First ever flight with the Airbus A320 NEO

A problem-free test flight 

According to the crew, the test flight went smoothly and without any problems. The weather was near perfect flying weather, not a cloud in sight, which, of course, helped a lot. At about 2:15pm the crew landed at Toulouse airport, after a premiere flight of 2 hours and 15 minutes, and were greeted by huge cheers. Adorned in orange jumpsuits, the crew looked as if they were returning from a space mission as they walked down the steps of the aircraft and onto a stage. Airbus CEO, Fabrice Brégier, was clearly relieved that everything went as expected and no problems were encountered.

The test crew after the first flight of the Airbus A320 NEO Throughout the test flight, another smaller aircraft flew alongside at a safe distance. This was in order to both assist the the crew in case of any problems, and also to film the flight, which was streamed live on big screens on the ground in the Airbus Delivery Center and online via Airbus’ website, and later to be posted on Youtube.

Up to 20 percent fuel savings 

The Airbus NEO range is an evolution of the existing Airbus fleet. Just as today there is the Airbus A319, A320 and A321, the Neo series will consist of the Airbus A319 NEO, the A320 NEO and A321 NEO. There will also be a corresponding range of long-distance aircraft, which will include the Airbus A330 NEO. Reduced fuel consumption is one of the main innovations of the new Airbus NEO, which incidentally stands for New Engine Option. A new type of engine, and cutting-edge ‘sharklets’ at the tip of the wings, help reduce fuel consumption. Sharklets are when the tip of the wing is bent upwards, this improves the aircraft's efficiency and fuel consumption. Boeing calls this feature ‘Winglets’. According to Airbus, the aircraft has fuel savings of 20 percent, which is equivalent to 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, per Airbus A320, and two million liters of fuel. It also has a lower noise level (15 decibels) and a reduction in costs of 14 percent.

Airbus A320 NEO - Unbeatable fuel efficiency, according to Airbus

A new cabin configuration

The cabin configuration has also been modified on the NEO aircraft. The door at the front has been enlarged in order to meet regulations for an evacuation certificate, which means more passengers can potentially pass through the door at the same time. The forthcoming Airbus A321 NEO has therefore removed the second door that is usually located around row 8, and moved the third door. Similarly, the requirements for emergency exits over the wings is affected as the main doors will be larger. In conclusion, this means that more seats can fit on board in the virtually the same amount of space. There is also bigger and better luggage storage on the NEO aircraft, with a new and original design. The over-head compartments could previously hold five carry-on bags, Airbus aim for the increase in space to accommodate up to eight approved carry-on bags. This is the same design used on the new Airbus A350 aircraft.

New design of the over-head compartments The fuselage is, according to Airbus, the broadest in the industry, wide enough for six seats in a row, each 18 inches wide, which is slightly more than the industry average on short-haul aircraft.

130 Airbus NEO aircraft on their way to a number of Airlines

The Airbus A320 NEO will, within 2-3, years become a common sight at airports across Europe and the rest of the world. The first Airbus A320 NEO will be delivered to Qatar Airways sometime in the second half of 2015. Other airlines that have ordered the aircraft are, Lufthansa (with two orders of 30 + 70 aircraft), Turkish Airlines (57 aircraft), Air New Zealand (13 aircraft), Qantas (78 aircraft), SAS (30 aircraft), Norwegian (100 aircraft), All Nippon Airways (30 aircraft), Easyjet (100 aircraft ) and IAG/Vueling (32 aircraft). The aircraft has already sold successfully and Airbus have orders from over 60 airlines, even though the first test flight only took place this week. A total of 3000 orders have been made since December 2010, which is an industry record.

The first Airbus A320 NEO aircraft taking off in Toulouse

The first Airbus A320 NEO-flight is over, assisting aircraft is visible to the left

The podium at the Airbus Delivery Center

Airbus flags to honor the day

The crew along with Airbus CEO and other key employees

Large group of media, customers, suppliers and VIP guests

First Airbus A320 NEO flight shown on the Internet and Youtube