A320neo, A330neo programs off to a great start

I have said in recent columns that 2014 is the year of the A350, and that is true. However, it is also turning out to be the year of the NEO.

A few weeks ago, the A320neo had its first flight, kicking off a 3,000 hour flight test program and paving the way for the aircraft’s entry into service at the end of next year with Qatar. The flight, which lasted almost two and a half hours, was flown by Airbus Test Pilots and Flight Test Engineers around southern France. From across the Atlantic, A320neo customers throughout Latin America beaned with pride. Many took to social media to share pictures and videos of the flight (see Spotted section), while others sent out press releases and internal memos on the occasion. In fact it was a very special occasion, because the first flight means Avianca, Interjet, LATAM, VivaAerobus and Volaris are one step closer to adding the incredibly popular aircraft to their fleets. The A320neo will represent a much-anticipated 14 percent lower cash operating costs and up to 20 percent less fuel burn per passenger, a reduction that equals two million liters of fuel and 5,000 tons of CO2 per year, per aircraft.

Thanks to the credibility and success of the A330 Family, plus everything we learned from the development of the A320neo Family, this year also marked the launch of the A330neo program. During the Farnborough Airshow, Airbus surprised many by introducing the newest members to its market-leading wide body Family. The A330-800neo and A330-900neo, will incorporate the latest generation Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, a number of aerodynamic enhancements and new cabin features. A shortened development cycle will allow customers to benefit sooner from its unbeatable economics, versatility and high reliability allowing operators to reduce fuel consumption by 14 percent per seat are making it the most cost efficient, medium-long range wide body aircraft on the market. With deliveries starting at the end of 2017, the A330neo was the logical evolution of our reliable and versatile A330 Family, providing the perfect solution for airlines looking to minimize their fuel and operating costs. Like its market-leading smaller sister (A320neo), we are confident this new aircraft will be a success in the widebody market.

Airbus finds itself in a privileged place these days, able to leverage the proven track records and operator bases of the widely successful A320 and A330 Families to make their NEO variants even more efficient with the latest innovations and technology developments.