Home / Difference Training / Airbus A320 family: ceo to neo, and A319 / A320 / A321 / Module 4

The neo Airframe and Systems

Module 4 of 7Airbus A320 family: ceo to neo, and A319 / A320 / A3218 min readUpdated Sep 2026

The neo is not a new type. It shares the A-320 type rating and the EASA type certificate A.064 with the ceo. What changed is the engine, covered in module 3, and the parts of the aircraft Airbus had to modify to carry it. This module goes through those changes by ATA chapter, from the EASA type certificate data sheet (TCDS), its annexes and the FAA FSB report, and says where those documents stop. Every neo model carries an N suffix in the TCDS (module 1 explains the numbering); the A321neo ACF and XLR are in module 6.

In this module
  1. What the certification changed
  2. ATA 57 Wings: sharklets
  3. Pylons, nacelles and engine installation
  4. Bleed air, air conditioning, electrical and hydraulics
  5. ATA 28 Fuel
  6. ATA 27 Flight controls and high lift
  7. Ice protection and landing gear
  8. Weights
  9. Other certification items
  10. Key differences

What the certification changed

The EASA explanatory note (Annex II) lists the areas reopened for the A319, A320 and A321neo:

Area Change recorded for the neo
Fuselage and wing Structural changes in several fuselage sections, local wing reinforcements
Powerplant structure New pylons, engine mounts and nacelles, specific to each engine type
Decompression panels One additional decompression panel
Flight controls and autoflight New ELAC and autoflight software
High-lift system Increased flap deflection
Ice protection Wing ice shapes and engine air intake protection reassessed
Powerplant systems New engine bleed air system, engine build-up and engine interface unit

Note: The FSB evaluated the A320 with neo engines in 2015 and the A321neo by analysis in 2017, and requires differences training for different engine makes and models, but its Rev 7 draft prints engine rows for ceo engines only and no ceo-to-neo table. The EASA-adopted 2003 report covers the ceo only. None of these sources gives a ceo-to-neo differences level: your operator's approved programme sets it (module 1).

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All modules

  1. The A320 Family and Your Type RatingThe A318, A319, A320 and A321 in their ceo and neo versions, how to read a model number such as A320-214 or A321-251NX, the single type rating, the FAA and EASA differences levels A to E and the levels set between the variants.MODULE 1 · 8 MIN READ
  2. A319, A320 and A321 ComparedThe three main variants side by side from the EASA type certificate data sheet and the FAA and EASA differences tables: dimensions, exits and seating, weights, fuel, flaps, speed limits, altitude and the handling and systems items a pilot must know.MODULE 2 · 8 MIN READ
  3. Engines, ceo and neoThe six engine families on the A320-family type certificate, which engine each model carries, what the engine suffixes and optional ratings mean, what the FAA and EASA require in training when the engine changes, and the engine limitations that do not carry across.MODULE 3 · 8 MIN READ
  4. The neo Airframe and SystemsWhat the type certificate and its annexes record as changed in the neo airframe and systems, chapter by chapter, and what each change means for a ceo pilot.MODULE 4 · 8 MIN READ
  5. Flight Deck and ProceduresWhat a ceo pilot sees and does differently on the neo, from engine indications and start to flap settings, go-around, abnormal procedures and limitations, and which ceo figures not to carry across.MODULE 5 · 6 MIN READ
  6. A321neo ACF and XLRThe A321neo Airbus Cabin Flex with its new exit and tank options, and the A321neo XLR with its rear centre tank, electrical rudder and revised flight control laws, with the FSB training levels.MODULE 6 · 8 MIN READ
  7. Quick ReferenceSide-by-side tables of the A319, A320 and A321 ceo, of ceo against neo and of the A321neo, ACF and XLR, then a revision list of the differences that matter most.MODULE 7 · 6 MIN READ

Sources

  1. FAA Flight Standardization Board Report, Airbus A318, A319, A320, A321, Revision 7 (draft)
  2. EASA Type Certificate Data Sheet EASA.A.064, Airbus A318, A319, A320, A321
  3. EASA TCDS EASA.A.064 Explanatory Note, Annex I (special conditions and equivalent safety findings)
  4. EASA TCDS EASA.A.064 Explanatory Note, Annex II (areas affected by significant changes: neo, Sharklet, ACF, XLR)
  5. EASA, Transition from OEB Reports to OSD: Airbus A320 Family (with the 2003 JAA JOEB report)

Difference Training on v1prep is for study, interview and exam preparation. It does not replace your operator's approved differences training, your AFM, FCOM and QRH, or the regulators' documents, which always govern.