Avianca orders another 88 Airbus A320neos

Colombia’s Avianca has ordered 88 Airbus A320neos, with deliveries scheduled between 2025 and 2031. The Bogota-based carrier has also taken options to acquire another 50 of the jets, Avianca says on 8 March. “This order highlights that we continue to make the required investments to grow our network in line with our business plan,” says Rohit Philip, Avianca CFO. The new aircraft will have an updated cabin configuration that will include “Premium”, “Plus” and economy seats, the airline says. Avianca currently has 110 aircraft in its fleet, with “more than 90” A320s being reconfigured with the new seats, which the company introduced last October. The carrier says that by the end of 2022 all its aircraft will have the new interiors. In addition to the Airbus narrowbodies, the carrier also operates A330s, Boeing 787-8s and ATR 72-600s. It serves 120 routes to 65 destinations across North and Latin America, and Europe, with 3,200 flights every week. “The A320neo incorporates the latest technologies including new-generation engines, sharklets and aerodynamics, which together deliver 20% in fuel savings and CO2 reduction compared to previous-generation Airbus aircraft,” says Airbus Latin America chief Arturo Barreira. The company emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late last year after restructuring in the wake of the coronavirus crisis that brought the global aviation industry to a near-standstill in 2020.<br/>