The Airbus A320neo (for “new engine option”) is “the fastest selling aircraft in history” and the manufacturer set itself the target of accruing “over 500” commitments by this week’s Paris Air Show, according to chief operating officer (customers) John Leahy. By early April, the company had booked more than 330 orders and “commitments” and this prompted it to accelerate the program by six months.
The European airframer now plans to deliver the new model, which was formally launched last December, for service entry in October 2015 and has confirmed the lead development powerplant as the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G geared turbofan (GTF). The alternative CFM International Leap-X engine is running about six months behind it. Re-engined variants of the A319 and A321 sibling designs each will account initially for a quarter share of deliveries, although Airbus has acknowledged that this split might evolve as the program matures.