Eurowings Takes Delivery Of 1st Airbus A320neo
The first of 13 Airbus A320neo family aircraft destined for Eurowings arrived in Dusseldorf on April 1 as the start of the fleet's transformation.
On April 1, the first Eurowings Airbus A320neo aircraft arrived in Dusseldorf from Toulouse, the home of Airbus
According to flightradar24.com, flight EW1 left Toulouse Blagnac Airport (TLS) at 11:59 to travel the 943 kilometers to Dusseldorf International Airport (DUS), arriving at 13:34.
Thirteen A320neo family aircraft to join the Eurowings fleet, starting with an A320neo on April 1
The new aircraft, MSN 10758 and registered D-AENA, is planned to enter service in June and is the first of an expected 13 A320neo family jets to join the Eurowings fleet.
According to data from Planespotters.net, as of April 3, the total Eurowings fleet numbers 83 aircraft, made up of 31 A319, 49 A320-200, two Boeing 737-800, and one A321neo.
While the aircraft arrived last Friday, Eurowings had announced its arrival in November 2021. The airline said it was the first of eight A320neo it would be receiving between 2022 and 2024.
It has also foreshadowed that five Airbus A321neo are being added to the fleet, with deliveries starting from the (northern hemisphere) spring of 2023.
At the time of the November announcement, Jens Ritter was chief operating officer of Eurowings. He said,
"With the neos, Eurowings is getting brand-new, highly efficient aircraft equipped with the best technology currently available. This milestone investment in our fleet is an important signal for all our customers, but also a vote of confidence by the Lufthansa Group in the future viability of Eurowings."
The decision to go with the A320/321neo was obviously well received by parent company Lufthansa Group. Mr Ritter took over as Lufthansa Airlines CEO on the same day the new A320neo landed in Dusseldorf.
In an encouraging sign for those wanting to work their way to the top, Ritter started with Lufthansa as an A320 pilot and, after 21 years working with the group, now has the reins of the flagship airline.
Eurowings A320neos to be powered by CFM LEAP-1A engines
The Eurowings A320neos will be the first within the Lufthansa Group to be powered by CFM-LEAP-1A engines, with earlier deliveries using the Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan (GTF) 1100G.
While the GTF-1100G delivers on all its performance, noise, and emission reduction targets, its entry into service on the A320neo in January 2016 was plagued with problems. At one point, Airbus had an apron full of A320s parked in Toulouse that were dubbed gliders, waiting for the engine issues to be rectified.
In December 2021, P&W launched a new version of the GTF that it claimed would reduce fuel consumption by another 1% in the A320neo. The new engine will also be compatible with 100% sustainable aviation fuel.
Called the GTF Advantage, the new engine will become the new production standard for the A320neo family.
Tracking orders for individual Lufthansa Group customers is not simple. The Airbus Orders and Deliveries February 2022 report lists no aircraft orders for Eurowings, Eurowings Discover, SWISS, Edelweiss, Austrian, or Brussels airlines.
However, attributed to Lufthansa are 54 A320neo and 28 A321neo unfilled orders, with those 82 aircraft seemingly to be shared within the group.
In its 2021 Annual Report, Lufthansa reported it had 66 A320 aircraft to be delivered from 2022 to 2026 and 35 A321 from 2022 to 2027. These are from 175 Airbus and Boeing aircraft it has on order, plus options for a further 74 aircraft.
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