EasyJet orders additional 56 Airbus A320neo aircraft

EasyJet said with there being no Airbus delivery slots until 2027, the order was vital to sustaining its route network, which "depends on timely delivery of aircraft". The new aircraft will replace older models which easyJet said would become "economically unviable" to "maintain the current scale" of its "high intensity, low-cost operation".

They have been purchased under easyJet’s 2017 agreement with Airbus, which easyJet said meant they were secured at a price "very substantially" below Airbus’s list price. The agreement also gives easyJet flexibility to convert A320neo orders into orders for A321neos instead.

According to easyJet, the new aircraft will deliver 15-25% fuel efficiency savings, "significantly reducing" the carrier’s fuel costs and overall cost base, as well as the cost of complying with new environmental regulations.

"The costs of carbon emissions will increase significantly over the next few years, and increased fuel efficiency will lead to a proportional reduction in carbon emissions," said easyJet. "Additionally, some airports provide discounted fees for new-generation aircraft, further enhancing the economic benefits.

"The new aircraft are aligned with easyJet’s sustainability strategy, with the adoption of the more efficient new technology aircraft being a core component of easyJet’s path to net zero emissions. Alongside this, the new aircraft are significantly quieter, with half the noise footprint of the older aircraft they are replacing."

More cost efficiencies will come from greater capacity, with the cost of each flight "spread across a greater number of passengers".

The order will "substantially complete" easyJet’s 2013 agreement with Airbus. It will be financed over several years through easyJet’s internal resources, cash flow, sale and leaseback transactions, and debt.

EasyJet does not anticipate asking shareholders to fund the order.