US-Bangla prepares for long-haul expansion as first A330 arrives
Bangladeshi carrier US-Bangla Airlines has shown off its first Airbus A330, having disclosed last year that it would be stepping up to widebody operations. The initial twinjet, an A330-300 powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, was flown from Guangzhou in China to the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on 9 February. It was originally delivered to Cebu Pacific in 2013 before being transferred to wet-lease specialist Hi Fly’s Maltese division. The aircraft still carries its Maltese registration, 9H-POP, which reflected plans to operate for UK start-up Flypop. Although it was painted in Flypop livery, and received by the airline in 2021, the aircraft has been repainted in US-Bangla colours. The carrier indicates that it will be locally re-registered as S2-ALA, and describes the jet’s arrival as marking a “new era in the aviation history of Bangladesh”. US-Bangla stated last year that it would be leasing two A330s from Irish-based Avolon, for use on routes to cities in Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain. The airline currently uses Boeing 737s and turboprops.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2024-02-12/unaligned/us-bangla-prepares-for-long-haul-expansion-as-first-a330-arrives
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/logo.png
US-Bangla prepares for long-haul expansion as first A330 arrives
Bangladeshi carrier US-Bangla Airlines has shown off its first Airbus A330, having disclosed last year that it would be stepping up to widebody operations. The initial twinjet, an A330-300 powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, was flown from Guangzhou in China to the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on 9 February. It was originally delivered to Cebu Pacific in 2013 before being transferred to wet-lease specialist Hi Fly’s Maltese division. The aircraft still carries its Maltese registration, 9H-POP, which reflected plans to operate for UK start-up Flypop. Although it was painted in Flypop livery, and received by the airline in 2021, the aircraft has been repainted in US-Bangla colours. The carrier indicates that it will be locally re-registered as S2-ALA, and describes the jet’s arrival as marking a “new era in the aviation history of Bangladesh”. US-Bangla stated last year that it would be leasing two A330s from Irish-based Avolon, for use on routes to cities in Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain. The airline currently uses Boeing 737s and turboprops.<br/>
