TAP to acquire 10 Airbus A350 and 7 A330 aircraft

TAP Portugal is to acquire 10 Airbus A350s and seven Airbus A330-200s to modernise and reinforce its long-haul fleet.

TAP will add the new A330-200 aircraft starting from 2007, in response to the increased demand for its destinations in South America, Africa and North America. A350 deliveries will begin in 2013. Both the A330s and the A350s will be fitted in a two-class layout. The TAP A330-200 will accommodate 268 passengers.

CEO of TAP Portugal Fernando Pinto said, that, “this order of Airbus A330s and A350s is a natural step for our airline, it will help build on our success and enable us to provide our passengers with extraordinary travel comfort. TAP is dedicated to making forward-looking decisions, investing in the most modern technology and operational efficiency, and this decision is no exception.”

“We are very pleased with the choice made by our prestigious client TAP,” said Airbus President and CEO Gustav Humbert. “The technologically advanced A350 will add even more value to TAP’s existing A330-340 Airbus long range family. TAP is guaranteed a smooth integration of these new aircraft into their successful all Airbus fleet, while continuing to provide its customers with unequalled passenger comfort.”

Being an A330 and an A350 customer, TAP optimises costs related to operation, maintenance and training. Both aircraft benefit from the Airbus “family effect”, notably the same pilot type rating, allowing pilots to fly both aircraft without additional training. The A350 also complements TAP’s A320 family thanks to the benefits of Airbus’ operational commonality between all fly-by-wire models.

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