Air International 2018-11
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M.Broadbent - A320neo /Commercial/
A320neo D-AVYA (msn 6286) was one of the flight test aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1100G-JM turbofans.
One of the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM-powered A320neos during flight testing. The initial example of the neo powered by this engine option was due for delivery to Lufthansa by the end of January 2016.
The baseline A320neo variant seats 165 two-class or up 194 maximum and has a range of 3,500 nautical miles.
Large engine fan diameters, 81in (2.057m) on the PW1127G-JM and 78in (1.981m) on the LEAP-1A, are one of the principal visual features of the A320neo variants.
A320neo launch operator Lufthansa has recently topped-up its order for the type.
Robots on the new fourth production line in Hamburg, opened this year. Airbus wants to increase automation to speed up assembly and in turn increase delivery rates.
Providing around 4% of the A320neo’s 15% fuel burn reduction on previous-generation A320s are the Sharklet wingtip devices, initially introduced as a retrofit for A320ceos.
Issues with the Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1100G-JM have disrupted deliveries to several operators, including Spirit Airlines.
The CFM International LEAP-1A is one of two engine options on the A320neo variants, pictured here on easyJet's first A320neo delivered in 2017.
The initial A320neo Family aircraft from the Mobile, Alabama production line was Hawaiian Airlines' A321neo N212HA (msn 8129).
Turkish Airlines was the initial customer to opt for Cabin-Flex in its A321neo, receiving TC-LSA (msn 8155, formerly D-AZAQ) in July 2018.
A321LR test aircraft D-AVZO (msn 7877) at Mahe in the Seychelles ahead of a 4,750-nautical-mile flight to Toulouse in April 2018, flown to test and demonstrate the subvariant's range capability.
The Airbus A321LR, the long-range version of the A321neo due for service entry later this year, recently undertook a 4,750 nautical mile (8,797km) flight from Mahe in Seychelles to Toulouse as part of the variant's 100-flying-hour certification testing programme. Airbus said this is a new distance record for a single-aisle narrowbody. The flight followed A321LR hot weather testing performed at Sharjah International Airport in the United Arab Emirates. The A321LR's certification and service entry is expected later this year.