Cyprus Airways signs for Airbus fleet expansion
Toulouse, 04 May 2001
Cyprus Airways, an all-Airbus operator for nearly ten years, has restated its full confidence in Airbus products and is to further expand its Airbus fleet, with the addition of the single-aisle A319 and the long-range widebody twin A330-200, following the signature of a contract with Airbus for the purchase of two A319s, and the airline's commitment to lease two A330-200s from ILFC. Both types of aircraft, which, as members of Airbus fly-by-wire family, share the highest level of commonality, will join the carrier's fleet as part of its expansion and modernisation programme. Cyprus Airways and its charter subsidiary Eurocypria currently operate ten A320s and four A310s.
Seating 126 passengers in a comfortable two-class configuration, the A319 will be operated on the airline's growing network in Europe and the Middle East, with deliveries taking place in Spring 2002. It will join a fleet of six A320s already in service and will be powered by V2500-A5 engines from International Aero Engines whose engines also power the current Cyprus Airways A320 fleet.
Cyprus Airways will start receiving the A330-200 at the end of 2002. The principal operation of its 314 seat-A330-200's will be on its premier route to London, Heathrow. The large passenger capacity and comfortable cabin will keep Cyprus Airways in its pre-eminent position on this route, by being able to offer unrivalled passenger facilities, service and comfort. Meanwhile the large cargo holds are ideally suited to the expansion and growth of the lucrative Cyprus-UK airfreight market. The A330-200 will keep Cyprus Airways in its place as the number one airline to London. The A330-200 has a maximum range of 12,300 km (6,550nm), giving it the potential to operate non-stop transatlantic services from Larnaca.
"We are very satisfied with our A320 fleet, and thanks to the unique commonality that exists between all Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft, the combination of Airbus single-aisle and widebody aircraft was the logical choice for Cyprus Airways", said Cyprus Airways Chairman Haris Loizides.
For passengers, both the A320 Family and the A330 offer unmatched comfort, with the most spacious cabins of any aircraft in their respective categories while providing airlines with optimised operational flexibility and economic efficiency. By acquiring the A330-200 in addition to increasing its A320 Family, Cyprus Airways will derive the numerous benefits that arise from Airbus' unique operational commonality amongst all its fly-by-wire aircraft. Indeed, pilots can transfer from the 107-seat A318 right up to the 380-seat A340-600 (or vice versa) with only minor additional training.
"We are very honoured that Cyprus Airways, a launch customer of both the A310 and the A320, has chosen to continue to grow its Airbus fleet, with the A319 single-aisle and the A330 widebody, thus reflecting a high level of operational satisfaction. We look forward to playing our part in the airline's continuing growth and success", said Airbus Chief Executive Officer Noël Forgeard.
With more than 2,700 orders from 105 customers around the world, the A320 Family is the fastest selling single-aisle aircraft family ever while with 688 total orders from 58 customers today the A330/A340 Family is the market leader in the 250-380 seat class category.
With well over 4,200 orders booked to date from some 180 customers worldwide, Airbus is one of only two manufacturers in the market of commercial aircraft seating more than 100 passengers. Offering the most modern and comprehensive airliner family in the world, Airbus consistently captures about half of this market - a position it is well-equipped to maintain in the future.
Headquartered in Toulouse (France), Airbus is jointly owned by BAE SYSTEMS (20 per cent) and EADS (80 per cent).
For further information, please contact:
AIRBUS - PRESS DEPARTMENT
Tel.: (33) 05.61.93.33.87 oder 05.61.93.34.31
Im Internet abrufbar unter: http://www.airbus.com
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