This year, the Port of Hamburg is celebrating its birthday not just on the water but also in the air, with the Airbus A320neo paying a special visit to the Hanseatic city. Yesterday the youngest and quietest member of the Lufthansa fleet flew directly over the port of Hamburg, which was its way of saying “happy birthday”. A second flyover by the A320neo with flight number LH20 is planned for Sunday, 8 May at around 3.45 p.m.

The A320neo has a very special relationship with Hamburg. The aircraft was built in Finkenwerder, and in January this year it was the first aircraft of this type to be delivered to Lufthansa. The Lufthansa fleet now includes two A320neos, and they regularly fly between their home base in Frankfurt am Main and Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel.

What’s more, on Saturday, 4 June, the A320neo and the Fanhansa winner’s plane, a Boeing 747-8, can be marvelled at this year’s International Air Show 2016 (ILA) in Berlin. The A320neo will be part of the flight programme, while the B747-8 is actually open to visitors. In 2015, the jumbo flew the football world champions from Rio de Janeiro to Berlin and since then the fuselage has been decorated with the word “Siegerflieger” (winners’ plane) in big letters.

The A320neo features technologically innovative engines and improved aerodynamics, which significantly reduces noise and CO2 emissions. The A320neo is around 20 percent more fuel-efficient per passenger than current comparable models. The 85-decibel noise footprint of an A320neo taking off is only half that of its predecessor model, the A320. The aircraft thus actively contributes to noise protection. The Lufthansa Group has ordered a total of 116 neo aircraft. This year, three more A320neo shall be handed over to Lufthansa.