Airbus made the first delivery of an aircraft built at its newest assembly line for the A320 family of aircraft. The inaugural airplane is an A321neo for Pegasus Airlines, a low-cost carrier based in Turkey.
Airbus’ new final assembly line (FAL) is located within the former production plant for its A380 double-deck airliner, known as the Jean-Luc Lagardère building. The company said the new plant reflects its plans to modernize production and meet growing demand for the A321neo, which accounts for almost 65 percent of the order backlog for the A320 family.
The A321neo is the largest variant of the A320 and boasts the best range and performance. The company said the aircraft’s fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions are more than 20 percent less than other models, and its noise footprint is 50 percent smaller when compared with the previous generation of single-aisle airliners.
More than 5,600 A321neos have been ordered by more than 100 customers. worldwide. Pegasus Airlines’ Airbus fleet totals 93 aircraft, including six A320ceos, 46 A320neos, and 41 A321neos. The airline additionally has 68 A321neos on order.
The delivery to Pegasus Airlines marks the beginning of the ramp-up of the Toulouse FAL, which is expected to contribute to the company goal of producing 75 A320 family aircraft per month by 2026. Other Airbus FALs are located in Mobile, Alabama; Hamburg, Germany; and Tianjin, China.
