In a live for the press, Roberto Alvo, CEO of the Group LATAM Airlines, commented on the conclusion of the restructuring and the departure of the Group from Chapter 11 of the USA, as well as taking the opportunity to talk about news for the A320neo family, including the A321neo.
According to the executive, the next A320neo that will be delivered next year for LATAM Brazil, will have the SHARP package, aiming to replace some units of the A319 that will leave the fleet. LATAM signed agreements with Airbus to acquire a total of 2029 aircraft of the A87neo family by 320, which are 20% more efficient in fuel consumption.
The SHARP package is an acronym for Short Airfield Package, improving the performance of the A320neo as the upgrade offers better weight balance and improvements in fuel consumption. As a result, the SHARP system allows an A320neo to operate at airports with short runways, such as Congonhas and Santos Dumont airports.
Interestingly, the SHARP package is similar to SFP (Short Field Performance) created by Boeing. The system stems from a request by GOL to implement it on the 737-800, however, the technology from the American manufacturer was implemented in 2006 and includes improvements to the wings, fuselage and braking system of the aircraft.
As for the SHARP update package, the package includes more significant modifications to the aileron (aircraft wing stabilizer) and the tail of the A320neo, becoming a kind of additional “aerodynamic brake”, in addition to greater performance in the aircraft’s engines. .
Regarding the A321neo, the LATAM Group has two orders, one for 17 aircraft announced in July this year, and a second additional order with 5 A321XLR units in partnership with Air Lease last October. Regarding the first order, LATAM did not specify how many aircraft would be destined for its subsidiaries, as well as how many orders would be for the A321XLR version.
However, in today's free speech, Roberto Alvo announced that the first units of the A321neo will arrive in 2023 and will be distributed to branches in Chile and Brazil, increasing the possibility of the XLR operating in LATAM Brazil, however, it must be noted that the A321XLR is quoted to the LATAM group only in 2025.
The A321XLR version offers an additional range extension to 4.700 nm, giving the aircraft a flight time of up to 11 hours. In June, the A321XLR took to the skies for the first time, performing its first successful test flight.
