Air Astana, Kazakhstan's flag carrier, has taken delivery of its first A321 out of a total of six A320 Family aircraft ordered from Airbus in May 2008. The delivery was celebrated in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. The aircraft will join Air Astana's fleet, which already includes 10 A320 Family aircraft, operated on the airline's domestic and international network.
The airline's A321, powered by IAE V2500 engines, features a two class cabin layout, seating 28 passengers in business class and 151 in economy.
Air Astana started commercial service with its first Airbus aircraft, an A320, in 2006, and is currently operating one A319, seven A320s and two A321s.
"The arrival of the first owned Airbus A321s at Air Astana is not only a major event for the airline, but also for the government of Kazakhstan. Having launched the airline with minimal capital in 2002, we are pleased to have built up sufficient financial strength to the point where we are now taking delivery of a new fleet of substantial value. Air Astana has entered an important new phase of its development," said Peter Foster, President of Air Astana.
"We congratulate Air Astana on their first delivery of directly ordered Airbus aircraft. We are confident that the market leading A320 Family will strongly contribute to Air Astana's growth", says John Leahy Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers.
To date, more than 8,800 Airbus A320 Family aircraft have been sold and more than 5,300 delivered to 380 customers and operators worldwide, making it the world's best-selling commercial jetliner ever. With proven reliability and extended servicing periods, the A320 Family has the lowest operating costs of any single-aisle aircraft. The A320neo, with almost 1,580 firm orders from more than 30 customers since its launch two years ago, is the fastest selling commercial aircraft ever and is on track to enter service from 2015. |
