Lufthansa today shared details of their most recent aircraft order that is geared to improve SWISS’ and Eurowings’ fleet. In all, Lufthansa placed an order for 25 Airbus A320 aircraft, comprised of 15 NEOs and 10 CEOs.
For those of you unfamiliar with the A320NEO, it is Airbus’ latest version of the A320 ‘enhanced’ series of aircraft. This aircraft has been under development since 2010 and features substantial improvements over previous A320 models. Specifically, the ‘NEO’ comes with sweeping ‘Sharklets’ instead of traditional wingtips as well as a new air purification system and cabin interior designed for greater luggage capacity.
Wondering what the NEO stands for? It is short hand for ‘New Engine Option‘ which is basically the descriptor being used by airbus to advertise the fact that the new engines will 15% more fuel efficient and reduce operating expenses by 8%. Operators will have the choice between the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G or CFM International LEAP-1A engine to power their NEOs. This new-found efficiency will increase range by 500 miles and allow for 20 more passengers to be stowed on board. Test flights of the NEO should be starting shortly.
The Lufthansa Group has ordered 15 of these A320s that will enter service with SWISS beginning in 2019.
Airbus’ newest A320 is set to enter service in late 2015
The other half of the order involves the purchase of 10 A320CEO aircraft that will be used to replace the Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft currently in use by Eurowings. The CEO, or Current Engine Option, version of the A320 is currently being delivered to airlines. Some of the newer CEO aircraft feature large sharklets instead of traditional wing tips to help improve stability and fuel economy. The CEO version is powered by the CFM International CFM56 engine. Eurowings will take delivery of these aircraft in 2016 and 2017.
At list prices, this order comes at a cost of 2.5 billion Euro and is in addition to the 240 aircraft that the Lufthansa Group currently has on order at a cost of 30 billion Euro that will be delivered by 2025.
