SAA Gets Its First Two New Airbus A320S

South African Airways has taken delivery of the first two new A320s out of a total of 20 A320 Family aircraft ordered from Airbus in 2010. The development is set to deliver cost efficiencies and allow SAA to expand its sub-Sahara regional route network and boost revenue in the rapidly growing market.

The airlines A320s, powered by IAE-V2500 engines, feature a two class cabin layout, seating 24 passengers in business class and 114 in economy. The A320s will replace its present fleet of 737-800s and will augment the A319s it already has in service and mark the latest phase SAAs fleet modernization plan.

These are not the first A320s to be operated by SAA. The airline had a fleet of seven of these aircraft several years prior to the turn of the century, but were sold and eventually replaced by a fleet of 21 Boeing 737-800s when the then CEO, Colman Andrews, launched his fleet modernization plan.The last of these aircraft will be replaced by the new A320s in the immediate future.

The A320s Family is claimed by Airbus to be the world’s best-selling and most modern single aisle aircraft Family. To date, over 9600 aircraft have been ordered and more than 5600 delivered to over 380 customers and operators worldwide.

With proven reliability and extended servicing periods, the A320sFamily has the lowest operating costs of any single-aisle aircraft.

BA To Fly The A380 On SA Route

British Airways will become the fourth international airline to employ the giant Airbus A380 on services to Johannesburg when it inaugurates London-Johannesburg return flights in February next year.

The other carriers flying the A380 to Johannesburg are currently Air France, Lufthansa and Emirates.

British Airways (BA) aims to start flying the A380 to Johannesburg from February 12,although the date for the inaugural flight may be earlier. Initially it will operate three times a week, increasing to six weekly services by March 2014.These flights will be part of the airlines normal schedule to South Africa’s commercial capital.

Since British Airways took delivery of its first super jumbo in July, Johannesburg is only the third A380 route to be confirmed after Los Angeles and Hong Kong .Another two aircraft, from a total order of 12, are due to be delivered before the end of the year.

The airline has a long history of deploying new aircraft on its South African routes. In May 1952 its predecessor, BOAC, operated the world’s first commercial passenger jet service from London to Johannesburg .The BOAC Comet halved the previous travel time.

In the early 1970s South Africa was also one of the routes on which the airline began operating the now-iconic Boeing 747, then the world’s largest passenger aircraft.

New Milestone for Airbus A330

Airbus Recently celebrated the delivery of the 1000th A330.The aircraft ,an A330-300 powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines ,was handed over to Cathay Pacific Airways as a special ceremony in Toulouse.

Cathay Pacific, together with its sister airline Dragon air, is the world’s largest operator of the A330, with a total of 56 now in service.

The 1000th delivery comes as the A330 continues to enjoy increasing popularity with airlines across the globe. Continuously enhanced to maintain its economic advantage, the aircraft is claimed by Airbus to remain the most cost-efficient twin engine wide-body in service today for both regional and long haul routes, with the latest versions capable of flying non-stop on sectors of up to 7250 nautical miles.

Since its first delivery of the A330 in 1995, Cathay Pacific’s Airbus fleet now comprises 38 A330-300s and 11 A340s, while Dragon air flies 21 single aisle A320 Family aircraft and 18 A330-300s .The Cathay Pacific Group has outstanding orders for 10 more A330-300s .The airline will also take delivery of 48 all-new A350XWBs in the future, including 46 ordered from Airbus and two leased aircraft.

The wide market appeal of the A330 Family is demonstrated daily by over 100 operators, including network carriers, low-cost ,charter and flag carriers, which fly A330s on all missions from 30 minutes to over 14 hours .About 1,2-billion passengers have been carried aboard the A330 fleet traveling to and from the 300 airports it serves today.

Anthony A Juma is the Editor and Director Commercial and Flights Operations at Wings Over Africa Aviation Limited. This is an Air Charter Company that specializes on Business Aviation News On Fleet Modernization. The website has guided thousands of travelers to achieve their dream holiday. For more information and guidance, visit the site at http://www.wingsoverafrica-aviation.com/index.php/flight-news.html

Anthony A Juma is the Editor and Director Commercial and Flights Operations at Wings Over Africa Aviation Limited. This is an Air Charter Company that specializes on Business Aviation News On Fleet Modernization. The website has guided thousands of travelers to achieve their dream holiday. For more information and guidance, visit the site at http://www.wingsoverafrica-aviation.com/index.php/flight-news.html

Author Bio: Anthony A Juma is the Editor and Director Commercial and Flights Operations at Wings Over Africa Aviation Limited. This is an Air Charter Company that specializes on Business Aviation News On Fleet Modernization. The website has guided thousands of travelers to achieve their dream holiday. For more information and guidance, visit the site at http://www.wingsoverafrica-aviation.com/index.php/flight-news.html

Category: Travel
Keywords: low cost airlines,network carriers Kenya,flag carriers Kenya,charter operators Kenya,regional flight