PARIS, July 31 (Reuters) - Aircraft parts maker Howmet

Aerospace ( HWM ) supplies a key component at the centre of

recent delays in LEAP jet engine production, the head of one of

the engine maker's parent companies said on Wednesday.

Supplies of high-pressure turbine blades for the engines

were disrupted when the production yield - or proportion of

output that meets quality criteria - fell in April and May, but

the yields have partially recovered in recent weeks, Safran

CEO Olivier Andries told reporters.

Howmet could not immediately be reached out of U.S. office

hours.