Avianca recommits to A320neo Family

MoU for 100 aircraft reaffirms airline’s fleet renewal strategy

In early February, Avianca announced plans to acquire an additional 100 A320neo Family aircraft after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus. This agreement outlines Avianca’s commitment to fleet renewal and modernization.

The agreement covers A319neo, A320neo and A321neo aircraft, and allows Avianca to maintain their fleet among the youngest in the region given that the order will eventually replace the aircraft in operation from the airline’s hubs in Bogotá, San Salvador and Lima, while expanding the fleet according to market growth forecasts for the region.

Today, Avianca has a combined single-aisle fleet of around 120 A320ceo Family aircraft, covering all four CEO models (A318, A319, A320 and A321). The first stage of their fleet renewal process was completed in 2012 when Avianca ordered 51 Airbus single-aisle aircraft, including 18 A320ceo that are currently being delivered, as well as 33 A320neo. This new agreement for 100 A320neo Family aircraft reaffirms Avianca’s commitment to the A320neo program to finalize the modernization of its fleet.

Having over 95 percent spare parts commonality, pilot cockpit commonality, and minimal maintenance personnel training all together allow for optimization and technical and operational flexibility. Switching from an A320ceo to A320neo becomes an easy and cost efficient process, yielding 17 percent per seat fuel burn reductions.

Importantly, this simple transition will also ensure that Avianca is able to maintain their excellent operational dispatch reliability, a defining characteristic of the airline and one that ranks among the highest in the world.

Due to recent Airbus cabin innovations such as SpaceFlex, SmartLav, improved door options and increased exit limit certification the A320neo Family offers increased seat counts over today’s in-service aircraft. Together these innovations allow significant increases in revenue potential of the aircraft while maintaining higher comfort level for passengers. The A321neo in particular offers a unique payload-range capability that meets upcoming market requirements.

Finally, due to improvements in aerodynamics and engine thrust, Avianca will benefit from enhanced performance capabilities, allowing the airline to efficiently tackle the challenges that come with dense, high-traffic airports.

For more information contact:
David Forrester
Marketing Manager
david.forrester@airbus.com