In 2010, the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus announced the start of design work on the A320neo. This narrow-body jet was the result of a deep redesign of the basic version of the A320.

At the launch of the A320neo in Paris in 2011, Airbus closed deals worth more than sixty billion dollars.

In 2014, the first copy soared into the skies of France. Two years later, the German carrier Lufthansa received this novelty for use. The cost of the liner is up to 110 million dollars.

The A320neo family also includes the A319neo (short) and A321neo (long).

Airbus A320neo is an improved model with a fundamentally new category of engines. Installing large (more than 2 meters in diameter) LEAP-1A or PW1100G motors on the aircraft contributes to the following changes:

• reduction in kerosene consumption by 15 - 17%
• reduction of operating costs by 8 - 10%
• reduction of harmful emissions into the natural atmosphere by more than 10%
• noise reduction
• increase in flight range by 960 kilometers
• increase in load capacity by 2000 kilograms

The glider itself was also modernized: “sharklets” (shark fin) were installed at the tips of the wings, the air conditioning system was reworked, and the luggage compartment was made larger.

Thanks to the latest engines and unique wingtips (2.4 meters), the manufacturers say that maintenance and operation costs will be reduced by almost a quarter compared to the base model. The Airbus A320neo has the lowest noise level of its class.

Externally, the A320neo almost completely repeats the appearance of the A320 model. The difference was the widespread use of composites (plastic reinforced with fiberglass and carbon fiber) and aluminum alloys. This made the design stronger, lighter and more ergonomic.

The aircraft has modern cockpit equipment. Thomson-CSF supplied a unique set of software. "Intellectual filling" displays data on LCD monitors, warns of emergency situations. All equipment is certified and complies with the requirements of the ARINC 700 standard.

Changes in the interior of the cabin

Improvements have also been made to the passenger compartment. Illumination is made with current LEDs. The interior decoration will satisfy the most demanding taste.

The distance between the rows has increased, creating more space for the passenger. Stands for gadgets (tablets, smartphones, laptops), sockets and USB connectors appeared: two pieces for three row chairs. These changes affected both the business class and the economy cabin. Press, booklets are placed in pockets at the top of the chair. The kitchen areas have also become much larger, which is favorable for flight attendants.

A distinctive feature and advantage of the new liner was the absence of toilets directly behind the last row. Now two bathrooms are equipped in the tail section of the aircraft.

Overview of places (diagram)

In the Airbus A320neo cabin, the first two rows (8 seats) are reserved for business class. Location - two chairs in two rows.

Economy class can accommodate 156 people. Single pass seating system 3/3. Compared to the A320, there are six more seats.

The best rows are 3 (no seats in front), 10, 11 (seats at emergency exits). In the twenty-eighth row, the seat backs do not have the ability to recline.

Flight parameters of the A320neo model:

• Wingspan - 35.8 meters
• Machine length - 37.57 meters
• Aircraft height - 11.76 meters
• Takeoff weight - 73900 kilograms
• Type of motors (2 pieces) - LEAP-1A
• Maximum thrust - 2 * 120.6 kgf
• Maximum speed - 876 km / h
• Soaring speed (cruising) - 833 km / h
• Flight range - 6500 kilometers
• Flight altitude (maximum ceiling) - 12,000 kilometers
• Crew - 2 pilots
• Payload (passenger capacity) - 189 people in economy class or up to 150 people in a two-class layout.

Last news:

In 2017, S7 Airlines (brand of the Russian air carrier Siberia) purchased the first A320neo. In total, it is planned to buy 16 copies. The car is painted in the traditional, bright green color of the company. Passengers have already appreciated the level of comfort offered. It is noted that in the future, these airbuses will form the basis of the S7 fleet. In the spring of 2018, S7 Airlines will launch direct flights between Moscow and the Spanish resort island of Tenerife. There will be flights from Domodedovo airport twice a week.

The Russian holding "Engineering" has modernized the painting hangar, it is here that the painting of liners for the S7 fleet is carried out. On the basis of the aviation training center S7 "Engineering", technical specialists are being trained who will be able to service A320neo airbuses. Contractual relations were concluded for the implementation of heavy repairs at the sites of this technical holding.

Aviation conglomerate Airbus at its plant in China plans to bring the monthly number of produced A320 machines to five copies. At the beginning of 2020, this figure will increase to six. A corresponding bilateral agreement has already been signed.

Prospects and competition in the sky

Airbus plans to manufacture and sell more than 4,700 of its A320 aircraft to commercial customers over the next fifteen years. Back in 2011, she signed an unprecedented contract with the Malaysian carrier AirAsia for the supply of two hundred aircraft.

The growing demand in the world to conquer regional distances laid the foundation for new developments by the world's leading aircraft builders. Many commercial carriers are beginning to move away from wide-body airliners. The most popular twin-engine liners with a narrow fuselage. There is a widespread replacement of heavy high-budget cars with more economical models.

The main competitors of the A320neo are the latest airliners for short and medium routes Boeing 737MAX, Bombardier CSeries, Comac C919 and MC-21. All models are exceptionally promising and comfortable.

Aircraft manufacturer Airbus has a huge number of orders for the A320neo, as well as other aircraft in the family: A319, A320 and A321.

Analyzing the first years of operation of this machine and the speed of receipt of applications, this liner can be called the leader in continental transportation.

A little over a week ago, I flew in from France, where my next dream came true - I visited the Airbus factory, where I was able to observe how aircraft are born. The process of creating the aircraft is rather slow, it takes 2.5 months to fully assemble one A320, so you can capture only individual stages of production in one tour, but it was also interesting.

But the report from the Airbus workshops will come later, and now there will be a story about a brand new aircraft that was handed over to the company known for its green livery - S7.

This is a brand new aircraft A320 with the prefix "neo". At first I wondered what neo meant, and whether the film "The Matrix" had anything to do with it, but experts explained that this is an abbreviation that means "new engine option", that is, the engines here are more advanced, quiet and economical, and this airbus is the most quiet in its class.

The event took place on the platform of the Toulouse Blagnac airport, in the part of the airport, which is on the balance sheet of Airbus, and from the runway of which the planes fly to their new owners.

The official part of the transfer of the aircraft from the manufacturer to the operators. Andreas Kramer, Airbus Vice President for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Ron Palmayer, Director of Accounts in Russia and the CIS at P&W, and Robert Martin, Executive Director of Bank Of China Aviation, congratulated Vladislav Filev, Chairman of the Board of Directors of S7, on the successful acquisition.

After the solemn part, I immediately go on board the aircraft to conduct a captious revision. This is a business class for 8 passengers and an economy class cabin for 156 passengers.

The cabin of the A320 family is by far the widest among narrow-body aircraft: it is 18 centimeters wider than that of its direct competitor - the Boeing 737 and 737Max, which allows you to install either wider seats or a wider aisle.

The size between the chairs allows you to stretch your legs. The step between the seats is the same as in the standard A320 cabin - 71 cm.

Installed in a row, six leather seats in a standard 3 + 3 layout are 18 inches wide (each 1 inch wider than in Boeing). The shape of the interior lining of the cabin has changed, which gives more space for the shoulders of passengers at the porthole.

The luggage racks have become larger, and allow you to freely fit the standard ten-kilogram suitcases and still have room for an extra suitcase.

The best thing that could be thought of for a passenger in terms of amenities (except for legrooms) was sockets with a USB connector, as well as special holders for tablets and smartphones. Why wasn't this thought up before?

You fix the smartphone, connect it with a USB cable and voila, you can watch movies, read a book, play poker.

Under the chairs, as usual, life jackets.

Here food is stored for passengers.

Airbus engineers took care of the smell in the toilet by developing a special catalytic converter for unpleasant odors. And the air conditioning system completely renews the air in the cabin every 2 minutes.

And of course, I could not help but look into the cockpit. Everything is simple here, you can see for yourself.

The pilot of the aircraft, S7 flight director Mansur Badrakov. Remember - Boeing has a steering wheel, Airbus has a joystick.

The aircraft is powered by the latest Pratt & Whitney Pure Power PW1100G-JM engines, and the wings are crowned with wingtips, the so-called composite sharklets, which improve the aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft and allow saving 4% of fuel per flight. The A320neo engines have grown in size, but the flight range of the liner has increased by 950 km, and the carrying capacity has increased by 2 tons.

Such engines, together with sharklets, provide fuel savings of up to 15% compared to the previous generation A320ceo. In addition, CO2 emissions are 50% below international standards.

The liner has changed its usual livery. It was developed for S7 Airlines by the British agency Landor.

As I said above, sharklets improve the aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft, due to them the turbulence of air flows disappeared, which reduced fuel consumption by 4% and reduced CO2 emissions by 1000 tons per year per aircraft. Airbus began installing them on the A319, A320 and A321 aircraft from the end of 2012.

The height of the sharklets is 2.4 meters, although it does not seem so at all from the outside, and they are made of composite materials, that is, carbon fiber, due to which they weigh only about 90 kg.

By the way, this is not the only aircraft for S7; the airline's fleet will soon be replenished with four A320neos. Vladislav Filev's emotions about the acquisition of the aircraft by S7, which I observed, were very eloquent.

Some more facts about this family of aircraft. The A320 is the most commercially successful family of narrow-body aircraft in the world. In total, Airbus has sold over 13,100 A320 family aircraft and delivered over 7,600 aircraft to over 400 customers worldwide.

The portfolio of orders exceeds 5,500 units, which means that production will be loaded for 7 years in advance. Currently, more than 7,200 aircraft of the A320 family are flying in the world.

Every two seconds, one A320 family aircraft takes off or lands in the world. These aircraft operate flights to more than 1,500 airports around the world. Since the first A320 entered commercial service in 1988, these aircraft have carried more than 11.5 billion passengers and completed over 107 million flights. Aircraft of the A320 family have one of the highest operational reliability rates (99.7%)

When I asked about the cost, they told me. that the catalog price is about 100 million. dollars, but it may vary depending on the layout of the cabin, other features of the assembly and the number of ordered aircraft. The more you buy, the lower the price. If you are going to buy, then contact me, I will contribute to the discount).

That's all, the plane has already been towed to the runway, it will soon fly to Moscow.

A few figures about the plane.
Dimensions:
Length: 37.57 m
Cabin width: 3.7 m
Wingspan: 35.8 m
Height: 11.76 m

Characteristics:
Max. takeoff weight (MVM): 79 tons
Max. fuel capacity: 23,740 l
Flight range with a typical two-class layout: 6,842 km
Flight speed: 0.78M

On the easy way!

And this is a photo from the grandiose presentation of the A320neo in the Domodedovo hangar, a few days after the aircraft arrived in Moscow.

This is what the operator of the future looks like.

The show was fabulous.

The plane can be seen on the flight Moscow-Novosibirsk-Moscow.

That's all, I hope it was interesting. Subscribe to my blog, there will be many interesting reports soon, and for the community

Alexcheban (popular travel blogger): On July 21, 2017, the first Airbus A320neo for the airline was handed over to the Delivery Center of the Airbus factory in Toulouse in France. This is the first Airbus in the new livery and became .

At first, I was a little disappointed that there were no silhouettes of people in the new livery, but how perfect it looks now! Couldn't stop loving :)

Search for cheap flights on all airlines:

Mansur Badrakov, flight director of S7 Airlines in the cockpit:

The first Airbus A320neo in Russia is already on regular flights of S7 Airlines between Moscow and Novosibirsk!

5 Reasons to fly a modern aircraft in Russia

A convenient schedule, a comfortable seat on the plane with adequate legroom, a bright and quiet cabin, and… a low ticket price! All this can be purchased in a single flexible fare with various options and from one airline. Isn't that what the passenger appreciates when making his choice?!

An ordinary aircraft cabin, where I did not expect to see anything special, but, I confess that these FIVE reasons leave no choice, on board this aircraft a short one and a half hour flight will fly by in an instant, and even in 4-5 hours above the clouds you will not have time to get tired. The first Airbus A320neo in Russia, an example of future technologies that make flying more comfortable and cheaper today.

Welcome aboard?!

And the luggage racks have a very stylish green backlight in the color of the livery.

2. Rest in flight

Only modern technologies allow us to make things that are familiar to us lighter, more elegant, thinner and lighter. And, therefore, reduce costs.
The cabin of the A320 family aircraft is 18 cm wider than the Boeing 737 and 737 MAX, which allows for wider seats or a wider aisle for quick turnaround of the aircraft at the airport and for more convenient movement of passengers and flight attendants with carts during the flight.

The seats in the cabin of the first A320neo S7 are leather, black and very stylish. I love the new brand and livery so much, the color combination here is good and practical. Leather upholstery is worse on long flights, but on the A320/B737 it is quite logical, because it is more likely to wear out with frequent maintenance than fabric upholstery.

Also, magazine pockets and safety instructions up here, I'm tall and really don't like when the precious useful centimeters at knee level are hidden by logbooks. After all, I put my things in a special bag on the floor.

Pay attention to the space under the chairs. In modern aircraft, there are thin partitions, there are no blocks of the on-board entertainment system, even the life jacket is “drowned” deep into the seat. Hand luggage can be placed under the seat, in the new aircraft there is 20% more space below for it!

The A320neo S7 Airlines has 156 economy class seats and 8 business class seats.

The business salon has also been updated! Fewer airlines are ordering true business class configurations, preferring the flexible reconfiguration of economy class cabins. Everything is great here! The backrest and footboard recline, there are USB outlets and sockets.

The business class cabin is separated from the economy by a curtain, and not by a blank wall. Therefore, I advise you to choose an economy seat in the third row, these are “extra-space” seats.

I don’t like the first row, my legs rest against the wall.

A few words about the microclimate - Airbus engineers have developed a special catalytic converter for unpleasant odors, which guarantees the freshness of the air in the cabin. The air in the cabin of the A320neo is completely replaced every 2 minutes!

4. Fly Quieter

Do you know how to distinguish the new Airbus A320neo from all the others? The size of the engines - they are huge! Look at the ratio of human height to engine size in the photographs. The Airbus A320neo is available with either Pratt&Whitney or CFM LEAP-X engines. The S7 Airlines A320neo is powered by Pratt & Whitney Pure Power PW1100G-JM engines. These engines are quieter, so the noise level in the cabin is up to 20% lower!

This is especially felt during takeoff, the noise of the A320neo is more muffled and quiet in contrast to the “growling” A320ceo on takeoff.

And these are the Airbus A320 sharklets:

Airbus began installing the new Sharklets wingtips on its A319, A320 and A321 aircraft from the end of 2012. They are standard on all A320neo family aircraft and can also be installed on A320 aircraft already in service.

The sharklets are 2.4 meters high and are made of composite materials. Sharklets improve the aerodynamic performance of an aircraft and reduce drag by reducing “stall” from the wing edge.

Sharklets reduce fuel consumption by 4% on long routes, which is equivalent to reducing CO2 emissions by 1000 tons per year per aircraft. Sharklets increase flight range by about 185 km or payload by 450 kg.

The Airbus A320neo family of aircraft, the abbreviation "neo" (new engine option) means "new engine option", is the next generation of the A320 family - narrow-body medium-haul aircraft manufactured by the European concern Airbus.

The liner made its first flight on September 25, 2014, and already in January 2016 the first production aircraft entered the service of the airline.

The air fleet of S7 Airlines uses 9 aircraft of this type. The cabin accommodates two classes of passenger service - business and economy. The total number of seats on board is 164, of which 8 are business class and 156 seats are for passengers in economy class.

Detailed scheme of the cabin Airbus A320neo

Business class Airbus A320neo S7 Airlines

1 and 2. The first two rows of the aircraft are occupied by business class.

For the convenience of passengers, it is equipped with comfortable combined leather seats, made in black and grape colors. There is a separate toilet and wardrobe. Separated from the economy class by a screen. A typical modern business class for this type of aircraft.

If for some reason you are not very comfortable looking at the “wall” for the entire flight, we recommend taking seats in the second row.

Airbus A320neo business class photos

Economy class Airbus A320neo S7 Airlines

3 row. First row economy class service. Places "Extra Space".

This is the first section of "luxury" seats on board this vessel. Convenience lies in the distance increased by 20-25 centimeters from the front row or partition / screen. You will be very comfortable in this row throughout the entire flight - you can stretch your legs forward and get up from your seat without disturbing your neighbors.

The current practice of many airlines involves the collection of an additional fee from the passenger for the location in such places. The cost of such a service at S7 Airlines starts from 1,000 rubles and varies depending on the type of aircraft and the duration of the flight. Also, there are categories of passengers who, according to aviation security rules, cannot be located in such places. This provision is based on the fact that Extra Space seats are most often placed after emergency hatches.

Detailed information about the provision of the service is available on the S7 Airlines website.

9 and 10 rows. In the area of ​​​​these rows is the first emergency exit to the wing.

According to aviation security rules, in order not to impede access to the hatches during a possible emergency, it is forbidden to place any luggage at the “legs” or under the seat. Also, the seatbacks in these rows are blocked or severely limited in reclining.

Be careful and try not to get into such places. During a long flight, this can cause some discomfort.

11 row. The second section of chairs "Extra Space". The advantages here are the same, but there is a slight minus, as in rows 9-10, you cannot place hand luggage in the aisle, blocking the approaches to the second emergency hatch.

28 row. The last row on the plane. Proximity of toilets, blocked seats, a constant flow of people to the restrooms - these are the disadvantages that will create discomfort during the flight. Not very comfortable places.

Register for this row only if there are no other options.

Airbus A320neo economy class photos

Happy flight!

Gallery A320NEO

Airbus A320neo— deep modernization of the Airbus A320 family of narrow-body medium-haul airliners. The abbreviation NEO stands for New Engine Option. The modernization program was launched by Airbus in 2010 and involved the replacement of an outdated power plant with new engines of the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G and CFM International LEAP-1A families. Non-remotorized aircraft of the A320 family continue to be produced under the name A320ceo (Current Engine Option).

Story

By the end of the first decade of the 21st century, Airbus had completed its flagship A380 and continued to work on the latest A350. However, in order to improve its position in competition with Boeing, as well as with liners that were to be created in Russia () and China () in the future, Airbus decided to upgrade its most massive aircraft - the family.

Back in 2006, Airbus launched the A320E (Enhanced) program. The program involved making improvements to the design and systems of the aircraft in order to achieve a 4-5% increase in economic performance. This was planned to be achieved by installing new winglets (2%), improving the aerodynamics of the airframe (1%), as well as reducing the total weight of the aircraft and installing a new passenger compartment. It was also possible to reduce fuel consumption by modifying the classic CFM56 and V2500 engines.

However, over time, it became clear that this was not enough and it was necessary to carry out more radical work on the liners. The creation of new aircraft was not considered, the A320 was created in the late 1980s and are considered quite young aircraft. Therefore, it was decided to modernize a number of systems and install completely new engines (hence the name NEO - New Engine Option - New engine option. At this time, Pratt & Whitney, as well as its competitor, CFM International, created new generation engines for medium haul liners.

At that time, it was believed that Airbus could sell about 4,000 new-generation aircraft within 15 years, and the program would cost about a billion euros. At the same time, the cost of the updated aircraft will be $6 million higher than the cost of its predecessor (the CEO model). This cost, in addition to more expensive engines, includes an increase in the cost of the airframe ($3.5 million) and the installation of sharklets (about $0.9 million).

Work on the new model was carried out at a fairly high pace. The first A320neo took off in 2014, four years after the NEO program was launched. The certification was carried out using several aircraft equipped with both engine options: Pratt & Whitney PW1100G and CFM International LEAP-1A. During testing, aircraft with these engines flew about 4000 hours.

A320neo aircraft entered regular flights in the spring of 2016, the enlarged A321neo model arrived to customers half a year later, and half a year later, aircraft of the junior A319neo model began to be delivered.

Construction and improvements

In general design, the A320neo is similar to the base A320 - it is a low-wing jet wing with a small sweep and two engines suspended on pylons. Aircraft of different generations are 95% similar. However, the modernization program has made many changes.

sharklets

Airbus launched the new wingtip project in 2009. These large endings are structurally similar to the new carbon fiber endings from the one being created at that time. Because of their resemblance to shark fins, they became known as Sharklet - a compilation of the word Shark (Shark) and Winglet (the usual name for wingtips).

Sharklets are manufactured by KAAD (Korean Air Aerospace Division). They have a height of 2.5 meters and a total weight of 200 kg. With a standard flight over a distance of 2800 km, they reduce fuel consumption by 3.5%. At the same time, for the entire period of operation of the aircraft, they reduce the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by 700 tons.

Salon

The salons of the liners have also undergone a major modernization. In addition to purely design changes, the efficiency of using the internal space has been increased (first of all, the luggage racks have been enlarged). The new cabin is equipped with more efficient air filters and catalytic converters that neutralize any unpleasant odors that may enter the aircraft. All lighting is made using energy efficient diodes. The cabin is controlled by the crew using touch panels.

In addition, an optional Cabin-Flex configuration has been developed for the liners. It involves the installation of modified doors and allows for more flexibility in changing the layout of the rear galley and toilets, as well as accommodating 20 more passengers on the A321 and 9 more passengers on the A320 without seating compaction. The installation of new doors increases the dry weight of the liners by 100 kg.

At the same time, fuel efficiency per passenger seat is increased by 6%, and in the full configuration of the NEO family, the efficiency increase reaches 20%.

Engines

The main difference between the NEO family and the previous generation is completely new engines. They are also the main visual difference - the LEAP-1A and PW1100G models are much larger than their predecessors: the old engines had a fan diameter of 68 inches (about 173 cm), while the diameter of the new ones reaches 81 inches (more than 205 cm).

In 2010, at an air show in Singapore, Airbus announced the launch of a tender for the selection of new engines for the NEO family. The choice, in the end, fell on the two most advanced at that time new CFM LEAP-1A and P&W PW1100G engines. New power plants burn 16% less fuel, however, their efficiency has decreased by 1-2% due to the fact that they are not installed on a completely new liner, but on modernized, but still old aircraft. At the same time, thanks to the new engines, Airbus also managed to reduce the cost of maintaining the power plant by 20% compared to older models.

The amount of fuel in aircraft has remained virtually unchanged and, thanks to lower fuel consumption in flight, the A320neo can carry 2 tons more cargo or fly 950 km further.

Engine models are selected by the customer. The first flightable A320neo was equipped with PW1100G-JM engines. It received FAA certification in 2014.

Both new A320neo power plants are significantly quieter than their predecessors (the noise level on takeoff does not exceed 83 - 85 dB - for older engines this figure exceeds 100 dB).

Airbus A320neo is a new generation. History and description of the airliner

Modifications

Airbus serially produces 3 modifications of the NEO family. These are the A319neo, A320neo and A321neo models. Due to the low demand for the youngest model A318, it was decided not to release it (at least until potential customers appear).

A319 neo

Airbus A319neo is the youngest model of the family with a shortened fuselage and a capacity of up to 160 passengers. The launch customer was supposed to be Qatar Airways, however, in the contract, it replaced the order for the A319 with an order for the A320. Not yet operated on regular flights (as of 2017).

A320neo is the base and most popular model. The aircraft made its first flight in September 2014. Has a capacity of up to 195 passengers.

The liner was handed over to the launch customer - Lufthansa in 2016. After six months of operation, it was announced that the airline has achieved a reduction in passenger costs by 20% and an operational reliability of 8 aircraft by 99.7%.

As of March 2017, there were 88 aircraft in the fleets of 20 airlines: 49 with PW1000G engines and 39 with CFM LEAP-1A engines. Aircraft made more than 37 thousand flights and spent more than 57 thousand hours in the air (on average, about 1.5 hours per flight).

A321neo is the oldest and most spacious model of the family. In a 1-class layout, it can accommodate up to 240 passengers. With an increased weight, the aircraft has a reinforced landing gear and a larger wing area.

The aircraft made its first flight in February 2016. Until 2017, the aircraft received EASA and FAA certificates with both powerplant options.

Virgin America became the first operator of the liners of this model (184 seats in two classes with LEAP engines).

A321 LR

In addition to the A321neo, Airbus is building a version with an extended range. The plane is designed for landing 164 passengers. The decrease in capacity is offset by the installation of additional fuel tanks. In this configuration, the aircraft has a range of 7,400 km - more than with lower operating costs (by 27%). The aircraft is scheduled to enter the market in 2018.

Orders and deliveries

The A320neo family was announced in 2010. By 2012, Airbus had orders for 2,000 aircraft, the fastest contracting rate in commercial aviation history. For 2017, the portfolio of orders exceeds 5,000 units from 72 operators around the world, of which more than a hundred have already been delivered to the fleets of 24 airlines.