Cebu Pacific of the Philippines has finalised a firm order with Airbus for the purchase of 30 A321neo aircraft. The contract firms up a previously announced MOU signed in June. With this latest purchase agreement the fast-growing carrier has increased its total firm orders for the A320 Family to 71, of which 16 have already been delivered. The airline currently operates 25 A320 Family aircraft, including the 16 purchased from Airbus and nine leased aircraft.

Cebu Pacific plans to configure its A321neo fleet with 220 seats in a single class layout and will fly the aircraft across its expanding pan-Asian network. This currently includes 34 domestic and 16 international destinations, including Osaka, Seoul (Incheon), Beijing, Jakarta, Bangkok and Singapore. The airline will make a decision on its engine selection for the aircraft at a later date.

The A321neo will enable us to increase capacity on our key routes while benefiting from the lowest operating costs of any aircraft in this size category, said Lance Gokongwei, Cebu Pacific President and CEO. With these aircraft we will continue to build upon our reputation for offering high quality low fares service with one of the most modern and youngest fleets in Asia.

Cebu Pacific has proven itself to be one of the most efficient and successful low cost carriers in the Asian region, said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer, Customers, Airbus. With the step-change in fuel savings offered by the A321neo the airline will be able to strengthen its position further, flying more people at even lower cost than before.

The A321neo is the largest model in the recently launched A320neo series, which incorporates new engines and large wing tip devices called sharklets. The advances will deliver fuel savings of over 15 percent and additional payload or range capability. The fuel savings translate into some 3,600 tonnes less CO2 per aircraft per year. In addition, the aircraft will provide a double-digit reduction in NOx emissions and reduced engine noise.

The A320 Family (A318, A319, A320 and A321) is recognised as the benchmark single-aisle aircraft family. Close to 7,700 A320 Family aircraft have already been ordered and more than 4,700 delivered to more than 330 customers and operators worldwide. The A320neo series will have over 95 percent airframe commonality with the existing models, enabling it to fit seamlessly into existing A320 Family fleets.

The new engines types offered on the A320neo Family are CFM International's LEAP-X and Pratt & Whitney's PurePower PW1100G.

Contributed by Airbus S.A.S.