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Leahy: A320neo output could increase to 65 a month; LEAP-1A certified
June 3rd 2016
During the Airbus Innovation Days 2016 in Hamburg, Airbus customers COO, John Leahy, said he was considering increasing the A320neo production output to 65 aircraft a month. Read More »
He was speaking after COO, Tom Williams, earlier on Monday cast doubt on further increases beyond a targeted rate of 60 narrow body jets a month.
Airbus aims to reach the 60-per-month production rate by mid-2019, after stepping up to 50 a month in the first half of 2017. It produces 46 A320 family jets a month now.
Meanwhile, the A320neo programme had a major breakthrough on Tuesday after Airbus received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type certification for the second engine option to be certified – CFM International’s LEAP-1A engine – paving the way for first delivery from mid-2016.
Fabrice Brégier, Airbus’ president and CEO said: “This key milestone for the A320neo programme, and its second engine option – the specially developed LEAP-1A, is a double seal of approval by the two major international governing bodies and comes after the A320neo Family had successfully accomplished a rigorous programme of certification trials. We look forward to the entry into service of LEAP-powered models in the very near future.”
Until now, the only engine option available for the neo was Pratt & Whitney’s PW1100G geared turbofan (GTF). However there have been significant snags involving the GTF, prompting launch customer Qatar Airways to reject delivery in January, and threatening to walk away from its order.
Klaus Roewe, head of the A320 programme, confirmed on Monday that issues with the GTF’s “FADEC nuisance faults” (the engine’s digital control system was sending false alarms to the cockpit) have been completely fixed following software updates. He said the other two problems, the GTF’s start-up time and hydraulic temperature, would be fully resolved by autumn and summer 2016, respectively.
Qatar Airways had complained the GTF’s ambient hydraulic temperature must be raised from its current level of 50 degrees Celsius to at least 55 degrees. “We will get this fixed,” said Roewe, adding “even though Doha has not seen a single day with temperatures exceeding 55 degrees.”
Airbus says the neo will deliver a 15% fuel burn per seat reduction vis-à-vis the A320ceo at entry into service in 2016, and a 20% reduction by 2020. Launch operator Lufthansa has observed an average 16.5% improvement after flying two neos for approximately four months now. The re-engined single-aisle jet also offers a significant decrease in C02 emissions and a nearly 50% lower noise footprint.
Airbus has 4,515 firm orders from 82 customers for the neo. It delivered the first of 72-on-order neos to Mumbai-based GoAir on Thursday. GoAir is the third operator of the type, following Lufthansa (two frames) and IndiGo Airlines (four frames). The LCC financed the aircraft through a sale-leaseback agreement with SMBC Aviation Capital.
