Airbus A320neo upgrades on hold

Aviation Week reported on April 10 that Airbus (Toulouse, France) is putting upgrades of its A320neo aircraft family on hold. The company has been considering upgrades to the A320neo and A321neo including stretching the aircraft and implementing a new composite wing – a move partially in response to a proposed new mid-market aircraft (NMA) from Boeing (Chicago, IL, US).

Airbus’ decision to put the upgrade on hold seems to be based on service needs of the in-service A320neo fleet as well as plans to increase production of narrowbody aircraft – the company is reportedly in the process of ramping up to produce 60 narrowbody aircraft per month in 2019. 

In the wake of some in-service shutdowns of A320neos due to problems with the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engine, Airbus temporarily ceased deliveries in February pending an engine component fix. Deliveries are reportedly expected to resume within a few weeks.

When asked for comment Airbus responded, “We always think about inserting technology in our products, and we invest every year a significant amount of money to keep the A320 family state of the art. As a leading aircraft manufacturer we are continuously looking at ways to advance our product line. The A321 is an aircraft with lots of potential.”

More information is available in Aviation Week’s report here.