EgyptAir takes delivery of its first Airbus A321neo

EgyptAir has taken of its first A321neo from Airbus’ Delivery Centre in Hamburg, making the airline the first African operator of the aircraft. The aircraft is on lease from AerCap and is powered by CFM engines.

The A321neo is the largest member of Airbus’ best-selling single-aisle A320 Family and brings a 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption and emissions per seat compared with previous generation competing aircraft. This enables EgyptAir to benefit from enhanced efficiency and be able to deliver on its commitment to sustainability, whilst reducing operating costs.

The delivery flight from Hamburg to Cairo on Feb. 27 was powered by 34 percent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blend. SAF is a sustainably-produced aviation fuel made from feedstocks ranging from used fat, oil and grease to municipal and forestry waste. Compared to fossil jet fuel, SAF has been demonstrated to result in an up to 80 percent reduction in CO2 emissions across the entire SAF lifecycle. Therefore, it is considered as a key enabler to contribute to the decarbonisation of aviation.