Jetrader - March/April 2012 - 19

the investment community in general. Examples of these follow.

Best-in-Class Cabin
Looking back over the last ﬁve years, Airbus has incorporated a signiﬁcant number of improvements. A new contemporary cabin was introduced in 2007. The re-sculpted side panels provide even more space in what is already the widest cabin in the single-aisle market. The new cabin lining is also lighter, easier to maintain and helps to reduce ambient noise for passengers. To cater for the increasing demand for onboard luggage, the overhead stowage space has also been increased, giving it the most overhead bin space per passenger in the category. The A320 Family cabin, which is seven inches wider than the competition, gives operators the choice of offering passengers a wider seat, 18 inches between armrests, or a wider aisle. All Airbus aircraft have a consistent comfort standard with at least an 18-inch economy seat width. The wider aisle has been taken by many low-cost carriers as it improves turnaround time, a key driver in improving productivity and keeping costs down.

system (CLS). Containerization allows faster turnaround times and a safer working environment since the baggage can be loaded and unloaded in a secure area, away from the aircraft. This means there is no need to manually load the baggage in the conﬁned hold space. The A320 Family is unique as being the only singleaisle aircraft to be able to offer CLS. An increasing focus on health and safety will undoubtedly further expand the popularity of CLS in the future.

Engine and Airframe Performance Enhancements
Both CFMI and International Aero Engines (I AE) updated their engines with the ‘Tech-Insertion’ package and ‘SelectOne’ package respectively to deliver fuel burn and maintenance cost reductions. Airbus has also continued developing the airframe by implementing an aerodynamic clean-up with a one percent drag saving. Performance has been improved with a one metric tonne increase in the A320 maximum takeoff weight, extending the range by 150nm or increasing the payload by 800kg. This development was possible with a new load alleviation function, which increases the permissible centre of gravity (C-of-G) range. Since this is achieved through an upgrade to the FBW software, it is easy to retroﬁt to most of the A320 in-service ﬂeet.

Family to operate into some very challenging airports. For example, Required Navigation Performance with an accuracy down to 0.1nm (“RNP 0.1”) is being used by Air New Zealand on approaches into Queenstown. Another development due to be introduced in 2012 is the Runway Overrun Protection System (ROPS) ,which will bring operational and safety enhancements during landing by alerting the pilots if the remaining runway length is insufﬁcient to stop, and advising a “goaround.” This has been developed from the Brake-To-Vacate (BTV) system on the A380, which controls braking and allows the aircraft to leave the runway at a preselected turnoff during landing, thus reducing time on the runway. It’s a good example of Airbus’ philosophy of technology transfer amongst products, where new technologies developed on new aircraft such as the A380 or A350 XWB are then reintroduced into the other Airbus Families.

A320 Maintenance Interval and Service Life Extensions
Since the A320 entered service, the maintenance intervals have also been increased, due to the low number of nonroutine tasks associated with in-service aircraft. Extending the maintenance intervals mean the aircraft are more productive, generating additional revenue for the operators. Another area where investment has been made in the ﬂeet is in the “Extended Service Goal” (ESG), a program to extend the life of older aircraft.

Unique Under-ﬂoor Cargo Beneﬁts
The wider fuselage also brings signiﬁcant ﬂexibility beneﬁts to the revenuegenerating cargo compartment. It can be operated as full bulk, full bulk with the sliding carpet system to make bulk loading easier, or a containerized loading

New Navigation & Runway Aids
Other developments have focussed on navigation aids which allow the A320

The A320 Family cabin—the widest in its class.

Jetrader 19

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Jetrader - March/April 2012

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