Airbus cold-weather tests its A320neo in Iqaluit

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus was in Iqaluit this week, cold-weather testing its new A320neopassenger plane.

The plane landed in Nunavut's capital city on Monday and left Wednesday morning.Air temperatures in Iqaluit dipped to below -30 C while it was in town.

The plane, with new LEAP enginesand newfuel-saving "Sharklets" wingtip devices, was the first of its kind ever to land in North America,much to the excitement of Iqaluit's airport staff.

"Most of the people working around here are aircraft nuts, so to see something, especially this neo here since it's the first time it's landed in North America, that's a big deal," saidJohn Hawkins, Iqaluit's airport manager.

"It's been around to other areas where it's done other areas of certification testing. But we got to see it first. It's exciting to see them come in."

Airbus sent along a crew of 27 to perform a variety of tests on the A320neo,including aborted take-offs.Neo stands for "new engine option."

The company says the plane is quieter, has lower emissions, and will have aper-seat fuel burn saving of 20 per cent compared to current engine option jetliners.

The first of the A320neo's sister planes with Pratt and Whitney engineswas delivered to Lufthansa Airlines in Germany, just last week. No Canadian carriers have ordered any yet.