The airline’s new A321LR is on lease from Air Lease Corporation and arrived in Copenhagen today after departing the Airbus facility in Hamburg, Germany. For the ferry flight, the aircraft was fueled with a 10 percent sustainable jet fuel blend.
On Thursday (October 15, 2020), Airbus announced the delivery of the first of three Airbus A321LRs to SAS on lease from Air Lease Corporation. The ferry flight between the Airbus facility and Copenhagen was fueled with a 10 percent sustainable jet fuel blend and the aircraft is powered by CFM Leap-1A engines. Both SAS and Airbus are committed to reducing aviation’s carbon footprint and Airbus has been offering ferry flights with sustainable fuel since 2016. SAS’s new A321LR is configured with three classes including 22 SAS Business Class, 12 SAS Plus and 123 SAS Go (economy) seats. The carrier plans on deploying the aircraft on transatlantic routes from the Nordic countries.
The Airbus A321LR has a range of up to 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km) and delivers 30 percent fuel savings, as well as a nearly 50 percent reduction in noise footprint, when compared to previous generation competitor aircraft. The single-aisle aircraft opens new long-haul routes by offering true transatlantic capability with widebody comfort.
SAS operates an Airbus fleet of 76 aircraft including 63 A320 Family, nine A330 Family and four next-generation A350 XWB aircraft. At the end of September 2020, Airbus had received 7,450 firm orders for A320neo Family aircraft from over 110 global customers.
SAS is the leading airline in Scandinavia, carrying over 30 million passengers annually from its main hubs in Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm to 125 destinations in Europe, the US and Asia (pre-pandemic figures). The company has targeted a reduction in carbon emissions by 25% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels and hopes to transition to 100% biofuel for domestic flights by 2030. SAS also offers ground handling services, technical maintenance and cargo services. Additionally, the airline is a founding member of the Star Alliance, a network offering around 19,000 daily flights to more than 1,300 global destinations.
Source(s): Airbus, SAS