More than $100 million has been invested in developing and gaining FAA approval for a new aircraft engine turbine blade and building the Tampa-area manufacturing capabilities to produce it, with production now ramping through 2027 to meet demand from launch customer Lufthansa Technik.
Chromalloy received FAA certification for the high-pressure turbine Stage 1 blade used in the V2500 Select engine, marking the fifth V2500 Parts Manufacturer Approval, or PMA, completed through its development agreement with Lufthansa Technik. The certification allows Chromalloy to sell the blade as an FAA-approved replacement for the original manufacturer’s component.
The investment covered the blade’s design, development and certification as well as the Tampa-area smelting, casting, machining and coating operations needed to manufacture it. Chromalloy also established new anti-corrosion and multilayer thermal-barrier coating capabilities for the component, adding another step to a high-pressure turbine blade operation spread across Tampa, Oldsmar and Palm Beach Gardens.
Production will increase through the remainder of 2026 and into 2027, with first shipments expected soon to Lufthansa Technik—the roughly 23,000-person aircraft maintenance company that overhauls V2500 engines for airline customers.
“This fifth approval reflects significant engineering investment and the strength of our relationship with Lufthansa Technik,” Chromalloy CEO Chris Celtruda said. “Chromalloy remains at the forefront of innovative aftermarket solutions for high-value engine airfoil applications, and we’re proud to keep expanding the value we deliver to Lufthansa Technik, our launch customer, and other airline operators and MROs across the globe.”
The newly approved blade joins more than 60 gas-path PMA parts Chromalloy has taken through the FAA, a replacement-parts portfolio the company says has accumulated more than 6 billion part flight hours.
“Each new approval adds a proven, cost-efficient option for their V2500 fleets,” Sebastian Hagenmueller, Lufthansa Technik’s head of V2500 overhaul, said. “We are pleased to bring this offering to market together with Chromalloy.”
More components for midlife aircraft engines are expected to enter FAA review later this year as Chromalloy ramps production of the V2500 blade.