TransAsia Airways orders six A321neo aircraft
TransAsia Airways of Taiwan announced today that it has placed a firm order with Airbus for six A321neo aircraft. The new aircraft will enable the airline to respond to strong growth on regional services, especially on direct routes between Taiwan and mainland China. TransAsia will announce an engine selection for the new aircraft in the near future.
TransAsia Airways currently operates five A321s and two A320s on domestic and regional services. In addition to the order announced today, the airline already has six sharklet-fitted A321s on order for future delivery.
"With 18 years of successful operations with the A320 Family we have benefited from the low operating costs and exceptional reliability offered by the Airbus single aisle product line,” explained Vincent Lin, Chairman, of TransAsia Airways. “The A321neo will fit seamlessly into our existing fleet from an operational viewpoint, bringing new levels of fuel efficiency and having less impact on our environment."
“This order from TransAsia represents another vote of confidence from the Asian region in the latest versions of the best-selling A320 Family," said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer, Customers, Airbus. "No other aircraft in the 185-220 seat category will come close to the levels of efficiency offered by the A321neo, which will fly further at significantly less cost than the latest version of its direct competitor."
The A321neo is the largest model in the recently launched A320neo series. Incorporating new engines and large wing tip devices called sharklets, the A320neo series will deliver fuel savings of 15 percent and additional range capability of 500 nautical miles (950 kilometers), or the ability to carry two tonnes more payload at a given range. For the environment, the fuel savings translate into some 3,600 tonnes less CO2 per aircraft per year. In addition, the A320neo will provide a double-digit reduction in NOx emissions and reduced engine noise.
The A320 Family (A318, A319, A320 and A321) is recognised as the benchmark single-aisle aircraft family. Over 7,000 A320 Family aircraft have already been ordered and more than 4,700 delivered to more than 330 customers and operators worldwide. The A320neo series will have over 95% airframe commonality with the existing models, enabling it to fit easily into existing A320 Family fleets.
The new engines types offered on the A320neo Family are CFM International’s LEAP-X and Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1100G.
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