Article from BTNews 10 APRIL 2017
Maiden flight for A319neo
Airbus has completed the maiden flight of the first A319neo, the smallest member of what the manufacturer claims is the world’s best-selling single-aisle product line, the A320neo Family.
The aircraft, powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines and flown by test pilots Michel Gagneux and Eckard Hausser, took off from Hamburg and landed in Toulouse after a 5hr flight.
The flight was the occasion for the crew to assess the general handling of the aircraft and to check the main systems. Registered as D-AVWA, the aircraft will be based in Toulouse while it completes the test programme.
Airbus says the A320neo Family has received more than 5,000 orders from 90-plus customers, capturing an almost 60% share of the market. The fleet incorporates latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklet wing tip devices.
Together, these are said to deliver more than 15% in fuel savings from day one and 20% by 2020, while wide cabins offer improved comfort in all classes, including 18in wide seats in Economy as standard.
Airbus says with one aircraft in three sizes – A319neo, A320neo and A321neo – the product line, seating 100 to 240 passengers, “seamlessly covers the entire single-aisle segment from low to high-density domestic to longer range routes”.
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