Air New Zealand are in the process of refreshing its fleet, with the removal of Boeing 747-400s, the introduction of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and removing its older Airbus A320 series aircraft.
The airline took another step in its fleet renewal, with an order placed with Airbus to renew its short haul fleet, with an order of fourteen A320 family series aircraft – the majority in the new engine option configuration, with one as a current A320 configuration.
The breakdown of the order is:
- 10 Airbus A320neo (new engine option)
- 3 Airbus A321neo (new engine option)
- 1 Airbus A320ceo (current engine option)
The single A320ceo will be delivered in 2015, with the A321neos and A320 to be delivered between 2017 and 2019. All aircraft (including the extra A320ceo) will be fitted with Sharklets for greater fuel savings.
Air New Zealand currently operate 22 A320 family aircraft in its fleet operating on domestic routes in New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and its Trans-Tasmanian routes, with an additional five that are due to be delivered in 2014 and 2015.
As airline grow and evolve, new equipment is a reality as the costs of old equipment (in terms of maintenance and fuel burn) increase… and in the end, it’s the passenger that pays for that. By adding new aircraft with some fuel saving technologies, hopefully fares can remain down for a while ….