18 January 2011
The recently announced Airbus A320neo “eco-efficient” aircraft has gained its first firm customer as Virgin America ordered 30 of the new engine option aircraft as part of a commitment to buy a total of 60 A320s. The airline has yet to announce which of the two engine options it will select to power the new A320neo: CFM International’s LEAP-X or Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1100G. The aircraft will be fitted with fuel-saving Sharklet fuel-saving large wing tip devices. Airbus says the A320neo responds to “heightened customer environmental interest”, offering a 15% reduction in fuel consumption and carbon emissions – representing an average annual saving of around 3,600 tonnes of CO2 per aircraft – along with a double-digit reduction in nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions and lower engine noise levels. The Virgin America deal means that Airbus has now passed the 1,000th order for its aircraft.
Virgin America was founded in August 2007 and today has a fleet of 34 aircraft, which the airline expects to increase to 111 by 2019. First deliveries of the A320neo are due in early 2016.
Virgin America claims to have one of the most carbon-efficient operations in the United States, employing practices such as single-engine taxiing, using advanced avionics to fly more efficiently and ‘cost index’ flying – the practice of regulating cruising speeds to reduce fuel burn.