Neo

Airbus has delivered its first A320neo aircraft to German carrier Deutsche Lufthansa, also known as Lufthansa.

Said to be one of the most fuel efficient single aisle planes, A320neo is powered by Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower geared turbofan engines and is equipped with Sharklet wing tip devices.

Compared to other aircraft, A320neo consumes 15% less fuel and reduces noise and emissions.

According to Airbus, the new aircraft in the company’s narrow body family will consume 20% less fuel by 2020, with further improvement.

Deutsche Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said: "With lower fuel consumption and consequently lower CO2 emissions, the A320neo has a clearly improved environmental performance.

"Furthermore, the new jet engine technology makes the aircraft considerably quieter.

"With lower fuel consumption and consequently lower CO2 emissions, the A320neo has a clearly improved environmental performance."

"As a result, we have ordered a total of 116 aircraft of this type for the airlines of the Lufthansa Group."

This year, Lufthansa expects to take delivery of 52 new aircraft.

During its 60 years of operation, Lufthansa has ordered 582 aircraft, including 386 A320s, of which 116 are neo variants (71 A320neo and 45 A321neo) from Airbus.

Airbus president Fabrice Brégier said: "Handing over the first A320neo to a world leading airline and long standing Airbus customer, Lufthansa, is a truly great day for everyone at Airbus.

"This occasion marks a new step forward to delivering on our promises and meeting our industry’s goal for sustainable aviation.

"The A320neo embodies Airbus’s passion and commitment to deliver maximum value and efficiency to our customers through continuous innovations."

Since its launch in 2010, A320neo has received 4,500 orders from nearly 80 customers.

Airbus previously planned to deliver the first A320neo by the end of 2015, but postponed delivery due to documentation issues with the plane.

Image: Lufthansa takes delivery of first A320neo from Airbus. Photo: courtesy of Airbus.