Tunisair orders Airbus A350s, A330s and A320s

North African airline Tunisair, celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, has signed a firm contract with Airbus for the acquisition of three A350-800s, three A330-200s and ten A320s, as part of an important fleet development plan that will modernise and expand the fleet of this growing airline. With this acquisition, that follows an initial agreement announced last April, Tunisair is the third African airline to order the all-new A350 XWB. Tunisair currently already has 12 A320s, four A319s, and three A300-600s in operation.

“With this firm order, Tunisair underlines its positive business outlook and can now start putting its plans into action and prepare for the future, both nearer and further out, with the right aircraft,” said Mr. Chettaoui, President and CEO of Tunisair group. “The A330s and later on the A350 will really allow us to develop our long haul market, while our A320 fleet, which is already performing extremely well, will be further expanded. And with these products, our customers will be benefiting from the most efficient and comfortable aircraft in the market today.”

The longstanding relationship between Tunisair and Airbus started in 1980, when Tunisair placed its first order for an Airbus A300B4. It has built up its Airbus fleet, with the first A320 order placed in 1988, one of the first orders for the type in Africa. In another pioneering move, with the order in 2006 for the A319 Extended-Range, Tunisair was the first airline to start operating this aircraft type in Africa.

The A350 XWB (Xtra Wide-Body) Family is Airbus’ response to Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. With a range of up to 8,300 nm / 15,400 km, it is available in three basic passenger versions: the A350-800 accommodating 270 passengers, the A350-900 seating 314, and the A350-1000 for 350 passengers in a typical three-class layout. The A350s are powered by two new generation Rolls Royce Trent XWB engines delivering each up to 92,000 lbs of thrust.

With a true wide-body fuselage, the A330-200 has a range of up to 6,750 nm / 12,500 km with a full passenger load. Its large under-floor cargo holds can also carry standard pallets and containers side-by-side.

The A320 Family includes the A318, A319, A320 and A321. Each aircraft features fly by wire controls and all share a unique cockpit and operational commonality across the range. Around 6,200 Airbus A320 Family aircraft have been sold and more than 3,500 delivered to some 280 customers and operators worldwide.

See other recent news regarding: Travel News Asia, Promotions, New Hotels, Airbus, A350, A330, A320, Tunisair, Farnborough