Air Malta’s newest addition to the fleet - a brand new 180-seater Airbus A320neo - arrived in Malta today. The aircraft, which has been registered on the Maltese aircraft register as 9H-NEB, was flown directly from the Airbus’ Hamburg facility and greeted by staff members upon arrival. It will enter into service tomorrow with a morning flight to Milan Malpensa.

The aircraft has been configured according to Air Malta’s requirements. The cabin interior offers 18-inch-wide seats where passengers can enjoy more personal space, comfort and leg room. Apart from enhanced specifications including a more modern look and feel of the cabin, led lightning and larger luggage storage, the aircraft offers reduced operational costs for Air Malta especially with its improved fuel efficiency of around 20%. Due to its lower fuel burn rate, the aircraft is capable of longer-range flights of about 10-15%. The aircraft is equipped with CFM International LEAP-1A engines.

A third brand new Airbus A320neo is expected to join the airline’s fleet in the coming weeks.

The Airbus A320neo is a development of the A320 family and offers state of the art aerodynamics, and with its new generation engines, the NEO offers unbeatable efficiency, environmental performance and lower noise levels of up to 50%. For every new Airbus A320neo that joins Air Malta’s fleet, the airline is saving hundreds of tons of fuel per year and seeing a 24% reduction of CO2 emissions per seat.

Last year Air Malta embarked on a 5-year fleet renewal project that will see the replacement of all aircraft with neo models.

Minister for Tourism Konrad Mizzi expressed his satisfaction for the acquisition of the 2nd brand new A320 neo. He explained that this aircraft shows commitment to the growth strategy adopted by Air Malta and the huge investment in the airline in the months and years ahead.

The arrival of the second NEO marks an important step in the airline’s history and development. Apart from enhanced fuel and environmental performance, the aircraft fits perfectly with the airline’s current fleet of A320ceos delivering seamless operational integration and also costs savings in terms of training of engineers, pilots and other staff members.