Primera Air Scandinavia (Billund) has taken delivery of its first A321neo following the handing over of OY-PAA (msn 8145) on Monday, April 16.
The aircraft is one of three the Scandinavian leisure specialist will lease from GECAS and that are delivered direct from Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac). They will feature a two-class layout with 16 premium and 182 economy seats. All are to be powered by CFM International LEAP 1As. Primera Air will also lease a further five A321neos from other lessors, including two A321neo(LR)s, growing its fleet to eight aircraft in 2018.
ch-aviation analysis of schedule data indicates the aircraft is tentatively due to enter revenue service on April 27 on crew-training flights from London Stansted to each of Malaga and Alicante. Thereafter, effective May 5, it will make its transatlantic debut with flights from Stansted to New York Newark.
In terms of Birmingham, GB operations, the A321neo is due to make its debut from May 14 to 16 with flights to Palma de Mallorca and Malaga, presumably as crew training flights. From May 18, the aircraft will then be deployed on Primera Air's Birmingham-Newark and Paris CDG-Newark services.
Airline chief executive Hrafn "Krummi" Thorgeirsson told ch-aviation earlier this month that he expects to operate three A321neo this summer alongside a B757-200 wet-leased from National Airlines (N8, Orlando Sanford) and a B767-300(ER) wet-leased from euroAtlantic Airways (YU, Lisbon).
