Air New Zealand opts for additional A321neos

Air New Zealand has announced that they have signed a commitment for an additional seven Airbus A321neos.

The aircraft are set to be delivered between 2020 and 2024 and will be targeting fleet replacement and expansion.

Pratt and Whitney PW1100G Geared Turbofan engines will power the aircraft, as well as the nine A320neos and eight A321neos that are already in the order book. The first neo for Air New Zealand has already been spotted in parts around Airbus’s Hamburg facility and is expected to be delivered to the airline in December.

Additionally, the airline has announced that three A320ceos will be moved from its transtasman fleet to its domestic fleet and the delivery of one A320neo has been pushed back from 2020 to 2022.

The first three A321neos to be delivered to Air New Zealand will be configured for short-haul international routes to the east-coast and central Australia, as well as the South Pacific.

214 seats will be installed in a three class configuration. It’s worth noting that the airline has opted for the Airbus Cabin Flex configuration which is set to become standard on all A321neos in the future.

Inflight Wi-Fi will be available and has currently been undergoing testing with the airlines 777-300ER fleet.

Air New Zealand and Airbus are confident that Pratt and Whitney will have all the issues involved with their engines fixed by the time of entry into service. The last thing the airline wants is another batch of engine issues.

To aid the loss of Boeing 787 Dreamliners because of Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine issues, ANZ have confirmed that an additional Boeing 777-200 will be taken via lease to cover schedule changes.

The airline already has a Boeing 777-200 from Boeing on lease as well as the recently introduced 777-300ER from EVA Air.

As for future widebody aircraft, Air New Zealand is still working on performance details on the Airbus A350, Boeing 777x and 787 for certain routes and future demand.