Aegean Airlines Confirms New Airbus A321neo Order

Aegean Airlines, Greece's largest carrier, disclosed on 14 March 2025 that it has placed a firm order with Airbus for eight more A321neo aircraft. The order is the third expansion of the agreement Aegean first signed with Airbus in 2018 and is intended to support further growth of the airline's network.

On Aegean's own figures, its total commitment to the A320neo family now stands at 58 aircraft: 21 A320neos and 37 A321neos, four of which are the long-range A321LR variant. Of the 58, 34 had been delivered when the order was announced. Airbus, which counts Aegean's direct orders slightly differently, put the airline's direct orderbook at 60 A320neo family aircraft with 37 delivered.

Delivery timeline

Aegean had taken one A320neo in the first weeks of 2025 and expected four more aircraft to arrive during the year. The remaining aircraft, including the eight just ordered, are due over the following years. The airline has not published a value for the order. Airbus no longer publishes list prices, so any figure would be an estimate.

Why the A321neo

The new order tilts Aegean's fleet further towards the larger model. Chief executive Dimitris Gerogiannis said the A321neo would soon make up two-thirds of the airline's Airbus fleet. On busy summer routes to the Greek islands and to major European cities, the A321neo can carry more passengers per departure than the A320neo, which matters at slot-constrained airports and during a short, intense peak season.

Airbus says the A321neo burns more than 20% less fuel per seat than previous-generation single-aisle aircraft, with a corresponding cut in CO₂ emissions, and that it is certified to operate on up to 50% sustainable aviation fuel. Airbus aims to make its aircraft capable of flying on 100% SAF by 2030. More than 6,800 A321neos had been ordered by over 85 customers worldwide at the time of Aegean's announcement.

The A321LR versions carry additional fuel tanks and can fly sectors of up to about 7.5 hours. Aegean has said it will use them to open new, longer routes that are beyond the reach of its standard narrowbodies.

Aegean's position

Founded in 1999 and listed on the Athens Exchange since 2007, Aegean is a member of Star Alliance and owns regional subsidiary Olympic Air. The order came days before it reported record 2024 results:

• 16.3 million passengers, up 6% on 2023
• 19.8 million seats offered, 1.2 million more than in 2023
• an 82.5% load factor
• consolidated revenue of €1.78 billion, up 5%

Aegean's network is built around Athens, where it is the dominant carrier, with a large domestic and island operation in which Olympic Air flies turboprops on thinner routes. In 2024 the group flew about 250 routes, 55 of them domestic and 195 international. Its traffic is highly seasonal, peaking in summer when tourism to Greece is at its height, which is one reason it favours larger aircraft that can serve leisure routes in summer and business and connecting routes in winter.

The group operated a fleet of around 83 aircraft in 2024, serving more than 160 destinations in Greece, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa from seven bases in Greece and abroad.

Why it matters

Aegean's fleet renewal has shifted it from older A320ceo family aircraft to the neo generation, which lowers fuel costs and noise at a time when European carriers face rising emissions costs under the EU Emissions Trading System and SAF blending mandates. Larger aircraft also allow the airline to add capacity without adding as many flights.

The order also shows how airlines are locking in narrowbody delivery positions years ahead. With Airbus and Boeing both struggling to raise production rates because of engine and supply chain problems, carriers that want growth later in the decade need to secure slots now.

Airbus's announcement of the order is available on its newsroom.

What has happened since

In July 2025 Aegean announced it would add two Airbus A321XLRs, the extra-long-range version with a range of up to about 10.5 hours, for delivery in December 2025 and January 2026. The aircraft are configured with 138 seats, including 24 lie-flat business class suites with aisle access. Aegean said it planned to use them for its first flights to India: five weekly Athens–New Delhi services from March 2026 and three weekly Athens–Mumbai flights from May 2026. It also listed Bangalore, the Seychelles, the Maldives, Nairobi, Almaty and Lagos as possible future destinations once more long-range aircraft arrive in 2027 and 2028.

Growth continued through 2025. For the first nine months of the year Aegean carried 13.2 million passengers, 5% more than a year earlier, with revenue up 4% to €1.43 billion and net profit up 12% to €148 million. At that point the airline said it expected five new A321neos in 2026 and had 23 aircraft still to come in total, all A321neos, including four A321LRs.