Time to look away from aircraft interiors, and look at the aircraft themselves, with SAS ordering 35 Airbus A320neo family aircraft, and one A330-300.
Let’s look at the A320neo order first, which be made of the 35 SAS are ordering directly from Airbus and leasing an additional 15 aircraft – taking the total order up to 50 A320neo aircraft.
SAS Airbus A320neo Image – Airbus
SAS will be using the A320neo aircraft for it’s mainline European operations and domestic services. Engines are yet to be decided.
Next, is the order for a single Airbus A330-300.
Whilst it’s a single Airbus A330-300, it will all the aircraft to begin the process of standardising its fleet, and allow the exit of older and less efficient A340 aircraft. The plane will be fitted with Rolls-Royce Trent 772B engines, and with a planned Entry into Service during second quarter of 2019.
On the orders SAS’s Rickard Gustafson, President and CEO states
“Just over one year ago, we started to phase into service brand new Airbus A320neos, and since then we have received a very positive response from our customers. I’m therefore delighted that, through this order, we can continue improving and investing in our customer offering, and thereby SAS’s future. We are also creating a single-type and more efficient fleet for the first time. Ordering 50 Airbus A320neos gives us access to the market’s most efficient aircraft thereby enabling us to further improve our operational efficiency and to continue to reduce our climate-impacting emissions,”
On the A320neo purchase, Eric Schulz, Chief Commercial Officer, Airbus Commercial Aircraft states
“We are proud with this repeat commitment by SAS. The A320neo will complement SAS’s existing Airbus fleet, with unbeatable fuel efficiency, the lowest operating costs and environmental footprint. It is the perfect choice for SAS, for replacing its older generation aircraft. This means more of SAS’s passengers will keep enjoying the best comfort in the skies,”
A few days later on the A330 order, Eric stated:
“We are thankful that SAS has selected the Airbus Family for the second time this week. This further commitment by SAS to the A330 demonstrates the unmatched operating economics and operational versatility of this aircraft,”
“We are delighted to be continuing our long-standing partnership with SAS.”
SAS operates a variety of Airbus fleet of 56 aircraft made up of
- 8 A340s
- 8 A330s
- 41 A320 Family
The airline also operates a mixture of Boeing 737 Next Gen aircraft that are due to be replaced with the A320neo.
It’s a move for SAS that solidifies its position as an Airbus customer, and simplifying its fleet – and the cost savings that will bring will help the airline.
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The rest of SAS’ A320neos use CFM LEAP-1A engines, so one should expect the same engines to be ordered with this batch.