Air New Zealand has unveiled the first of its new Airbus A320 aircraft at the 50th Le Bourget Paris Air Show.
The airline is the launch customer for the aircraft, which features 2.4 metre high curved wing tip devices known as Sharklets that increase fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions.
10 of the Sharklet equipped A320 aircraft will join Air New Zealand’s fleet between now and 2015.
Chief flight operations and safety officer, Captain David Morgan, said the A320 is at the core of Air NZ’s domestic fleet with the airline committed to deploying this aircraft across its domestic network to reap the efficiency gains on offer.
“In a seat to seat comparison, the Sharklet equipped A320 will burn 18% less fuel per passenger compared with our Boeing 737-300 jets, which are scheduled to be phased out of our fleet over the next couple of years," he said.
“From a CO2 perspective, each Sharklet equipped A320 aircraft will save 250 tonnes of carbon per year compared with an A320 without Sharklets.”
