AirAsia takes delivery of first A320neo assembled in Tianjin

bebus251017 Pix courtesy of Airbus China. Caption: AirAsia chief executive officer Aireen Omar and Airbus Commercial Aircraft China president Eric Chen recording the historical moment on photo in front of the Airbus A320neo for AirAsia. The aircraft is the first of such model assembled at Airbus Final Assembly Line Asia in Tianjin, China.

KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia has taken delivery of the first A320neo assembled at the Airbus Final Assembly Line Asia (FALA) in Tianjin, China.

The aircraft, powered by CFM LEAP-1A engines, seats comfortably 186 passengers and is equipped with the innovative Space-Flex cabin, Airbus said in a statement on Tuesday.

AirAsia is the largest airline customer of the A320 family with orders for 578 aircraft, including the 404 A320neo family aircraft.

AirAsia Bhd chief executive officer, Aireen Omar said, “The Airbus A320 aircraft has contributed immensely towards our business model and our operations.

“We received our first A320neo last year and this is our 13th Airbus A320neo we are receiving for the group, which is also the 184th aircraft delivered by Airbus,” she said.

“We are very pleased with the A320neo, which provides up to 15% fuel savings and an additional range of 500 nautical miles, which translates into lower fares for our guests,” she added.

Meanwhile, Eric Chen, president of Airbus Commercial Aircraft China, said the delivery of the NEO was a milestone for the company’s FALA, which would help to meet the robust demand of its customers in China and the Asia-Pacific region.

The Airbus FALA in Tianjin, inaugurated in 2008, became the third single-aisle aircraft final assembly line location of Airbus worldwide, following Toulouse in France and Hamburg, Germany.

It is also the first Airbus final assembly line outside Europe. To-date, some 340 aircraft have been assembled and delivered from the Tianjin facility. - Bernama