Ultra-Low-Cost-Carrier (ULCC) Spirit Airlines has just taken delivery of its first-ever Airbus A321neo aircraft. The company held an unveiling at its Detroit Maintenance Hangar this morning. The new aircraft registered N702NK, will fly its first commercial route on June 7.

The Airbus A321neo

The A321neo is the largest and latest in the A320 family of aircraft, boasting a longer range, superior fuel efficiency of 20 percent as compared to its A321ceo predecessor, and a quieter cabin experience for its passengers. 

The new geared turbofan (GTF) engines manufactured by Pratt & Whitney combined with Airbus' signature Sharklets all combine to make this aircraft a great business choice and a better product for passengers.

Some of the benefits offered by the A321neo variant include:

• Expanded seating capacity with the optimized use of cabin space, increased exit limits, and a new cabin door configuration. Additionally, all new aircraft are receiving Spirit's latest cabin upgrade with enhanced, wider seats that include additional usable legroom from the curved seatback design.
• Allows Spirit to increase capacity at constrained slot-controlled airports, providing more seating options.
• Spirit will maintain its wide aisles that allow quicker on- and off-boarding and extra space for crews to work.
• The new aircraft will add an additional 500 nautical miles in range over the previous generation A321ceo type, opening new destination opportunities.
• Spirit is installing Pratt & Whitney GTF engines on new aircraft deliveries. The GTF engine has demonstrated its promised ability to reduce fuel burn and carbon emissions by 16 percent on this family of aircraft, reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 50 percent compared to the regulatory standard and reduce the noise footprint by 75 percent.

Moving Forward

Spirit is currently in the process of refreshing its fleet. This will include the retirement of its aging and oldest member of the fleet: the A319ceo.

The A319 is the smallest aircraft in Spirit's possession at the moment. The airline recently committed to getting rid of 29 of the type and aims to purge them all by the time 2025 is out. 

"Adding this new variant of the A320 Family aircraft to our fleet is a feat that has been years in the making. I'm grateful for all our Team Members who made it possible for us to step up our capabilities and open the door to new horizons for Spirit," said Ted Christie, Spirit Airlines President, and CEO. 

"We know our Guests enjoy the brand-new plane experience combined with our latest cabin upgrades, and on the business side of the equation, this transition will increase our average gauge, which will drive efficiencies that benefit unit costs and reduce fuel burn."
 

Value for Money?

Spirit Airlines has recently received some accolades for having a decent 'bang-to-buck' ratio as of late. 

Aviation Week Network's Air Transport World named Spirit as the Value Airline of the Year at the ATW 2023 Airline Industry Achievement Awards.

In addition, WalletHub named Spirit the Most Affordable Airline with the company ranking No. 2 in its Best Airline Awards.

The airline was also awarded the Federal Aviation Administration's "Aviation Maintenance Technician Diamond Award of Excellence" for the fifth year running.