Atlantic Airways has agreed to acquire an Airbus A320 next year, a step up in capacity from its A319 fleet.
The Faroe Islands carrier says it has signed a memorandum of understanding for the purchase, with a view to a final agreement in June.
Delivery of the A320 will take place in 2016. No engine selection has been given but the airline’s three A319s are all fitted with CFM International CFM56 powerplants.
The jet will be configured with 168 seats, giving it capacity for 24 more passengers over its 144-seat A319s.
Atlantic Airways says it is taking the larger aircraft to cope with “increasing demand” on the route to Copenhagen.
But it is also looking at the possibility of a smaller type to operate on its routes to Bergen, Reykjavik and Edinburgh.
It is to use A319s on these services until autumn 2016 and, over this period, will “determine whether it is feasible” to take a smaller aircraft for these specific sectors.
“The company is still researching what type of aircraft is ideal for [these] routes,” it states.
Two of Atlantic’s three A319s are leased. Contracts on the pair expire in September next year but the carrier will extend one of the leases to secure sufficient capacity.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
