"Pratt & Whitney is proud to build on its long and deep
history with Lufthansa and Airbus by together marking a
new era in commercial aviation with the delivery of the
A320neo equipped with ultra-high bypass ratio Geared
Turbofan engines," Pratt & Whitney President
Robert
Leduc, said. “We applaud Lufthansa for being the first
to enjoy the many benefits this aircraft and engine
technology affords in terms of fuel efficiency and in
reducing noise and emissions.”
This afternoon, the A320neo will take off from the
Airbus facilities in Hamburg-Finkenwerder as a special
flight with flight number LH9917 with guests and media
representatives on board and fly with a short stop in
Hamburg’s City Airport Fuhlsbüttel towards Frankfurt.
The A320neo was fitted with a special logo. “First to
fly A320neo - Less noise. Less fuel. Less CO2“ adorns
the rear fuselage of the Lufthansa aircraft.
Another cause for celebration is the 40-year partnership
between Lufthansa and Airbus. On 9 February 1976,
Lufthansa received the first Airbus A300 at Hamburg-Finkenwerder.
The airlines within the Lufthansa Group have ordered a
total of 582 Airbus aircraft in the past 40 years.
Lufthansa is the largest Airbus customer with currently
392 aircraft from the European manufacturer, including
284 aircraft from the A320 family and 14 A380.
The Lufthansa Group has ordered a total of 116
A320neos and A321neos, to be delivered in the next
years. 60 aircraft will be delivered with the new
PW1100G-JM engine from Pratt & Whitney. A special
intermediary 3:1 gear conversion system ensures
optimum speed of the 2.06 meter-cross-section fans
and the turbine inside the engine. The new engines
and improved aerodynamics allow a significant noise
and emission reduction. With the new engine
technology, the 85-decibel noise footprint of a new
A320neo is only about half the size as a comparable
aircraft of the existing fleet. In addition, the
A320neo is at least 15 percent more fuel efficient
than the previous A320 version. Calculated per-seat,
this efficiency advantage increases to as much as
around 20 percent, because the A320neo, through
improved use of space in the cabin, allows more
space in the business class compartment and two more
rows with twelve additional seats on board.
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