Austrian Airlines has taken delivery of its first Airbus A320neo fitted with CFM LEAP-1A engines and Starlink internet, with the aircraft registered OE-LXF arriving in Vienna from Tallinn after a cabin retrofit to Austrian standards. The jet is the carrier’s first A320-family aircraft with Starlink connectivity and its first A320neo powered by LEAP engines, while the airline’s earlier six A320neos use Pratt & Whitney PW1127G engines. It is due to enter scheduled service on 7 September.
The arrival forms part of a wider fleet modernisation programme in which Austrian is introducing additional A320neo-family aircraft with LEAP powerplants. The move is intended to standardise the narrowbody fleet around the newer engine type, replacing earlier Pratt & Whitney-powered A320neos over time.
The aircraft had been prepared for Austrian in Tallinn before positioning to Vienna, where it joined the fleet after the retrofit work. The delivery gives the Lufthansa Group carrier its first short-haul Airbus with onboard Starlink connectivity, extending high-speed internet to the airline’s continental network.