Virgin America has become the first operator to take delivery of the Airbus A321neo, with its first aircraft handed over at the manufacturer’s Hamburg, Germany facility on Thursday.
The aircraft, configured with a 185-seat, three-class cabin and powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines, is due to enter service on May 31 between San Francisco and Washington National Airport. It is one of 10 A321neos to be leased from GECAS and joins 63 other Airbus A320 Family aircraft in the Virgin America fleet.
“We are honoured to be the first operator of this high in-demand aircraft,” said Virgin America president Peter Hunt in a statement.
“The new A321neo – the third member of the Airbus A320 Family to join our Virgin America fleet – will allow us to further reduce our unit costs and enable us to further reduce our carbon emissions.”
The LEAP 1A-powered A321 received joint US and European certification on March 1. The Pratt & Whitney PW110G-powered A321 was certified in December 2016 but has yet to be delivered.
