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America West to Sign For Up to 77 Airbus Aircraft Airline Joins Growing List of Customers for A318
HERNDON, VA---America West Airlines has signed a commitment with Airbus Industrie for a package of single-aisle aircraft. The deal announced today with the Phoenix-based airline includes firm orders for 15 A318s and 12 A320s, with an additional 25 options and 25 purchase rights for A320 Family aircraft. Deliveries for the firm-ordered aircraft will begin in August 2000.
The A318 is the newest and smallest member of the A320 Family, which also includes the A319 and A321. Though it features a shorter fuselage than the A319, the A318 shares the same cabin width as the other members of the A320 Family, offering the same comfort standards that have helped make the A320 Family the world's fastest-selling aircraft family. The A318 also shares the A320 Family's modern fly-by-wire flight controls, allowing all types to be operated by the same flight crews and maintained by the same engineers, saving the airline in training, maintenance, and spares costs. This is particularly relevant at America West, which has flown A320 Family aircraft since 1991.
"We are excited about the addition of the A318 which will permit the Airline to replace our 737-200 aircraft early in the next decade and continue our strategy of more frequent service to key business markets," said W.A. Franke, America West Holdings chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Industrie.
"America West is already one of North America's top customers for Airbus Industrie, and we are honored that it will also be one of the first U.S. customers for the A318," said Noël Forgeard, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Industrie.
America West's A318s will seat 110 passengers in a two-class configuration, accommodating 12 in First Class and the remaining 98 in Economy. The aircraft will be equipped with Pratt & Whitney PW6124 engines. The airline's A320 aircraft will seat 150 passengers, 12 in First Class and 138 in Economy. The planes will be equipped with IAE V2500-A5 engines from International Aero Engines.
America West has one of the largest fleets of Airbus Industrie aircraft in the United States. At the end of September 1999, the airline operated a fleet of 35 A320s and eight A319s, with another 26 A320 family aircraft on firm order before today's announcement.
Other customers for the A318, launched in April of this year, include Air France, British Airways, Egyptair, Frontier Airlines, GATX Flightlease, ILFC and TWA. The airliner is also available with CFM56 engines from CFM International. The very first A318 is expected to enter service in the last quarter of 2002.
Eleven years after the A320 entered service, the Airbus single-aisled family of aircraft has won more than 2,100 firm orders from 92 customers, and is clearly the leader in this market segment. More than 1,000 A319s, A320s and A321s are now in service worldwide.
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America West to Sign For Up to 77 Airbus Aircraft Airline Joins Growing List of Customers for A318