Airbus has secured Air New Zealand's Boeing 737-300 fleet replacement order, with the airline committing to take 14 A320s, and optioning another 11 with the potential of selecting the larger A321.

The A320s will be powered by International Aero Engines V2500s.

Air New Zealand currently operates 15 737-300s with an average age of around 12 years and a fleet utilization of 7.2 hours. The airline also operates 12 A320s (also V2500 powered), with an average age of 5.3 years and 11 hours of fleet utilization. Five of the A320s are owned by the airline, the rest are on lease.

In a statement, Bruce Parton, the airline's general manager for short-haul operations, says that "moving to one single-aisle aircraft type for both domestic and short-haul international routes will immediately deliver added efficiencies in maintenance, crew training, and overall fleet simplification."

The deal brings the A320 gross order intake for the year above 100 units, although Airbus is still well short of its target of 300 gross orders by yearend. However, Airbus CEO Tom Enders says more deals are in the works.

Editor's Note: The original first sentence of this story, and the abstract that accompanies it, have been corrected.

Photo credit: Air New Zealand