiency and energy performance.”

Added Jean-Paul Alary, chief executive of Safran Aircraft Engines: “Safran Turbine Airfoils will help us meet the challenges of ramping up production of the M88 combat aircraft engine — most parts for which are made in France — and strengthen the LEAP supply chain by making some of the more critical engine parts in France.”

The new facility will work closely with the company’s historic foundry in Gennevilliers, near Paris.
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