Aircraft
Airbus Scours Data Following First Flight of A320neo
Program embarks on 3,000-hour certification regimen
Airbus Group CEO Tom Enders (left) and Airbus chief executive Fabrice Bregier watch the A320neo take flight for the first time. (Photo: Airbus)
Airbus Group CEO Tom Enders (left) and Airbus chief executive Fabrice Bregier watch the A320neo take flight for the first time. (Photo: Airbus)

Airbus began immediate processing of flight-test data from the A320neo’s September 25 first flight, which single-aisle program experimental test pilot Philippe Pellerin described as “a lot of fun” as he emerged from the aircraft at the Toulouse-Blagnac factory in southwest France. The first A320neo, powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM geared turbofan (GTF) engines in the 33,000-pound-thrust class, “really feels like an A320, which is good news,” remarked fellow experimental test pilot Etienne Miche de Malleray, who occupied the right seat.