A319neo certified, but why low sales?

摘要

Five airframe/engine variants in the Airbus A320neo range have now been certified, after the A319neo powered by CFM International LEAP-1A turbofans received joint type certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency and Federal Aviation Administration late in 2018. The approval followed what Airbus called an "intensive certification flight test programme" involving over 500 flight hours following the A319neo's first flight in March 2017. The A319neo is the shortened-fuselage member of the A320neo Family, seating 140 passengers in two classes or up to 160 in a high-density layout, with a range of up to 3,750 nautical miles (6,945km). It has sold very slowly, with Airbus orders and deliveries data indicating just 55 orders by the start of 2019, meaning the variant accounts for less than 0.5% of the total 6,526 orders for A320neo Family variants recorded by that date. Market demand is the most important reason why A319neo sales have been so low compared to the other variants, with the larger A320neo and A321neo better catering for the capacity needs of most carriers. Possibly another factor in the sales performance is that Airbus now also offers the A220 for the area of the market where the A319neo sits. Sales of A220s continue to tick along, with the recent confirmations of tentative deals in the United States taking the total firm orders backlog for that aircraft to more than 500 examples.