Thursday , November 14 2024

Uganda Airlines firms up orders for Airbus A330neo

Design of the new plane due in 2020. PHOTO AIRBUS

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Airlines, the national carrier of Uganda, has firmed up its order for two A330-800 airliners, the latest version of the most popular A330 widebody airliner.

They become only the second airline to own the new aircraft. Kuwait Airways is the only other customer for the A330-800, with an order for eight.

According to a statement from Airbus, the planes will be fitted with the new Airspace by Airbus cabin. “The A330neo will bring a range of benefits to Uganda Airlines and its customers, offering unrivalled efficiencies combined with the most modern cabin.”

Uganda Airlines plans to use the A330-800 to build its medium and long-haul network with the aircraft offering cutting-edge technology along with more efficient operations

Launched in July 2014, the A330neo Family is the new generation A330, comprising two versions: the A330-800 and A330-900 sharing 99 percent commonality.

The plane, according to Airbus, builds on the proven economics, versatility and reliability of the A330 Family, while reducing fuel consumption by about 25 percent per seat versus previous generation competitors and increasing range by up to 1,500 nm compared to the majority of A330s in operation.

The A330neo is powered by Rolls-Royce’s latest-generation Trent 7000 engines and features a new wing with increased span and new A350 XWB-inspired Sharklets. The cabin provides the comfort of the new Airspace amenities including state-of-the-art passenger inflight entertainment and Wifi connectivity systems, amongst others.

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Meanwhile, Uganda’s Parliament last month approved a government request for a sh280 billion supplementary budget to purchase two other bombardier planes from Canada.

The two planes are expected to arrive in Uganda on April 23, 2019, months ahead of the A330neo fleet.

 

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