Colombian operator Avianca is acquiring up to 70 Airbus aircraft under its fleet renewal program.
In a statement, Airbus says the carrier is placing firm orders for 38 aircraft, including 33 Airbus A319s/A320s and five A330-200s, and taking options on 32 aircraft – 27 A319/A320s and five A330-200s.
“With this order, Avianca will enter a new era in terms of advanced aircraft technology and passenger comfort”, says German Efromovich, president of the Synergy Group which owns Avianca.
“The A319s, A320s and A330s will offer our passengers the highest levels of travel comfort whilst allowing us to benefit from their unbeatable economics. On top of that thanks to the high level of commonality between the Airbus products, our pilots will be able to simultaneously fly the different aircraft which will further contribute to our efficiency.”
Adds Airbus chief operating officer customers John Leahy:
“Airbus has come a long way in Latin America over the past decade and is now the leading aircraft supplier in the region.
We are thankful for the endorsement by Avianca and we look forward to seeing our aircraft fly the skies in Avianca’s colors.”
Avianca had been assessing the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737.
However, Airbus was viewed as the clear front-runner to replace the airline’s short- and medium-haul fleet which includes Boeing MD-83 and 757 aircraft.
The carrier recently ordered 10 Boeing 787-8s for delivery from 2010 and plans to use these to replace its Boeing 767s.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
