Finnair Receives First A321 with Sharklets

Finnish national carrier, Finnair, the launch customer for the A321 equipped with Sharklets, has taken delivery of its first of five aircraft on order. The aircraft will eventually replace Finnair’s existing fleet of 757s, making it an all Airbus operator. The aircraft was officially handed over to Ville Iho, Finnair chief operating officer, during a delivery ceremony at the Airbus facilities in Hamburg, Germany.

 

“We are extremely proud to receive the world’s first A321 equipped with Sharklet fuel saving wing tip devices. This new aircraft will fit perfectly into our fleet and will contribute to optimizing our operating costs, whilst also reducing our environmental footprint,” Iho says.

 

Finnair currently operates an Airbus fleet of 40 aircraft (25 A320 family aircraft and 15 A330s/A340s). Finnair was the first airline to commit to the A350 XWB with a total of 11 aircraft on order.

 

The A321 is the largest member of the single-aisle A320 family. To date, more than 9,800 aircraft from the family have been ordered and over 5,700 delivered to more than 390 customers and operators worldwide.