Pratt & Whitney, Airbus and Hawaiian Airlines yesterday celebrated delivery of the first A320neo Family aircraft produced at the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama. The aircraft, an A321neo powered by Geared Turbofan™ (GTF) engines, will join three other A321neo aircraft currently operating in Hawaiian's fleet. A special ceremony took place at the facility on June 11 to officially mark the delivery.
"Hawaiian Airlines is honoured to receive the first U.S. produced A320neo Family aircraft," said Jon Snook, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Hawaiian Airlines. "We look forward to expanding our fleet with this fuel-efficient, quiet and environmentally-friendly GTF-powered aircraft, which have been performing exceptionally well for our operations between the U.S. West Coast and Hawaii."
Pratt & Whitney GTF engines will power 18 firm A321neo aircraft for Hawaiian Airlines, which plans to operate the fleet on routes like Portland-Maui, Oakland-Kauai and Los Angeles-Kona.
"We take great pride that the first A320neo Family aircraft delivered from the Airbus Mobile facility is powered by GTF engines," said Tom Pelland, senior vice president, Commercial Engine Programs at Pratt & Whitney. "This facility puts Airbus closer to their U.S.-based customers, such as Hawaiian, and is a great accomplishment for Airbus and the entire Mobile-based team."
The majority of the design, manufacturing and assembly of GTF engines is done in the U.S. with the support of suppliers. Pratt & Whitney is investing more than $1.3 billion in 21st-century manufacturing technology to transform its U.S. and global footprint.
Since entering into service in early 2016, the GTF engine has demonstrated its promised ability to reduce fuel burn by 16 percent, to reduce NOx emissions by 50 percent to the regulatory standard and to lower the noise footprint by 75 percent.
Bob Lekites, Executive Vice President-Customers, Airbus Americas said, “Airbus understands the challenging airline marketplace and has continued to stay on the cutting edge of developing and producing aircraft that exceed industry standards in safety, efficiency and reliability. Hawaiian has recognized the Airbus commitment to innovation and we could not be more proud to deliver on this promise to them with our first U.S.-manufactured A321neo aircraft.”
“We are honoured to accept the delivery of the first A321neo from the Airbus Manufacturing facility,” said Jon Snook, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Hawaiian Airlines. “The A321neo is the ideal aircraft for us to share our Hawaiian hospitality with more guests as we grow our western U.S. network and provide greater access to our entire island chain. We look forward to more deliveries from Mobile.”
Hawaiian currently offers daily non-stop A321neo flights from Portland and Long Beach to Honolulu. The carrier will announce additional A321neo routes between the U.S. West Coast and the Hawaiian Islands as it welcomes a total of 18 aircraft through 2020.
