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The first Airbus A319neo, the smallest member of the A320neo family, performed its maiden flight on March 31, powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines. The aircraft took off from Hamburg, Germany, and landed in Toulouse, France, after a five-hour flight.
It was piloted by experimental test pilots Michel Gagneux and Eckard Hausser. They were assisted in the cockpit by test-flight engineer Jean Michel Pin, while two flight test engineers Sylvie Loisel-Labaste and David O’nions directed the flight from the aircraft’s test engineer station.
This flight was the occasion for the crew to assess the general handling of the aircraft and to check the main systems. The A319neo, registered as D-AVWA, will be based in Toulouse in order to complete its flight test program.
The A320neo family is one of the world’s best-selling single aisle product line with over 5,000 orders received from over 90 customers, capturing almost 60 per cent share of the market. The A320neo family incorporates latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklet wing tip devices, which together deliver more than 15 per cent in fuel savings from day one and 20 per cent by 2020.
Thanks to their widest cabin, all members of the A320neo family offer unmatched comfort in all classes and Airbus’ 18-inches-wide seats in economy as standard.
With one aircraft in three sizes ( A319neo, A320neo and A321neo), the A320neo family, seating from 100 to 240 passengers, seamlessly covers the entire single-aisle segment from low to high-density domestic to longer range routes.
The A319neo offers its operators superior short field performance in hot and high conditions. It can accommodate up to 160 passengers without compromise on the comfort.
