The Airbus A320 neo Air craft

The A320 Enhanced family of Air crafts

In 2006 Airbus started the program of upgrading the A320 Aircrafts. A series of improvements were weighed upon which included aerodynamic refinements, such as adding large curved winglets (Sharklets), improved fuel consumption, weight savings, a new cabin, and engine improvements.  Hence A320 Enhanced came into being. After weighing several options Airbus decided to with the new engine option which was later called “neo”.

Sharklets

The A320 Enhanced as well as the A320neo are now sporting some modifications to the wing. The installation of a blended winglets called "Sharklets" These Sharklets are 2.4 meters (7 ft 10 in) tall and weigh 200 kilograms (440 lb). The Airbus winglets, was incorporated to reduce fuel burn by 3.5% and offer increases in payload of 500 kilograms (1,100 lb), or extend the range by 100 nautical miles (190 km) .This was seen as a big advantage for operators. The Sharklets as they are known were manufactured and distributed by Korean Air Aerospace Division. 

Enhanced Cabin

The new cabin has been modified to be better, larger luggage storage. It is now quieter. A new air purification system with filters with catalytic converter has been added to remove toxic fumes and unpleasant smells from the air that is present in the new cabin.

A notable feature in the new aircraft is the use of LED ambience lighting which is an option available for the customers of the aircraft. Additionally the flight crew use the new touch screen displays for controls

A320neo: New Engine Option

The Airbus now offers another variant of A320 with New Engine Option (known as neo). The choice for new engines include the CFM International LEAP-X and the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G. These new engines are said to be fuel efficient and  burn 16% less fuel. This factor in return is utilized to extend the range of the Aircraft by another 950 km.

Future outlook for A320neo

Citing 15% lower maintenance cost for the Pratt & Whitney's PW1000G family, Airbus is very optimistic about this class of aircraft and expect around 4,000 deliveries of  A320neo over 15 years. 

Orders

Since its launch in December 2010 the A320neo has received more than 2,000 NEO orders. This makes it fastest  selling commercial aircraft in its class. The most prominent orders include 150 aircraft from IndiGo, 200 from Air Asia. 130 from American Airlines and 174 from Lion Air. The A320neo is planned to enter service in October 2015 with ILFC, 27 years after the first A320 was delivered. This will be followed by the shrunk A319neo and later by the stretched A321neo.

At the Paris Air Show 2011, Airbus notified that they had orders from GECAS, Scandinavian Airlines, TransAsia Airways, IndiGo, LAN Airlines, AirAsia and GoAir. A few months later, Lufthansa became the aircraft's first German customer, ordering 30 aircrafts  On 14 March 2013, the Lufthansa ordered 70 additional A320neo and A321neo aircraft. Airbus also received commitments for 83 A320neo aircraft from Air Lease Corporation and AviancaTaca. A month later American Airlines ordered 130 A320neo's on 20 July 2011, which would cause the airline from deviating from having an all-Boeing fleet. The order placed on 23 June 2011 by the Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia was announced as the largest commercial aviation order at the time. At the 2011 Paris Air Show, the A320neo received a combined total of 667 orders and 83 commitments. The Dubai Airshow in November 2011 saw a further total of 130 orders and 105 commitments by several customers. AirAsia has placed the largest order ever of the A320neo, numbering 200 aircraft. On January 25, 2012 Norwegian and Airbus confirmed an order of 100 A320neo. Pegasus Airlines, of Turkey, signed for up to 100 A320neo Family aircraft, of which 75 (57 A320neo and 18 A321neo models)  EasyJet, who already operates 195 A320ceo family aircraft, announced on 18 June 2013 that it wants to acquire 100 Airbus A320neo for delivery between the years 2017 and 2022, with an options on a further 100 A320neo aircrafts.

The key Specifications for A320neo

Specifications are preliminary and likely to undergo changes

Airbus A320neo

Cockpit crew                          Two

Seating capacity                    180 (1-class, maximum) 164 (1-class, typical) 150 (2-class, typical)

Cruising speed                       Mach 0.78 (828 km/h/511 mph at 11,000 m/36,000 ft)

Maximum speed                     Mach 0.82 (871 km/h/537 mph at 11,000 m/36,000 ft)

Maximum range                     3,700 nmi (6,900 km; 4,300 mi)

Engines (×2)                           CFM International LEAP-1A or  Pratt & Whitney PW 1000G

Fan diameter                          PW: 81 in (2.1 m), LEAP-1A: 78 in (2.0 m)

Thrust                                      PW: 24,000–33,000 lbf (110–150 kN)