JetBlue

American airline JetBlue Airways has placed an order for 35 new Airbus aircraft, including 15 A321ceo and 20 A321neo jets, valued at around $4bn.

The latest deal comes just days JetBlue Airways received its very first A321 aircraft, and marks the 10,000th order for Airbus A320 Family aircraft.

JetBlue also opted to upsize eight A320ceo and ten A320neo aircraft that are currently on backlog to eight A321ceo and ten A321neo respectively.

JetBlue president and CEO Dave Barger said: "The A321 is the ideal aircraft for our high-density markets.

"In addition, a subfleet of the A321s will power our Mint premium service on the New York-Los Angeles and New York-San Francisco markets."

The A320neo is the latest addition to the A320 Family, and features fuel-efficient engines which bring enhanced range, as well as Sharklets that cut fuel consumption by up to 4%.

"The A321 is the ideal aircraft for our high-density markets."

The new order, with JetBlue as a partner, marks the launch of the Sharklet retrofit programme, which provides the airlines that are currently flying A320ceo aircraft with an option to optimise aircraft’s performance with Sharklets.

Airbus said JetBlue will be the first carrier worldwide to take delivery of an aircraft from its newest assembly facility that is currently under construction in Mobile, Alabama.

The facility will generate 1,000 new jobs in the US Gulf Coast region, and is part of the plan to improve Airbus’ global competitiveness by addressing the growing needs of its customers in the US and other countries.

Separately, JetBlue also announced a delay of the delivery of its 24 Embraer E190 aircraft from 2020 to 2022.

Image: JetBlue’s latest order marks the 10,000th order for Airbus A320 Family aircraft. Photo: courtesy of Airbus.

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