Aegean to add new routes, fleet decision by year-end

Aegean Airlines will add 11 new routes in 2018 and choose between Airbus and Boeing planes by the end of this year to renew its fleet, executives said Monday. Aegean, which currently operates mostly Airbus narrow body jets, is evaluating the Airbus A320neo family and Boeing's 737MAX to renew its fleet of 60 aircraft, as most of its leases need to be replaced between 2019 and 2023. "We will need to make a long-term US$2.5b-$3.0b investment decision in the coming months," vice chairman Eftyhis Vassilakis said. He said the company had been in talks with Airbus and Boeing since the summer to pick the type of aircraft that will form the core of its fleet. It currently operates 46 Airbus A320 jets. "By the end of the year we will make our choice, it will be an investment that will follow us for the next 15 years," Vassilakis said. <br/>