LAN Airlines takes delivery of its first A318

LAN Airlines (“LAN”) has taken delivery of its first A318, powered by the new Pratt & Whitney PW6000 engines.

LAN Airlines placed an order for 20 A318s in 2005. Currently the airline operates 34 Airbus aircraft of which 15 are A319s, 15 A320s and 4 A340-300s. The new A318 will be put into service on LAN Airline’s domestic network in Chile, complementing the A319 and A320 airline operations. With this new delivery, the A320 Family again demonstrates its unmatched versatility and even further increases its ability to meet LAN’s diverse operational and market requirements.

The Pratt & Whitney powered versions of the A318 were certificated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on 25th May 2007 and by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on 21st December 2005. The A318 is part of the very successful A320 Family that also includes the A319, A320 and A321. LAN’s new A318s also feature the all-new cabin that recently entered service on other members of the A320 Family and provides even more passenger comfort in a modern and bright environment.

The A320 Family’s optimised cabin cross-section - the widest single-aisle fuselage on the market - sets the standard for passenger cabin flexibility in this segment. It allows for top-of-the-range comfort with wider seats and aisles, or an extra-wide aisle for the fast turnarounds that are essential in the low-cost markets. Superior cabin size and shape allow larger overhead stowages to be fitted for faster boarding and deplaning as well as greater convenience.

The all new cabin, as the latest A320 innovation, further enhances the high level of passenger comfort. The new design gives up to 15% more useable overhead stowage volume and a measurable noise reduction in the cabin, combined with state of the art design features. Furthermore, the new cabin is lighter in weight, making the aircraft even more fuel efficient; a benefit in terms of operational costs and environmental progress.

The A320 Family’s impressive level of dispatch reliability further enhances profitability and passenger service. In addition, the A320 Family is an environmentally responsible neighbour, offering the lowest fuel burn, emissions and noise footprints in its class.

With more than 5,000 aircraft ordered and more than 3,000 delivered to approximately 200 customers and operators, the A320 Family is the world’s best-selling single-aisle aircraft family.

The A320 Family’s unique operational commonality allows pilots and maintenance crews to work across the Family and delivers valuable savings in training and operational efficiency. Designed to optimise revenue through cabin adaptability and passenger comfort, the A320 Family features the most modern and complete fly-by-wire technology available on any single-aisle aircraft in its category.