Royal Brunei Airlines commemorated the delivery of the first of its Airbus A320neo aircraft during a delivery ceremony in Toulouse, France on May 24. The aircraft is the first of seven firm aircraft and three option aircraft ordered by the national airline of Brunei Darussalam as part of its fleet renewal program announced in 2014.
Present at the commemorative ceremony in Toulouse was Her Excellency Datin Paduka Malai Hajah Halimah binti Malai Haji Yussof, Brunei Ambassador to France; Karam Chand, Royal Brunei Airlines chief executive officer (CEO); Eric Schulz, Airbus chief commercial officer; Mohammad Nazri Mohammad Yusof, acting director of Brunei Department of Civil Aviation; Jason Tonich, vice president and general manager of GE Aviation Sales and Elsie Yamanouye, director, customer program management of Thales.
Chand said, “Airbus A320neo aircraft come equipped with Leap-1A26 CFM engines featuring some of the best fuel, noise, emission and operating efficiency in its class and will allow Royal Brunei Airlines to achieve significant cost savings and reduce its emissions footprint. We are based in Brunei on the island of Borneo which has one of the most pristine environments on earth and we are pleased to be playing a part in preserving this.
“Royal Brunei’s Airbus A320neo is also the world’s first narrowbody aircraft fitted with Thales Avant (Gen5) in-flight entertainment system which will provide our guests a significantly enhanced experience on board and match those generally available on long-haul aircraft. They will also have business, economy plus and economy seats with leather covering, USB power outlets and audio/video on demand at every seat. These features have been added keeping in mind the changing needs of our guests and to provide seamless and consistent service to our many transferring guests from the B787 Dreamliner long-haul services to the A320 flights.
“The new aircraft will also play an important role in maintaining and improving our operational reliability. Royal Brunei’s on-time performance is 90 percent, one of the best in the industry; however, we believe we need to keep improving this as the vast majority of guests travelling to/from/via Brunei use our services. The extended range of Airbus A320neos also provides Royal Brunei with a lower risk option to pioneer new medium-haul markets up to seven hours duration and we will be making new route announcements over the next several months,” added Chand.
Royal Brunei’s first A320neo aircraft will be in revenue service from 7 June 2018 with Singapore selected as the first destination from Brunei.
Schulz added, "Airbus is pleased that Royal Brunei Airlines is the latest airline to take delivery of the A320neo, the world’s preferred single aisle aircraft. With its exceptionally comfortable cabin, low operating costs and excellent fuel efficiency, the A320neo will complement Royal Brunei's existing fleet and contribute to the airline’s continued success."
