The United States did not permanently discontinue CFM LEAP-1C engine sales to COMAC, according to the available reporting. In May 2025, the Commerce Department said some export licenses had been suspended during a review; Reuters reported in July that GE Aerospace had been told it could restart shipments, including LEAP-1C engines for China’s C919. The status of export permissions and shipments after that July report has not been established here.
What happened to LEAP-1C shipments?
The 2025 action was reported as a temporary export-control interruption followed by permission to restart shipments—not as a confirmed permanent end to sales.
| Date | Reported action | What it meant for the C919 |
|---|---|---|
| May 2025 | Reuters reported that the U.S. was reviewing exports of strategic significance to China. A Commerce Department spokesperson told Reuters: “In some cases, Commerce has suspended existing export licenses or imposed additional license requirements while the review is pending.” | Aviation equipment was among the affected sectors, and Reuters identified the C919’s LEAP-1C as an overseas-supplied component subject to U.S. export clearance. |
| July 3, 2025 | Reuters reported that the U.S. had told GE Aerospace it could restart jet-engine shipments to COMAC. The reported lifted suspensions included LEAP-1C engines. | The report indicated that engine shipments for the C919 could resume. It was based on people familiar with the matter; GE and the Commerce Department did not publicly comment to Reuters at the time. |
China’s Embassy spokesperson in Washington told Reuters that China “firmly opposes the US’s overstretching the concept of national security, abusing export controls, and maliciously blocking and suppressing China.” That was the embassy’s response to the export-control actions, not evidence that shipments remained suspended after July.
Why does the C919 rely on the LEAP-1C?
CFM International is a 50/50 joint company between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines. GE Aerospace says COMAC selected the LEAP-1C in December 2009 as the C919’s sole Western powerplant. The installation is an integrated propulsion system combining the engine, nacelle and thrust reverser, designed alongside the aircraft pylon.
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Because the engine incorporates U.S.-controlled technology, its export to China requires U.S. clearance, according to aviation consultant Dan Taylor, quoted by the Associated Press. Taylor described that dependence as “inherently sensitive to political shifts.”
Did the interruption stop or explain C919 production?
The Associated Press reported that the license interruption around May disrupted C919 output plans and that licenses resumed in July. That does not establish that export controls were the sole cause of the aircraft’s production pace. AP also noted that production decisions involve operational considerations and quality and safety priorities.
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The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s 2025 report said COMAC delivered 13 C919 aircraft in 2024, equal to 7% of domestic demand against a 10% target. Those are figures for 2024 deliveries and the target cited in that report; they are not a current production or delivery count.
Has a Chinese engine replaced the LEAP-1C?
No replacement in C919 service is established by the cited reporting. The Associated Press described China’s CJ-1000A, intended as a domestic alternative, as still under testing. In its 2025 report, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission said efforts to commercialize the engine had yet to yield results. These dated assessments do not show that the CJ-1000A has replaced the LEAP-1C in service.
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What is the status now?
The July 2025 restart report does not establish the export-license or shipment status on October 4, 2026. The sources cited here do not resolve whether permissions or shipments changed after that report, so it would be inaccurate to describe either an ongoing suspension or an uninterrupted current flow as confirmed.
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