Leasing Specialist HiFly became the latest operator of the Airbus A330neo, with their airline taking delivery of its first A330-900neo.
The aircraft has been leased from Air Lease Corporation and will be used for wet lease operations, short term hires, as well as short notice airline operations, with crew, maintenance and third-party insurance provided in a service-ready package.
Configuration of the aircraft is set as a two-class aircraft, with 18 Business Class seats in a 2-2-2 formation and 353 economy seats in a 3-3-3 formation
HiFly Business Class in a 2-2-2 formation
HiFly Economy Class in a 3-3-3 formation
This offers a total of 371 seats on this aircraft.
The A330-900neo will join the HiFly Portugal fleet, with its fellow long haul colleagues. The airline operates Airbus A330, A340 and of course – one Airbus A380.
A little tight down the back – but a welcome site for some
It won’t be the most comfortable plane down the back – thanks to the 3-3-3 configuration of the economy class. But faced with a choice of no aircraft to get you somewhere, – or an aircraft where you can get a seat, this will be a welcome sight for airlines that rely on wet-lease or hired in aircraft to help them with their operations.
But with airlines starting to actively choose 3-3-3 seating in the back for their Airbus A330 (a plane that traditionally was 2-4-2, and offered excellent comfort in the process), 3-3-3 could take a lot of getting used to in the air.
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