Air Malta’s third brand new 180-seater Airbus A320neo joined the fleet this week. Registered on the Maltese aircraft register as 9H-NEC, it was flown directly from the Airbus’ facility in Hamburg.

The airline said that the aircraft immediately entered into service last Thursday with flight KM 328/9 to Frankfurt.

Present for the announcement was Air Malta’s Chairman Dr Charles Mangion and Minister for Tourism Konrad Mizzi.

Air Malta said that the aircraft is the second one to be configured according to Air Malta’s specifications and requirements. The cabin interior has been selected to offer 18-inch-wide seats where passengers can enjoy more personal space, comfort and leg room.

Apart from enhanced facilities 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%.it said.

Due to its lower fuel burn rate, the aircraft is capable of longer-range flights of about 10-15%, Air Malta said. The aircraft is equipped with CFM International LEAP-1A engines.

Last year Air Malta embarked on a five-year fleet replacement project that will see the airline operate a brand-new Airbus A320neo fleet by the year 2022. The next batch of brand-new aircraft are expected to join the airline’s fleet next year.

“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%,” the airline said.

For every new Airbus A320neo that joins Air Malta’s fleet, the airline said that it is saving hundreds of tons of fuel per year and seeing a 24% reduction of CO2 emissions.

Photo by Daryl Cauchi

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