SERBIA: Air Serbia Takes Delivery Of Its First A330

Air Serbia has taken delivery of its first Airbus A330, which will be deployed in its forthcoming five-weekly Belgrade-New York service, set to start next June 23, thus reconnecting Serbia and the United States with a direct air service for the first time in 24 years.

The aircraft, (A6-EYC / MSN 885) arrived yesterday at the airline’s base at Nikola Tesla Airport in Belgrade, where it was greeted by the customary water cannon salute, together with a delegation of airline representatives.

Onboard the historic flight commanded by Captain Davor Mišeljić, Chief Operations Officer of Air Serbia, there was a group of VIP stakeholders led by Siniša Mali, Chairman of Air Serbia, who highlighted that the milestone was “massive for both the airline and the country.

“Watching our newly-painted Airbus A330 land at its new home in Belgrade for the very first time was a proud moment for us all, showing that Air Serbia is continuing to invest in the future of the airline and Serbia itself,” Mali said.

The arrival of the A330 to Air Serbia is the latest step to modernize the airline, which now largely relies on Airbus aircraft as the core of its fleet. The airline, now 49 per cent owned by Etihad Airways, operates 10 A320 family aircraft and a half a dozen of ATR 72s for its regional operations.

After its arrival at Belgrade, the aircraft will receive is permanent Serbian Registration (to be YU-ARA), and it will be ferried to Abu Dhabi for a final cabin outfitting. The aircraft will be configured with 18 business and 236 economy class seats.

“In the coming weeks the aircraft will be completely refurbished with new Business and Economy cabins which, coupled with our fantastic service offering, will provide guests with an unparalleled travel experience over the Atlantic,“ Dane Kondić, Chief Executive Officer of Air Serbia said in a statement.

CHINA: Air China Takes Delivery Of Its 50th A330

China’s flag carrier Air China has taken delivery of its 50th A330 in Toulouse, France. The aircraft, an A330-300 is the first 242 tonnes maximum take-off-weight (MTOW) version to be operated by a Chinese airline. The increased MTOW allows airlines to operate longer range at improved operating costs.

Displaying a special livery to celebrate the “50th A330 for Air China”, the aircraft is configured with a three class cabin layout (30 business, 16 premium economy and 255 economy)

“We congratulate Air China on the milestone of receiving its 50th A330 and we express our gratitude for the confidence shown in the A330,” said Eric Chen, President Airbus China. “With one of the world’s largest A330 fleets, Air China is already benefiting from the aircraft’s lower operating costs, proven reliability and great passenger appeal. As always, we will provide strong customer support to Air China.”

Based in Beijing, Air China serves today’s most important routes. Air China’s started operating the A330 in 2006 and has become the airline’s benchmark wide-body aircraft.

Air China has one of the world’s largest A330 fleets providing the airline with maximum versatility and support for its rapid growth on domestic and international routes. The A330s including Air China’s A320 fleet are deployed on the airlines’ most demanding routes requiring superior performance aircraft to serve high altitude airports in the south west of the country.

The 242 tonnes A330 is the platform for the future A330neo, and is a concrete example of Airbus’ incremental innovation strategy. Thanks to the latest engine improvements, and an aerodynamics, the A330 with 242 tonnes MTOW offers an extended range of up to 500 nautical miles and up to two percent reduced fuel consumption.

The A330 is one of the most popular wide-body aircraft and has won over 1,500 orders, with over 1,200 delivered to some 110 operators worldwide. Offering the lowest operating costs in its category, and thanks to the continuous investment and introduction of innovations, the A330 is the most profitable and best performing aircraft in its class, with an average operational reliability of 99.4 percent.

UAE: Etihad Airways Orders Two More A330 Passenger Aircraft

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates has signed a firm order for two additional A330-200 passenger aircraft as part of the carrier’s continued growth plans.

These newly ordered aircraft, like Etihad’s current A330 fleet, will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines. Etihad Airways has also converted seven of its previously ordered A320s to the larger and increasingly popular A321 model.

Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer, James Hogan said: “The reliable and highly versatile Airbus A330-200 has been an integral part of our global passenger and cargo success. As our operations and network continue to grow in scale, we feel the A330-200 is the right fleet type to expand with. Our decision to convert seven of our A320s on order into A321s reflects the increasingly strong demand we are seeing across our different routes and we look forward to taking delivery of our first in November 2013.”

“Winning a fifth repeat order from Etihad for A330s is without a doubt a strong endorsement for the aircraft’s unique combination of unbeatable economics, versatility and fuel efficiency,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “In response to the continuing strong demand, we’re making the A330 better and better, with for example new higher weight variants which offer our customers more payload-range capability with the same high operational reliability.”

The A330 Family, which spans 250 to 300 seats, and includes Freighter, VIP, and Military Transport/Tanker variants, has now attracted more than 1,200 orders and around 900 aircraft are flying with over 90 operators worldwide. Ever since the original version of the A330-300 entered service, the hallmark has been its very efficient operating economics and benchmark reliability above 99 percent.