First Airbus A320neo enters service with Lufthansa

FRANKFURT, Germany, 22 Jan. 2016. Lufthansa officials took possession of the first Airbus A320neo airliner with the new engine option (neo). The airline group is the first to enter the new Airbus A320neo into service -- a much-anticipated event five years in the making and part of Lufthansa’s strategy toward a "three-liter fleet" (per passenger and 100 kilometers) and significant noise reduction.

"The cutting-edge technologies of Airbus and Pratt & Whitney make the A320neo the most efficient and quietest aircraft for short- and medium-haul flights by far. The lower fuel consumption results in lower CO2 emissions and gives the A320neo a significantly improved carbon footprint. The new engine technology also makes the aircraft significantly quieter," says Carsten Spohr, chairman of the board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. "Today we are proving once again that we as an aviation and airline group are pioneers in the development and introduction of technological innovations. This year alone Lufthansa will take possession of a total of 52 new aircraft for the group’s airlines."

The A320neo stood out for customers based on its new engines and improved aerodynamics made possible by Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines and sharklets on the wings, respectively. The aircraft is 15 percent more fuel efficient than today's comparable models and shows impressive noise-reduction figures, officials say. The 85 decibel maximum noise-level contour of a starting A320neo is roughly half that of the current A320. In accordance with certification standards, the cumulative noise emissions are about 29.8 dB below the applicable ICAO limits, which represents a significant advance in terms of noise and emissions reduction compared to the current fleet.

The PW1100G engines with "Geared Turbofan" technology leads to a significant reduction in noise levels and fuel consumption through the transformation of drive power. Sixty neo-aircraft with PW1100G engines will be delivered to the Lufthansa Group.

All new A320neo and A321neo aircraft will be equipped with vortex generators on delivery, which have an additional noise-reducing effect. The wings are fitted with newly developed wingtips: 2.4-meter-long winglets (sharklets) provide aerodynamic advantages that lend to fuel savings.

The first Lufthansa Airbus A320neo with the registration D-AINA (MSN 6801) will be used for its first commercial flight to Hamburg on 24 January.

The A320neo has a total of 180 seats for Business Class and Economy Class passengers. Inside the cabin, the galleys and lavatories in the front and back of the aircraft have been newly arranged, allowing for a more efficient use of available space.

The Lufthansa Group has ordered a total of 116 neo-type aircraft, 45 of them the larger A321neo version. These new aircraft are intended for Lufthansa and Swiss airlines. This order represents an investment of $13.3 billion U.S. dollars according to list price.

By the end of 2016, a total of five A320neo aircraft should have been handed over to Lufthansa and also be in use at the Lufthansa hub Frankfurt. The Lufthansa Group fleet is undergoing a fundamental renewal: The Group’s order shows a total of 251 brand-new aircraft at a list price value of about 40 billion euros to date which are to be delivered by 2025.