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Airbus Reveals A320 NEO

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Jetstar will receive 18 new fuel efficient aircraft between 2020 and 2022.


The longer range means direct flights from East Coast of Australia to Bali, not previously possible with A320 aircraft


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A320neo aircraft engines: CFM achieves 56% share of orders; Pratt & Whitney remains active

 

CFM International and Pratt & Whitney have been competing to supply engines for the A320neo family since the neo programme was launched in late 2010. CFM has so far accounted for 57% of deliveries and currently accounts for 56% of all A320neo family engine orders, according to the CAPA Fleet Database.

While Pratt & Whitney is behind, the gap with CFM is relatively small, given the multiple delays encountered by Pratt & Whitney. There are nearly 2,500 A320neo family aircraft on order that still do not have an engine allocation, providing ample opportunity for Pratt & Whitney to narrow the gap.
Royal Brunei Airlines recently become the second A320neo family customer to switch engine suppliers, dropping its initial contracts with Pratt & Whitney in favour of CFM. However, these two customers account for only 3% of the orders placed with CFM.

 

See: https://centreforaviation.com/insights/analysis/a320neo-aircraft-engines-cfm-achieves-56-share-of-orders-pratt--whitney-remains-active-401868

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Vietnam's FLC Group in tentative deal for 24 A321neos

 

Vietnam's FLC Group and Airbus have signed memorandum of understanding for 24 A321neos.
The aircraft would be delivered between 2022-2025 and will be operated by startup Vietnamese carrier, Bamboo Airways, which has yet to receive government approval, says FLC.
Should Bamboo Airways get off the ground, it has plans to order 24 A321LRs, pushing its fleet to 48.

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India unilaterally grounded all Airbus SE narrow-body planes powered by the latest Pratt & Whitney engines after a series of in-flight incidents prompted the local regulator to question the safety of the aircraft.


A320neo jetliners with Pratt engines featuring a seal that’s been found to cause vibrations will no longer be able to fly, India’s DGCA said in a statement Monday. European regulators had deemed the planes safe if featuring only one affected turbine.



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Leap Engine Deliveries To Airbus Still Challenging

 

The one-month average delay in the delivery of Leap 1A engines for the Airbus A320neo family can be described as a challenge, but CFM International’s performance also can be seen as remarkably close to the target schedule, given the scale of the production ramp-up. Nevertheless, Safran and General Electric (partners in the CFM joint venture) and their suppliers are looking for ways to clear the bottlenecks that are holding up deliveries.
Every engine manufacturer in commercial aviation has recently experienced some sort of manufacturing difficulty, affecting the related aircraft’s delivery schedule. Airbus CEO Tom Enders criticized CFM in February for shipping engines late. Safran has at least warned that increasing Leap production would be a daunting task. “In just four years, we will achieve a Leap production rate higher than the current rate for the CFM56—a rate that took us 35 years to reach,” Safran Aircraft Engines CEO Olivier Andries reiterated last year. Safran’s final assembly line (FAL) in Melun Villaroche, near Paris, handles all Leap 1As and some Leap 1Bs for the Boeing 737 MAX .

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ANALYSIS: What operators have to say about the A320neo

 

Nearly three years on from first delivery, the Airbus A320neo family is, in sales terms, an undoubted success story. More than 60 operators have the aircraft in service.
However, a significant number of these have had to contend with either engine-related performance issues or late aircraft deliveries. Perhaps partly as a consequence of this, several operators declined to be interviewed by FlightGlobal about their in-service experience with the re-engined narrowbody.
Still, where fuel burn is concerned, the aircraft appear to excel. When Lufthansa's Klaus Froese – chief executive of the airline's Frankfurt hub and active line captain – scans A320neo cockpit instruments at cruising altitude, his eyes often stop at the "really fantastic" fuel-flow indications, he says, describing the figures as "noticeably different" from what he is used to seeing on the airline's older A320s.
An engine's fuel flow is usually measured in thousands of kilograms per hour, but the figure for the re-engined narrowbodies frequently drops to three digits. "You notice [the fuel savings] when you fly the aeroplane – not just in terms of book-keeping at the office desk," says Froese.
Having selected Pratt & Whitney's PW1100G geared turbofan for an initial A320neo fleet, Lufthansa became the aircraft's launch operator in 2016, after Qatar Airways declined the role. The Middle Eastern carrier's decision was linked to technical issues with the GTF powerplant.
Lufthansa opted to equip about half of its on-order A320neo fleet with the alternative CFM International Leap-1A engine. Deliveries of these aircraft are scheduled to begin in 2021.
MORE POWER, LESS FUEL
From a pilot's perspective, the new engines have provided a quieter, more comfortable flightdeck. In addition, there have been minor updates to the cockpit information and menu navigation within the flight management system. By Froese's account, the new twinjet is "fun" to fly for pilots, as it has more thrust and a better climb performance than the A320ceo.
This view is echoed by AirAsia, which, having introduced its first Leap-powered A320neo in 2016, says the aircraft "feels more powerful [to pilots], and has a distinctive engine sound". The airline notes that A320neo operations are "very similar to the A320ceo, with only minor variations to standard operating procedures".
Lufthansa says its A320neos are fulfilling P&W's promise of 16% fuel savings versus previous-generation aircraft.
The airline has calculated that on a per-seat basis its 180-seat Neos deliver a fuel saving of 21% versus its oldest A320s, which can accommodate 168 passengers. Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that the oldest aircraft in Lufthansa's roughly 180-strong A320-family fleet are 29 years old and powered by CFM56-5As.
Avianca tells FlightGlobal that its Leap-powered A320neos offer 15-20% lower fuel consumption in cruise than first-generation Ceos – a saving the Colombian carrier's engineering director Adolfo Carvajal describes as "huge" on flights longer than 4h.
However, the introduction of Airbus's updated "bread and butter" aircraft has been marred by multiple engine issues – largely centred on, but not limited to, the GTF – and delivery delays resulting from production and supply-chain hold-ups.
All new aircraft are affected – to varying degrees – by teething issues. What has made the A320neo situation more painful – for operators, Airbus, and suppliers – is the high production rate at which the switchover from the A320ceo is taking place.
Full article here:

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This will make IndiGo as Airbus's largest customer. 730 A320neo family alone!

It will take some time before someone else can take over the crown.

IndiGo has following new aircraft order placed with Airbus:

  1. 860 A320 family (both ceo and neo): 130 A320ceo family, 730 A320neo family
  2. 50 ATR 72

As a comparison, taking out used aircraft and order cancellation, AirAsia Group collectively only have 743 new aircraft order placed with Airbus.

  1. 640 A320 family (both ceo and neo): 207 A320ceo, 40 A320neo, 30 A321XLR, 353 A321neo
  2. 103 A330 family (both ceo and neo)

AirAsia Group has 423 A320neo family on order. (40 A320neo, 30 A321XLR, 353 A321neo)

Edited by JuliusWong

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I have doubts if Indigo or Airasia will have a fleet size as big as South West's for some time to come.

The main reason for such big orders is to secure big discounts and delivery slots for their new aircraft. LCCs have high aircraft utilisation rates and their aircraft wear out quicker due to intensive use. I think both Indigo and Airasia will retire their older A320 CEOs as and when it is time to do so. 

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Surprisingly IndiGo turnover their aircraft very fast, but not AirAsia. They have been shuffling their fleet among their subsidiaries, except for those 8 they have sold.

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I think that is because AirAsia used to own their aircraft, via AAC. Now that the aircraft is sold, u can expect the older leased aircraft to be replaced by newer more fuel efficient Neos.

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2 hours ago, Pall said:

That one of their way to make money, selling slots.

Not really, AirAsia and IndiGo have been taking all their allocated slot for real delivery. Airbus is not producing fast enough for them, hence both are taking used aircraft from secondary market. They didn't sell any of their slot thus far. Norwegian did so though.

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Well Airasia has also taken additional CEOs from Airbus because of the engine shortage on the NEO production line. They need the aircraft and they got their hands on anything they could find.

Edited by flee

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A321XLR metal-cut commences as structures supplier list firms up

Airbus has cut the first metal for the initial A321XLR and completed selection of suppliers for the long-range aircraft’s key components.

The A321XLR, an evolution of the A321neo, was unveiled at the Paris air show last year and is intended to operate across a range up to 4,700nm.

Airbus has cut the first metal for the centre wing-box at its Nantes facility while French aerospace firm Safran, which is responsible for nose- and main landing-gear, has commenced production of undercarriage forgings.

The aircraft is “moving from concept to reality”, says the airframer which plans to begin flight-testing the A321XLR in 2022.

More: https://www.flightglobal.com/programmes/a321xlr-metal-cut-commences-as-structures-supplier-list-firms-up/138001.article

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Airbus prepares to boost production of world’s most popular passenger jet

Aerospace manufacturer aims to lift output of A320neo single-aisle aircraft from second half of next year

Airbus is aiming to boost production of its popular A320neo family of single-aisle aircraft by close to 18 per cent from the second half of next year in a rare piece of good news for an industry that has been devastated by the impact of the coronavirus crisis.
 

https://t.co/70dMhYF9wK?amp=1

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First A321XLR development aircraft undergoes final assembly

The very first A321XLR flight test aircraft, MSN11000, took a major step forward this week in becoming reality. This is the first of three planned development aircraft which will perform the flight testing and Type Certification programme -- starting in 2022, to pave the way for series production and entry into service in 2023.

More:  First A321XLR development aircraft undergoes final assembly

Edited by flee

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