Air Côte d’Ivoire has signed a firm order for two Airbus A330neo aircraft to support its growth.
The agreement was announced at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, in the presence of Amadou Koné, Minister of Transport of Côte d’Ivoire, Laurent Loukou, CEO of Air Côte d’Ivoire, General Abdoulaye Coulibaly, President of Air Côte d’Ivoire Board and Philippe Mhun, Airbus Executive Vice President Programmes and Services, with the airline signing for the Airbus A330-900neo.
Air Côte d’Ivoire operates a fleet of six Airbus aircraft comprising one A320neo, two A320ceo and three A319. It also operates four De Hallivand Dash-8 400.
With the addition of the A330neo, the airline will be able to expand its network and be able to launch long-haul routes because of the airline’s transcontinental expansion strategy.
The airline is 58% owned by the government, with other investors making up the rest of the numbers – including Air France-KLM Group who hold an 11% stake.
Looking at the release and images, the airline has selected the Airbus A330-900neo. This model can fly up to 7,200nm / 13,300km non-stop, whilst achieving lower fuel burn and Co2 emissions.
With the airline’s fleet primarily made up of Airbus aircraft, there are other savings too, in terms of commonality between designs.
No announcements have been made in regards to interiors, seating or onboard connectivity, other than the aircraft will feature the Airspace by Airbus cabin offering. This includes offering more personal space, larger overhead bins, a new lighting system and the ability to offer the latest in-flight entertainment systems and full connectivity.
Long haul growth
Introducing the A330neo means long haul is on the agenda for the airline, with a 7000+nm range – which opens up destinations in Europe and the Americas with ease and opens options to Asia too.
It will be interesting to see how the airline chooses to deploy these new aircraft when they arrive.
Editors note: Yes, we are a bit later on this on this article. Much like life, sometimes we are always catching up.
Welcome to Economy Class and Beyond. Your no-nonsense guide to network news, honest reviews, featuring in-depth coverage, unique research, as well as the humour and madness I only know how to deliver.
Follow me on Twitter at @EconomyBeyond for the latest updates! You can follow me on Instagram too!
Also, remember that we are part of the BoardingArea community, bringing you the latest frequent flyer news from around the world.
