Aer Lingus announced that it has signed a lease agreement for two new Airbus A320neo aircraft. The new A320neos will support the airline’s sustainability programme where Aer Lingus, as part of IAG, has pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and has committed to powering 10% of its flights using sustainable aviation fuel by 2030.
EI-NSA msn 10712 EI-NSB msn 10786 named ‘St Aodhan’ , the two new A320neo aircraft were originally built by Airbus to be delivered to CDB Aviation for lease to Russian airline Smartavia in March but have now become available to Aer Lingus because of the ongoing sanctions against Russia.
The two new aircraft will replace two previous generation aircraft, Airbus A320ceo, which will then be retired from the fleet. The A320neo aircraft are expected to enter into service towards the end of July 2022. The two new aircraft will join the Aer Lingus fleet for short haul operations and will predominantly operate from bases in Belfast City, Cork, Dublin and Shannon to London Heathrow route.
The new aircraft will be delivered in full Aer Lingus livery, branding and cabin interior with 186 seats versus 174 on the the previous generation A320neo, resulting in lower fuel emissions per seat/passenger on board. The Airbus A320neo delivers up to 20% reduction in fuel burn and CO2 emissions and close to 50% reduction in noise footprint when compared to the previous generation aircraft, A320ceo.
Aer Lingus CEO Lynne Embleton said “This is a great opportunity to bring new, state of the art aircraft into our short haul fleet. Renewing our fleet is one of the key ways for Aer Lingus to meet our sustainability targets, which is a priority for us over the coming years. The new generation Airbus A320neo aircraft is much more sustainable in terms of fuel burn and CO2 emissions and this is not only important to Aer Lingus but also to our customers. Equally, these more environmentally-friendly aircraft incur lower landing charges in some key airports so the new A320neos will help us to reduce costs.”
London Heathrow incentivises the quietest aircraft and those with the lowest contribution to air pollution with the introduction of a new noise tariff – Chapter 14 super – low based on the Maximum Take Off Weight and Engine NOx Emissions and noise certification values for sideline, flyover and approach factors.
Image Credit: Aer Lingus
Irish Aviation Research Institute © 26 June All Rights Reserved
