Lufthansa has firmed up on its order for 100 Airbus A320s and International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) has added a further 50 A320neos to its previous order for 100 aircraft.
The German carrier will take a mixed fleet of 35 A320neos (new engine order), 35 A321neos and 30 A320ceos (conventional engine order), with Sharklet wingtips. It says the aircraft will meet future growth and fleet renewal needs and will “contribute significantly to reducing noise and emissions.”
ILFC CEO Henri Courpron said the latest order, bringing its neo order tally to 150 aircraft, “allows ILFC to offer a single-aisle aircraft family that delivers a significant reduction in fuel consumption and the widest, most comfortable cabin in its class.”
Neither customer has yet decided between the CFM56 Leap engine or Pratt & Whitney Pure Power geared turbofan offerings. Lufthansa ordered PurePowers for its previous 30 neos, saying it had “spent a lot of time with Pratt & Whitney to thoroughly understand the geared turbofan architecture.”
ILFC split its order between the two, opting for Leaps for 40 aircraft and the rest PurePower engines. Delivery of the Lufthansa aircraft is set to begin in 2015 for the A320ceos and 2019 for the neos. ILFC will begin taking its neos in 2015.