Positive start to Paris Air Show for Airbus & Rolls-Royce

Airbus and Rolls-Royce made a series of big announcements on the first day of the Paris Air Show.

New aircraft

Airbus launched the A321XLR to complement its best-selling A321neo family. Starting from 2023, the aircraft will deliver an unprecedented Xtra Long Range of up to 4,700nm – 15% more than the A321LR and with the same unbeatable fuel efficiency. With this added range, Airbus says airlines will be able to operate a lower-cost single-aisle aircraft on longer and less heavily travelled routes – many of which can now only be served by larger and less efficient wide-body aircraft.

 

ALC to order 100 aircraft

Air Lease Corporation, a Los Angeles-based aircraft leasing company, has signed a Letter of Intent for 100 Airbus aircraft, including for the first time 50 A220-300s and 27 A321XLRs. The agreement also includes an incremental order for an additional 23 A321neos. This latest order takes ALC’s cumulative orders to 387 Airbus aircraft, making it Airbus’ third largest lessor customer.

Virgin place A330 & Trent 7000 order

Virgin Atlantic announced it has selected 14 A330-900s to replace its A330ceos from 2021, with options to further expand its fleet of highly efficient wide-body aircraft.

The A330neo aircraft is exclusively powered by the Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engine.

Shai Weiss, CEO, Virgin Atlantic, said: “A fundamental part of our strategy is collaboration with partners and our announcement today with Airbus and Rolls-Royce, following the launch of our A350-1000 this summer, takes our partnership to the next level. The Trent 7000 and the A330-900neo will play a pivotal role in our fleet transformation.

“We will be proud to operate the youngest, cleanest fleet yet, with an average age of just five years. It also allows us to continue innovating for our customers to create an onboard experience we know they will love.”

Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce, President – Civil Aerospace, added: “This fleet expansion is another great endorsement of both the A330neo and Trent 7000, our very latest version of the Trent. We are deeply grateful for the trust that Virgin Atlantic has placed in us – soon their entire fleet will be 100% Rolls-Royce powered.”

 

AirAsia

AirAsia unveiled the first of its new-generation Trent 7000 powered Airbus A330neo aircraft. AirAsia X will become the first airline in Asia-Pacific to operate the new generation A330neo aircraft. The firm currently has 66 A330neo aircraft on order.

Fun facts

• The A320neo Family is the world’s best-selling single-aisle aircraft with over 6,500 orders from more than 100 customers since its launch in 2010.

• As of the end of May 2019, the A220 order book currently sits at 536 aircraft.

• The new A321XLR offer 15% more range than the A321LR and with 30% lower fuel burn per seat compared with previous generation competitor aircraft.

• The Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engine is the seventh member of a Trent family that has now accumulated more than 125 million engine flying hours.