EasyJet

EasyJet (styled as easyJet; LSE: EZJ) is a British low-cost airline carrier based at London Luton Airport. Owing to its all-economy class fleet, it is the largest UK airline by number of passengers carried. It operates domestic and international scheduled services on over 700 routes in 32 countries. EasyJet plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.EasyGroup Holdings Ltd (the investment vehicle of EasyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou and his family) is the largest shareholder with a 34.62% stake (as of July 2014). It employs nearly 11,000 people, based throughout Europe but mainly in the UK.

EasyJet has seen rapid expansion since its establishment in 1995, having grown through a combination of acquisitions and base openings fuelled by consumer demand for low-cost air travel. The airline, along with associate company EasyJet Switzerland, operates more than 200 aircraft, mostly Airbus A319. It has 24 bases across Europe, the largest being Gatwick. In 2014, EasyJet carried more than 65 million passengers, making it the second-largest airline in Europe by number of passengers carried, behind Ryanair.

Airbus A320 family

The Airbus A320 family consists of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger twin-engine jet airliners manufactured by Airbus. The family includes the A318, A319, A320 and A321, as well as the ACJ business jet. The A320s are also named A320ceo (current engine option) after the introduction of the A320neo. Final assembly of the family takes place in Toulouse, France, and Hamburg, Germany; a plant in Tianjin, China, has also been producing aircraft for Chinese airlines since 2009. Construction of a new production facility in Mobile, Alabama began in 2013. The aircraft family can accommodate up to 220 passengers and has a range of 3,100 to 12,000 km (1,700 to 6,500 nmi), depending on model.

The first member of the A320 family—the A320—was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was first delivered in March 1988. The family was soon extended to include the A321 (first delivered 1994), the A319 (1996), and the A318 (2003). The A320 family pioneered the use of digital fly-by-wire flight control systems, as well as side-stick controls, in commercial aircraft. There has been a continuous improvement process since introduction.

Airbus A320neo family

The Airbus A320neo family is a series of airliners developed since December 2010 by Airbus, with the suffix "neo" meaning "new engine option". It is the last step of the A320 Enhanced (A320E) modernisation programme, which was started in 2006. The A320neo replaces the original A320 family, which is now referred to as A320ceo, for "current engine option".

In addition to the new engines, the modernisation programme also included such improvements as: aerodynamic refinements, large curved winglets (sharklets), weight savings, a new aircraft cabin with larger hand luggage spaces, and an improved air purification system. Customers will have a choice of either the CFM International LEAP-1A or the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines.

These improvements in combination are predicted to result in 15% less fuel consumption per aircraft, 8% lower operating costs, less noise production, and a reduction of nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions by at least 10% compared to the A320 series, as well as an increase in range of approximately 500 nautical miles (900 km). A rearranged cabin allows up to 20 more passengers enabling in total over 20% less fuel consumption per seat.