Jetstar Airways has taken delivery of its second Airbus A321neoLR, adding more capacity to its operations ahead of the peak holiday period. The state-of-the-art aircraft arrived in Melbourne from the Airbus manufacturing facility in Hamburg, Germany and operated its first commercial flight on 10 December.
The NEO will operate popular domestic routes, including Melbourne to Brisbane and Melbourne to the Gold Coast as well as longer-range international routes like Melbourne to Bali and the upcoming service between Sydney and Rarotonga. Carrying 232 passengers, the NEO is the most fuel-efficient aircraft in Jetstar’s fleet, providing fuel savings of up to 20 percent each flight, helping keep fares low while contributing to the airline’s sustainability targets.
Jetstar Group CEO Stephanie Tully said the timing of the second NEO was perfect as the airline heads into the busiest travel period of the year. “We’re looking forward to welcoming more than three million customers on board Jetstar flights this summer holiday period and our new NEO ensures we can add more capacity to popular routes while maintaining our fantastic low fares,” Tully said. “As demand for air travel continues to increase, we remain committed to offering great value fares across our extensive network, and this new NEO helps us do just that. With bigger seats, extra-large overhead bins, in-built USB chargers, special holders for your devices and a significantly quieter engine, the NEO offers the best inflight experience of any low-fares carrier.”
The new longer-range Airbus A321neoLR is 50 percent quieter and up to 20 percent more fuel efficient than the current fleet of A320 aircraft, making it the lowest emissions aircraft in the Jetstar fleet. Fitted with an additional fuel tank, the NEO has an increased range capability to around 3,500 nautical miles / 6,482 kilometres.
The aircraft offers a range of customer benefits including wider seats, larger overhead storage lockers and in-seat USB power to keep devices charged as well as the latest lighting system for an overall enhanced passenger experience. In the coming months, the NEOs will also be equipped with digital streaming technology which means customers can access Jetstar’s inflight entertainment on their own devices when they fly. This is the second in Jetstar’s pipeline of 18 A321neoLR aircraft, with two more aircraft arriving in the coming weeks, meaning Jetstar will have four NEOs flying in January and all 18 set to enter the fleet by mid-2024.