Airbus Delivers A320neo to Lufthansa
January 20 2016 - 11:50AM
Dow Jones News
Airbus Group SE made the first delivery of its newest airliner,
the A320neo, to Deutsche Lufthansa AG on Wednesday, after missing
an end-of-year deadline.
Airbus was forced to delay the first delivery of its new plane,
initially planned for December, after it and engine maker Pratt
& Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp., failed to get
all required documentation ready in time.
Lufthansa Chief Executive Carsten Spohr said, "We are pleased to
be the first airline in the world to take possession of the Airbus
A320neo today."
He said the event signaled the German carrier's commitment to
introducing advanced technology. The airline will introduce 52 new
planes this year alone, Mr. Spohr said. The company's Swiss
International Air Lines unit is due to receive the first CSeries
jet built by Canada's Bombardier Inc. this year as well.
The A320neo, for a new engine option, will be 15% more efficient
than existing narrowbodies, the Toulouse, France-based manufacturer
has promised. The plane features new engines, designed to consume
less fuel, and other enhancements.
Toulouse-based Airbus has already booked more than 4,400 orders
for the new plane, making it its fastest selling aircraft. The A320
family of planes being replaced first entered service in 1988.
Fabrice Bré gier, CEO of Airbus's jetliner unit, called the
milestone "a truly great day" for the company.
Strong demand drove Airbus to decide last year to boost output
of single-aisle planes. The aircraft maker plans to build at least
60 A320-type planes a month from mid-2019. It currently builds on
average 42 planes a month.
The A320 underpinned Airbus's success to become the biggest
rival to Boeing Co., the world's largest plane maker. Airbus's
A320neo has outsold Boeing's 737 Max, a similar upgrade the
Chicago-based company is making to its narrowbody jet. Boeing plans
to deliver the first 737 Max aircraft in 2017.
Qatar Airways, which was due to be the first A320neo operator,
stepped back from that position while engine maker Pratt &
Whitney worked on some upgrades.
Airbus also is working with a joint venture with General
Electric Co. and France's Safran SA on an alternative engine for
the A320neo family of jetliners. Planes powered by that engine are
planned for first customer deliveries later this year.
Airbus is building three versions of the new plane, which
typically seat between 140 and 240 passengers. The smallest
version, the A319neo, has a list price of $97.5 million, with the
largest version, the A321neo, retailing for $124.4 million.
Airlines typically get hefty discounts from those prices.
The first A320neo was delivered from Airbus's production
facility in Hamburg. The company also builds single-aisle jets in
Toulouse and Tianjin, China, and is setting up a final assembly
line in Mobile, Ala. Airbus plans to deliver the first of the
single-aisle planes built in the U.S. to JetBlue Airways Corp. in
the spring.
Lufthansa has ordered 101 of the upgraded jets, with plans to
take 61 A320neo models and 40 of the slightly larger A321neo
version, according to Airbus's order book.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 20, 2016 11:35 ET (16:35 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024