Avianca looks at 160 narrowbody aircraft order

Avianca Holdings plans to order more than 160 narrowbody aircraft by the end of the year, chairman Germán Efromovich told ATW in Abu Dhabi.
                                                                       
“We have not yet decided which manufacturer to go with,” Efromovich said, adding the decision is between Airbus and Boeing. “This is a delicate process,” he said, confirming the order will be “all together more than 160 narrowbody aircraft.” He said it would be a long-term order for deliveries around 2024. He added, “80% of these aircraft will be for replacement.”

Avianca is expecting to take delivery of the first of 15 Boeing 787-8s next month. “The first 787-8 is sitting in Seattle, waiting for certification and was originally expected in 2010,” he said.

Efromovich said he is also studying the larger variant 787-9 and did not rule out the possibility of swapping out some of the -8s for -9s.

Avianca Holdings has around 75 new aircraft in its current orderbook, which comprises 15 787-8s, 10 Airbus A350s and 50 A320 family aircraft, according to Efromovich.

Avianca Brazil, which was scheduled to launch long-haul flights this year, has postponed flights until “next year,” Efromovich said.

“Brazil is a growing market and there is a demand for long haul. The delay is more comfortable in terms of planning this more safely. There were elections [in Brazil] recently and the dollar is going up.”

Avianca Brazil’s first routes will be Orlando and Miami, Florida. European routes are being planned for later on.

According to Efromovich, Avianca Brazil will start with four Airbus A330s, which will increase as necessary. “In 2018, this could be up to 10 Airbus A350s,” he said.

Efromovich is studying routes to Asia from Latin America, “but not for next year. China or Japan could be some spots we would operate [Boeing] 787s through Los Angeles,” he explained.

As of Sept. 30, Avianca’s fleet comprised 180 aircraft—165 of which are currently operational—including:

58 A320s (27 on operating lease); 36 A319s (17 on operating lease); 12 Embraer E-190s (two on operating lease); 11 ATR-72s; 11 A330s (10 on operating lease); 10 A318s (all on operating lease); 10 Cessna Grand Caravans; nine ATR-42s (five on operating lease); eight A-321s (six on operating lease); five A330 freighters; five Fokker 100s; three Boeing 767 freighters (one on operating lease) and two Fokker 50s.

(Kurt Hofmann - ATWOnline News)