Airbus to showcase latest products at Airshow China 2012

A320neo model on show for the first time in China

Airbus will highlight the 21st century’s flagship of A380 and its best selling single aisle aircraft the A320neo (New Engine Option) at the 9th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition (Zhuhai Airshow), from 13th to 18th November 2012 in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai, Guangdong Province.

A 1:20 scale cutaway A380 model and a 1:20 scale A320neo model will be displayed at the EADS stand located at Booth 10 in Hall 1. It is the first time for Airbus to showcase an A320neo model in China.

A press conference will be held at noon on Tuesday 13th November in the Press Centre, room 220, on the second floor.

Since first entering service in 2007, the A380 has exceeded all expectations, flying over 29 million passengers further at lower cost and with less impact on the environment. The spacious, quiet cabin and smooth ride have also made the A380 a firm favourite with passengers, resulting in higher load factors and increased profitability on all routes where the aircraft is operated. With some 120 flights per day, the A380 is becoming a familiar sight at airports across the globe. The A380 fleet transports 1.25 million passengers each month with an A380 taking off or landing every six minutes. The total A380 order book is 257 aircraft from 20 customers worldwide and so far 89 have been delivered to nine customers.

The A320neo is a new engine option for the A320 Family, which is to enter into service from 2015. The A320neo incorporates latest generation engines and large "Sharklet" wing tip devices, which together will deliver 15 percent in fuel savings. This reduction in fuel burn is equivalent to 1.4m litres of fuel – the consumption of 1,000 mid size cars. This saves 3,600 metric tonnes of C02 per aircraft per year, the amount absorbed by 240,000 mature trees. The A320neo NOx emissions are 50% below CAEP/6 and this aircraft also has considerably a smaller noise footprint.

The A320neo, with almost 1,500 firm orders from 30 customers since its launch, is the fastest selling commercial aircraft ever and is on track to enter service from 2015. For the A320 Family as a whole, over 8,600 aircraft have been ordered and almost 5,300 delivered to about 350 customers and operators worldwide reaffirming its position as the world’s best selling single-aisle aircraft Family. The A320neo has over 95 percent airframe commonality making it an easy fit into existing fleets.