Brazilian airline operator Azul has taken delivery of the first of 13 Airbus A321neo aircraft ordered by the company.

The aircraft was delivered by CDB Aviation, a wholly owned Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co.

Equipped with CFM International’s Leap-1A engines, the new Airbus aircraft seats up to 214 passengers. It is the first A321NX version of the Neo family.

The airline will deploy the A321neo on its ‘high-density’ domestic routes. The aircraft features larger overhead bins, mood lighting and individual touchscreen inflight entertainment to offer a modernised in-flight experience for customers.

Azul CEO John Rodgerson said: “The A321neo is an important milestone for Azul once it will allow the company to simultaneously grow its route network and become more efficient. Customers will enjoy the extra legroom of our Espaco Azul product, as well as free unlimited snacks and drinks.

“The new Airbus will also feature individual seat-back touch screen entertainment with stored content and soon to come streaming live-TV and Wi-Fi.”

The aircraft is expected to help Azul reduce fuel burn and unit costs while enhancing performance efficiency.

Earlier this year, Azul took delivery of its first Pratt & Whitney’s GTF engines powered E195-E2 aircraft leased from AerCap.

The airline is considered to be the largest carrier in the country based on the number of cities served and daily flight departures. It operates 910 flights to 114 destinations every day.

The airline currently has a fleet of 133 aircraft and a network of 237 non-stop routes.