For the most part, the Airbus A320neo series has been an unequivocal success story. Revered by both full-service and low-cost carriers, as well as everything in between, the A320neo and A321neo models are set to form the backbone of many airlines' narrowbody fleets for many years to come. However, one notable exception to this trend is the smaller A319neo model, which very few airlines have ordered.

40 orders are undisclosed or not for airlines

The latest orders and deliveries data from Airbus shows that the multinational European planemaking juggernaut has received a total of just 61 orders for its A319neo model to date. Of these, it has delivered just 14. More than half of these total orders are for undisclosed users, with 31 being categorized in this manner.

Of the remaining 30 orders whose customers have been disclosed, nine are for private customers. Of these, Airbus has delivered five aircraft, although, once again, the exact customers are not immediately named in its recent data.

Photo: Airbus

However, taking a look at data from ch-aviation.com, we can see a bit more information regarding the five private A319neos that are currently listed as being active by the site. They have luxurious seating configurations that accommodate between 19 and 24 guests and fly for Global Jet Luxembourg, Jet Aviation Business Jets, K5-Aviation, Sino Jet Management, and the Government of Uzbekistan.

Chinese carriers have a penchant for the type

In terms of airline customers, China is a hotspot for the Airbus A319neo. Most notably, China Southern Airlines has ordered nine examples of the type, and already put four of the rare twinjets into active revenue-earning service. It received the first of these in February 2022 and carried its first passengers a month later.

Elsewhere in the country, data shows that Air China has ordered five A319neos, while Sichuan Airlines has put its name down for two examples. It is interesting that Chinese carriers have taken a relative interest in the type, given that the country is in the process of rolling out its own narrowbody in the COMAC C919.

Photo: Airbus

The only other carrier listed in Airbus' most recent orders and deliveries report as having purchased the A319neo is Tibet Airlines. This carrier has already received all five examples that it had on order, with ch-aviation showing that they arrived between September 2022 and July 2023. However, they are all in storage for now.

A commercial failure?

The A319neo's lack of orders certainly makes for a stark contrast compared to the thousands of purchases racked up by the A320neo and A321neo models. However, it appears to be suffering from the success of another Airbus model, namely the A220-300. This aircraft offers similar specifications to the A319neo, and has proven popular, thus cannibalizing its market somewhat.

Previously, Spirit's order for 31 A319neos had represented a good chance for the type to penetrate the US market. However, as Simple Flying reported this month, the yellow-livered ultra-low-cost carrier has now converted these orders into purchases of the larger A321neo model. As such, the type's future now seems to be hanging in the balance, so future developments will be of considerable interest.

What do you think about the future of the A319neo? Will Airbus continue to make the plane, or could it be the next to see its production end? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Sources: Airbus, ch-aviation.com