Airbus Rolls Out the First A320neo

Airbus has completed assembly of the first A320neo.

Following the mounting of its Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM engines and painting of the aircraft, the manufacturer rolled out the first Airbus A320neo on July 1.

Airbus rolled out the first A320neo, complete and fully painted, on July 1, 2014

The aircraft, which Airbus has given the manufacturer’s serial number (MSN) 6101, will be the first A320neo to fly.

According to Airbus, MSN6101 will soon start a program of ground tests in preparation for its first flight.

The flight test campaign for the A320neo will kick off in September, paving the way for a planned entry into service in the fourth quarter of 2015.

The increased fan diameter of the engines on the A320neo compared with those on earlier A320-family models is evident from this photograph, taken when Airbus rolled out the first A320neo on July 1, 2014. The engines on the first test aircraft, MSN6101, are Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM geared turbofans

The A320neo “new engine option” incorporates many innovations, including latest-generation engines ‒ customers may choose between the PW1100G-JM and the CFM International LEAP-1A ‒ and Sharklet drag-reducing wing-tip devices.

Together these innovations deliver 15 per cent in fuel savings compared with current-generation A320s, and a reduction of 3,600 tonnes of C02 per aircraft per year, according to Airbus.

The manufacturer has received orders for nearly 2,700 Airbus A320neo-family aircraft, from more than 50 customers, since the company launched the A320neo program in 2010.