Airbus announced that Latam Airlines signed a contract to buy 17 A321neo aircraft to reinforce its operation. This business agreement brings the orders for this model to 100, which translates into a success for the French manufacturer.
The request was communicated during the week of the Farnborough Air Show in Great Britain, where it was detailed that Latam had also requested the A321XLR model, confirming that it would incorporate the aircraft into its fleet to complement its offer of long-distance flights in one way. , for example, Santiago-Miami.
“We applaud Latam’s strategic vision and sustainability ambition. This order for the A321neo, following its restructuring process, is a strong signal of the value that Airbus brings to realize this vision and ambition. The A321XLR will enable the opening of new routes and allow LATAM to increase its international reach in the region,” said Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International.
The model for which Latam chose is the largest member of the Airbus A320neo Family, which incorporates new generation engines, which allows a saving of 20% of fuel and CO2, as well as a noise reduction of 50%. Precisely having a younger fleet allows airlines to control their expenses for diesel, which represents regarding 40% of the total expenditure of companies, and which has increased its value sharply in recent months due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
The long-distance version that Latam bought -A321XLR- provides a range extension up to 4,700nm, which allows the plane a flight time of up to 11 hours.
The air analyst, Ricardo Delpiano, explained that buying this long-distance model responds to a change in international markets following the pandemic and the reorganization of the company with the release of double-aisle aircraft. “This aircraft will serve routes of up to 8 hours of flight with development potential, but which do not have sufficient demand to require wide-body aircraft. It might also serve to operate point-to-point sections that have not prospered, such as some routes from cities from Brazil to North America,” he said.
Orders are reactivated
At the end of June 2022, Airbus secured more than 8,100 orders from more than 130 customers for its A320neo Family, of which almost 550 were for the long-haul model. Since its entry into service six years ago, the French manufacturer has delivered more than 2,300 aircraft of this version because the fuel savings generated wide interest in the companies.
Specifically, in Latin America and the Caribbean, Airbus has sold more than 1,100 aircraft, has an order book of more than 500 and has more than 700 in operation throughout the region, which represents almost 60% of the share of fleet market in service. Since 1994, Airbus has secured approximately 70% of net orders in the region.
