South African Airways welcomes A330-200 into its fleet

South African Airways has become the latest operator of Airbus’ eco-efficient A330 family. The A330-200 is the first of six to be delivered to Aircastle Limited during 2011, all of which will be leased to South African Airways.

Seating 36 passengers in business class and 186 in economy, the aircraft will feature the latest in-flight entertainment and will be used primarily on long haul routes from the airline’s bases in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

The new A330 will join South African Airlines existing Airbus fleet of 11 A319s, 14 A340-200/300s and 9 A340-600s enabling the airline to reap the benefits of Airbus’ unique cockpit and operational commonality. This allows airlines to use the same pool of pilots, cabin crews and maintenance engineers, resulting in operational flexibility and significant cost savings.

“With the new A330s South African Airways continues to modernize its fleet, ensuring we meet our customers’ expectations. Simultaneously, the new A330s will provide savings and efficiencies to support our profitability and growth strategies,” explained South African Airways CEO, Siza Mzimela.

(Airbus - Press Release)