LAN Airlines (LAN) has signed a firm contract with Airbus for the acquisition of 15 additional A320 Family aircraft. This is a confirmation of the options that were announced in October 2005.

To date, Santiago (Chile) headquartered LAN and its affiliates operate 34 Airbus aircraft including 15 A319s, 15 A320s and four A340s.

“We are proud to take part in the tremendous growth of LAN in the Latin American region” said Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers, John Leahy. “The A320 Family is clearly the winner in its category, and this repeat order from a prestigious airline like LAN really endorses the superiority of our product.”

With more than 5,000 aircraft ordered and more than 3,000 delivered to approximately 200 customers and operators, the A318, A319, A320 and A321 make up the world’s best-selling single-aisle aircraft family. Designed to optimise revenue through cabin adaptability and passenger comfort, and the only ones to feature the most modern and complete fly-by-wire technology that allows full operational commonality, they ensure savings in every element of direct operating cost and provide operators with the highest degree of operational commonality and economy for aircraft in the 100-220 seat category.

The A320 Family’s optimised cabin cross-section – the widest single-aisle fuselage on the market – sets standards for passenger cabin flexibility in this segment. It allows for top-of-the-range comfort with wider seats and aisles, or an extra-wide aisle for the fast turnarounds that are essential in the low-cost markets. Superior cabin size and shape allow larger overhead stowage to be fitted for faster boarding and deplaning as well as greater convenience.