- easyJet’s new A321neo aircraft are quieter and more fuel efficient
- Gatwick reduces noise impacts while growing passenger numbers
- Gatwick investing in major infrastructure to facilitate next generation of aircraft
GATWICK, UK, 2018-Jul-20 — /Travel PR News/ — London Gatwick is investing for the arrival of a new fleet of larger, quieter easyJet aircraft, which will reduce noise and produce lower carbon emissions while growing passenger numbers.
The first of six new A321neos started service at Gatwick today and are up to 50% quieter – 4 decibels (dB) quieter on take-off and 2dB on approach – than existing aircraft types based at the airport. They will also deliver up to 15% savings in fuel burn and CO2 emissions compared to previous generations of the aircraft.
These aircraft are expected to become an important part of easyJet’s existing 65-strong Gatwick based fleet over the next five years.
Each A321neo aircraft provides an additional 50 seats to further increase passenger growth at the airport, without needing to increase the overall number of aircraft movements on the runway. This is projected to bring an additional 85,000 passengers a year to Gatwick compared to the A320neo.
The new A321neo aircraft are in addition to easyJet’s order of 100 A320neo aircraft, which have 186 seats and are also 50% quieter than previous generation aircraft. easyJet has already received nine A320neo aircraft, which are regularly flying in and out of Gatwick.
Gatwick is also investing in new infrastructure and has recently spent nearly £10 million to re-configure its Pier 4 apron and stands to accommodate the new aircraft. This year the airport will begin work on a major extension to its Pier 6 facility which will include eight new aircraft stands to specifically facilitate the larger A321neos at an investment of £180 million, providing an improved passenger experience and greater operational efficiency.
Norwegian has also started flying its new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on some services from Gatwick, which uses the latest quiet-engine technology to reduce noise by 40% compared to similar sized single-aisle aircraft. Gatwick is investing in the growing Boeing fleet as it supports Boeing to build a new hangar facility at the airport, due to be fully operational in early 2019.
Gatwick Airport’s Head of Airspace, Andy Sinclair, said:
“We are fully committed to reducing noise for our local communities as much as possible and will continue to work closely with our airline partners and invest in infrastructure to increase the number of quieter aircraft that can operate from Gatwick.
“easyJet is Gatwick’s biggest airline, accounting for 40 per cent of aircraft movements here, so this new fleet strategy is a positive step for those affected by noise around the airport.”
Sophie Dekkers, easyJet’s UK Country Director said:
“We are delighted that our first A321neo aircraft is entering service at Gatwick airport to fly on routes including Alicante, Malaga, Faro, Palma, and Paphos amongst others.
“This larger aircraft will enable us deliver our strategy of securing and growing our number one positions at Europe’s leading and slot-constrained airports. Crucially it will also bring significant environmental and operational benefits which means we will be able to offer more seats and low fares to even more people travelling from Gatwick on Europe’s most popular leisure and business routes, whilst both lowering emissions and noise to reduce our impact on the communities around the airports we serve.”
Notes for Editors
For more information about Gatwick’s five-year rolling Capital Investment Programme and the Pier 6 Western Extension project, visit the airport’s website here.
Alternatively, if you would like to find out more about the actions Gatwick is taking to reduce aircraft noise, visit the website here.
About London Gatwick
Gatwick Airport is the UK’s second largest airport and the most efficient single-runway airport in the world. It serves more than 228 destinations in 74 countries for 45 million passengers a year on short and long-haul point-to-point services. It is also a major economic driver for the UK contributing £5.3 billion to national GDP and generating 85,000 jobs nationally, with around 24,000 on the wider airport campus alone. The airport is south of Central London with excellent public transport links, including the Gatwick Express, and is part of the Oyster contactless payment network. Gatwick Airport is owned by a group of international investment funds, of which Global Infrastructure Partners is the largest shareholder.
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Source: GATWICK AIRPORT