In a flurry of pre-year-end activity, Airbus Industrie announced orders from eight airlines, covering virtually its entire aircraft range, the most significant of which is the joint selection by Swissair, Sabena and Austrian Airlines of the A330-200 for their long-haul-fleet needs.
The deal, which is not yet covered by a firm contract, will include firm orders for nine A330-200s, plus 19 options. Pratt & Whitney has been chosen to provide engines, in the form of PW4168s.
Swissair will replace its eight A310-300s with nine A330-200s from October 1998, including four ordered directly from Airbus and five which will be leased from International Lease Finance (ILFC). Austrian is replacing four A310-300s with four A330-200s, from August 1998, and has taken options on four more aircraft.
Sabena has placed a single firm order for an A330-200, for delivery in September 1998, and will also take three A330-200s on lease from ILFC. In the interim, Sabena will lease three ex-Air Inter A330-300s in 1997 from Airbus (Flight International, 4 -10 December, 1996). Sabena also holds five options for delivery between 1998 and 2000. The airline's three A310s will be sold in early 1997 to ILFC.
The three carriers are drawing closer in other ways - they will increase their co-operation with Delta Air Lines from February 1997 by operating in common all of their flights between Vienna, Zurich and Brussels to the USA.
All seats will be placed in a "pool" with aligned fares structures, which the incoming president of Swissair, Philippe Bruggisser, says will create a "much deeper" alliance than that envisaged by Air France and Delta.
Swissair says that it is "renewing its long-haul fleet" by replacing the A310-300 with the larger A330-200, and that it expects the arrival of the aircraft to "-substantially improve the profitability of this sector of operations".
The airline says that a decision on replacing its five 747-300s "-will be taken later".
German charter operator Condor has confirmed its purchase of six CFM International CFM56-powered A320s for delivery from early 1998 (Flight International, 18-24 September, P14), while TAP Air Portugal has signed a firm contract for 18 A319s, of which five aircraft can be switched to A320s.
Turkish carrier Onur Air will add a fourth A321 to its fleet, and Lufthansa has added a further A340-300 to its existing orderbook, bringing total orders for the type to 18 and making it the world's biggest operator of the type.
Colombian airline ACES (Aerolineas Centrales de Colombia) is to purchase four A320s and has options on a further four. The aircraft will be used to replace Boeing 727s now being operated on the ACES domestic network.
Source: Flight International
