PW powered A319neo makes maiden flight

The last of the A320neo variants, an Airbus A319neo test aircraft has completed its maiden flight powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF engines for the first time. The A319neo took off from Toulouse at 12:30 and landed at 15:20. It was flown by a crew of five including Captain Philippe Castaigns, First Officer Shaun Wildey, flight test engineers Frank Hohmeister, David O’Nions and the Test flight engineer Cedric Favrichon.

The aircraft, MSN 6464, will perform an extensive flight test campaign in order to achieve its certification with P&W GTF engines by Q4 2019. The same aircraft had originally been powered with CFM LEAP-1A engines for that variant’s full certification test campaign which began on March 31^st, 2017 prior to FAA/EASA certification in December 2018.

The A319neo is the smallest member of the A320neo family. This family is the world’s best-selling single aisle aircraft, with over 6,500 orders from some 100 customers since its launch in 2010. It has pioneered and incorporated the latest technologies, including its new generation engines and the industry’s reference cabin design, delivering 20 percent fuel cost per seat savings alone. The A320neo Family also offers significant environmental benefits with nearly 50 percent reduction in noise footprint compared to previous generation aircraft.