Airbus to Offer New Engine Options for A320 Family

Airbus is to offer its customers of A320 Family aircraft new fuel saving engines as an option.

Airlines will have the choice between CFM International’s LEAP-X engine and Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1100G engine. Known as the A320neo, this new engine option also incorporates fuel-saving large wing tip devices called Sharklets. Airbus will start deliveries of the A320neo Family in spring 2016.

Airbus says the A320neo will not only deliver significant fuel savings of up to 15%, which represents up to 3,600 tonnes of CO2 savings annually per A320neo, but A320neo customers will also benefit from a double-digit reduction in NOx emissions, reduced engine noise, lower operating costs and up to 500nm (950 km) more range or two tonnes more payload.

Airbus forecasts a market potential of 4,000 A320neo Family aircraft over the next 15 years.

“We are confident that the A320neo will be a great success across all markets and with all types of operators, offering them maximum benefit with minimum change. We are leveraging a reliable, mature aircraft and are making it even more efficient and environmentally friendly,” said Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO.

“Finding the necessary resources for the A320neo wasn't exactly a walk in the park,” Enders added. “The enabler was to devise a stringent phasing of critical engineering assets throughout our various development programmes and to optimise the management and organisation of all our programmes and R&T projects. Our international engineering centres, suppliers and partners play a big role in this.”

The new engine option is offered on the A321, A320 and A319 models which will require limited modifications, primarily to the wing and pylon areas.

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