In addition to the delivery of the last A380,Airbus also closed another chapter in its history this week by delivering the last A321ceo, marking the end of the first generation of its successful A320 family with more than 8,000 aircraft leaving the manufacturing facility since 1987.
The aircraft, serial number 10315, is part of an order for 127 A320s placed by Delta Air Lines and was registered as N129DN. While there is still a backlog of A320 orders remaining, most of them belong to airlines that are no longer in operation, which is why 10315 is considered the last of the series.
Although the A321ceo (for Current Engine Option, which will become Classic Engine Option) is not the main model of the A320 family (also including its smaller siblings A318, A319, and A320), it has become a successful sales model in the last few years, serving as a replacement for the Boeing 757 on many routes, as its capacity is close to that of the Boeing 757 but with greater fuel efficiency.
According to our partner Aeroin, this latest aircraft departed from the Airbus facility in Alabama, USA, heading to the Minneapolis, Minnesota, airport, one of Delta’s bases. This is a hallmark of the success of the A320 program because very few would have imagined forty years ago that Airbus would cross the Atlantic to establish itself in a territory dominated by Boeing.
From now on, having completed deliveries of A320ceo aircraft, Airbus will only continue with A320neo (New Engine Option) with CFM LEAP-1A or Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines, as opposed to the old CFM-56, IAE V2500 or the rarer PW6000, only used by a few A318s.
