After many months of consultation and analysis, Airbus today announced the official launch of new engine options for the A320 series. Dubbed the A320neo, the project involves the introduction of two new engine choices for the single-aisle airliners–either CFM’s Leap-X or Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1100G, formerly known as the Geared Turbofan. The new engine option also incorporates fuel-saving wingtip devices called sharklets. Airbus expects to deliver the first examples of the A320neo in the spring of 2016.
The company claims that, compared with the existing A320, the A320neo will deliver fuel savings of up to 15 percent, a “double-digit” reduction in NOx emissions, less engine noise, lower operating costs and either a range improvement of 500 nm or a payload increase of two metric tons. The sharklet wingtip devices, the first of which Airbus plans to fit on standard A320s for delivery starting near the end of 2012, will account for at least 3.5 percent fuel burn savings over long sectors, according to the company. Airbus estimates the total fuel savings will cut annual CO2 output by up to 3,600 metric tons per airplane. It sees a market for 4,000 A320neos over the next 15 years.
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