By Ian Petchenik / Published September 25, 2014
Airbus A320neo first flight. Image courtesy Airbus.
The Airbus A320neo took to the skies for the first time today in Toulouse, France, marking a major milestone for the fast selling new engine option version of the plane. At just after noon, Central European Time, a crew of five took off in F-WNEO (MSN6101), for a flight of a little over 2 hours.
F-WNEO is powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM engines, one of two engines being offered on the A320neo. The airplane is also being offered with CFM’s Leap Engine. Airbus is touting a 20% reduction in fuel burn on the A320neo compared to current engined A320s.
Flightpath of the first flight of the Airbus A320neo. Screenshot from FlightRadar24
The test aircraft took off and landed in Toulouse, spending 2 hours, 22 minutes in the air over southern France.
Airbus’ order book for the A320neo family stands at 3,257, spanning over 50 customers. Airbus has taken large orders from airlines such as Air Asia, Lion Air, and American Airlines, which has 130 A320neo aircraft on order.
Airbus is showing a live-feed of the test flight, which you can watch live here.
The Airbus A320neo takes off for the first time from Toulouse, France. Image courtesy Airbus.
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Contact the author at ian@petchmo.com
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