Low-cost airline Eurowings inaugurated the commercial operations of its first Airbus A320neo. The airline, part of the Lufthansa Group, expects to take delivery of and begin operating six more aircraft of the model during 2022.
Flight EW 9584 took off yesterday from Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS) at 6:35 local time. The aircraft, registered as D-AENA, carried 180 passengers to Palma de Mallorca International Airport (PMI), where it landed at 8:37 local time. The aircraft, with manufacturer’s serial number 10758, completed its maiden flight in March this year and was delivered to Eurowings in April.
According to the airline, the A320neo will initially fly from the company’s base in Düsseldorf to Barcelona (BCN), Malaga (AGP), Palma de Mallorca (PMI), Athens (ATH), Berlin (BER), Munich (MUC), Dresden (DRS), Hamburg (HAM), Budapest (BUD), Prague (PRG), Vienna (VIE), Geneva (GVA), Zurich (ZRH), Lisbon (LIS), Lyon (LYS) and Milan-Malpensa (MXP).
Eurowings highlighted the performance of its new aircraft. In particular, the efficiency in terms of reduced fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the CFM LEAP powerplant. The latest variant of the popular Airbus family also offers up to a 50% reduction in the noise impact of operations.
«Together with the Lufthansa Group, we want to fly at the top of the competition in all areas, also and especially when it comes to sustainability», said Jens Bischof, CEO of Eurowings.
In reference to the passenger experience, the airline highlighted the baggage compartments with increased volume and storage capacity. They also mentioned the new lighting system, which adjusts according to the phase of the flight and the time of day in different shades.
As reported by the company, the project to add the model to its fleet required an investment of more than 1.5 billion dollars and became the largest in its history. During 2022, Eurowings expects to receive thirteen new aircraft: eight A320neo with a 180 seats configuration, and five A321neo with a 232 seats configuration.
