Congratulations to Airbus and Pratt & Whitney, who have managed to get the new Airbus A320neo certified by European and US Authorities.
Airbus A320neo with Pratt & Whitney Pure Power PW1100G-JM Engines – Image, Airbus
This marks an important point in the development of the Airbus A320neo, being the first to be typed certified by both European
Lets take a step back – we’ve seen the letters neo banded around. No, it’s not the character from The Matrix, rather its for the new engine option that is being offered with the Airbus A320 along with aerodynamic improvements, range and of course… sharklets.
The Airbus A320neo is being offered with a choice of engines – CFM International LEAP-1A engines (which are in the process of being certified) and the Pratt & Whitney’s Pure Power PW1100G-JM (which is the type that has been certified).
The type certificate has been approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) – meaning that a move to serial production can begin in earnest.
The A320neo has so far completed 14 months of testing to meet the certification requirements, with 1,070 total flight hours in nearly 350 flights.
The Airbus A320neo family will have other aircraft to certify too. As well as the A320neo with CFM engines, the A321neo and A319neo will have to be certified too (and the A321neo LR too) – so these can be offered for delivery.
With orders from 75 airlines and lessors, totalling over 4300 aircraft – there’s a big backlog to be built.
So who will be getting the first A320neo? Step forward… Qatar Airways. Delivery is set for the end of 2015… which at the time of writing isn’t that far away -37 days if that!
Still, it’s a big step forward for the programme as Boeing continues its work on the 737 MAX Series.
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