JETBLUE TO NEARLY DOUBLE ITS AIRBUS FLEET

firm order for 30 A320s will help grow airline’s route network


In the first major airline order of the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, JetBlue Airways has signed a firm order for an additional 30 Airbus A320 aircraft, bringing its total firm order to 63 A320s. The airline currently operates a fleet of 14 A320s. All of JetBlue’s A320s are powered by International Aero Engines V2500s.

This is the third time the New York-based start-up has ordered Airbus aircraft in just two years. The economy and reliability of the Airbus A320 Family has helped drive the low-fare, high-success airline to be just that, and as a result, JetBlue is coming back for more.

“We’re very proud of the positive response we get every day from our passengers regarding their satisfaction with JetBlue,” said David Neeleman, JetBlue’s Chief Executive Officer. “One of the reasons we have gotten such great reviews from our customers is that they love our planes, and since all our planes are Airbus planes, that’s a tip of the hat to the A320’s comfort and dependability. Besides that, our pilots and flight attendants really enjoy flying the A320, and in our business, happy employees translate into happy passengers.”

“The speed at which JetBlue has found success is truly unprecedented in the low-fare market, and the fact they did it with a fleet of all-new Airbus aircraft demonstrates that the right equipment can be a driving force, or rather flying force, for the right team of people, and the right team resides at JetBlue,” said Noël Forgeard, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus. “With our first order announcement of the air show coming from a North American customer, it really indicates the strength of the Airbus product in the U.S. market.”

This newest order continues JetBlue on its steady course of taking delivery of some 10 A320s each year through 2007, adding a new destination city with the addition of each aircraft. All JetBlue’s A320s seat 162 passengers in a roomy single-class configuration, offering LiveTV and leather upholstery in every seat.

The A320 is the founding member of the A320 Family, comprised of the A318, A319, A320 and A321. These four aircraft form the world’s most profitable and best-selling single-aisle aircraft family in the world. Derived from the same fuselage, all A320 Family aircraft provide operators with the highest degree of commonality and economy available for aircraft in the 107-185 seat category.

Headquartered in Toulouse, Airbus is an EADS joint Company with BAE SYSTEMS.