EGYPTAIR takes delivery of Africa’s first Airbus A321neo

EGYPTAIR takes delivery of Africa’s first Airbus A321neo

Hamburg – EGYPTAIR took delivery of its first A321neo from Airbus’ Delivery Centre in Hamburg, making the airline the first African operator of the aircraft. 

EGYPTAIR has specified a high comfort, two-class configuration with 16 Business class seats and 166 Economy class seats, and will increase the airline’s single-aisle capacity to the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. The aircraft is on lease from AerCap and is powered by CFM engines.

The A321neo is the largest-fuselage member of Airbus’ best-selling single-aisle A320 Family and brings a 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption and emissions per seat compared with previous generation competing aircraft. This enables EGYPTAIR to benefit from enhanced efficiency and be able to deliver on its commitment to sustainability, whilst reducing operating costs.

This modern aircraft joins EGYPTAIR’s Airbus fleet of 12 A220s, 8 A320neos, 2 A320ceos 4 A330-200, 4 A330-300. With the addition of the A321neo, EGYPTAIR is demonstrating continuous ambitions to expand its Airbus fleet to meet current and future demand. 

Across all its aircraft families, Airbus’ unique approach ensures that aircraft share the highest commonality in airframes, onboard systems, cockpits, and handling characteristics. This significantly reduces operating costs and maximizes the airline’s profitability.

The delivery flight from Hamburg to Cairo was powered by a 34 percent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blend. SAF is a sustainably-produced aviation fuel made from feedstocks ranging from used fat, oil, and grease to municipal and forestry waste. Compared to fossil jet fuel, SAF has been demonstrated to result in an up to 80 percent reduction in CO2 emissions across the entire SAF lifecycle. Therefore, it is considered a key enabler contributing to the decarbonization of aviation.