In celebration of its 18th birthday today, Jetstar has unveiled the new livery for its fleet of Airbus NEOs; using new paint that saves 350 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
The first of Jetstar’s pipeline of 38 NEO aircraft is set to arrive in Melbourne in the coming months, with the A321LR aircraft commencing flying on some of Jetstar’s most popular domestic routes, including from Melbourne to Cairns.
Featuring a unique orange tail and underbelly, and freshly branded wing tips, Jetstar says the new livery uses a two coat ‘basecoat-clearcoat’ system which is longer lasting and reduces paint weight by up to 30 per cent.
This results in a fuel saving of up to 108 tonnes each year across the whole A321LR fleet and a saving of nearly 350 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
So, what even is the Airbus A321LR (NEO) aircraft?
The simplest explanation is that it’s the next generation of the A321 twin-engine jet that’s already popular around the world.
The ‘neo’ designation stands for ‘new engine option’ – referring to the quieter, more fuel-efficient CFM LEAP engines developed for the aircraft, which reduce fuel burn by at least 15 per cent and aircraft noise by 50 per cent.
Jetstar Group CEO Gareth Evans said the arrival of the NEO fleet was one of the most significant milestones in the airline’s 18-year history.
“Today we’re excited to not only be celebrating our 18th birthday but also unveiling a new look for our incoming fleet of NEOs, representing a new era of flying for Jetstar,” Mr Evans said.
The airline says delivery of a further eight A321LRs will take place between August 2022 and May 2023, with all 18 aircraft expected to be delivered by mid-2024.
A further 20 A321XLR aircraft will arrive between 2024 and 2029, providing an even longer range of narrowbody flying.
For more information head to www.jetstar.com/au