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U.S. low-fare carrier Frontier Airlines has placed a firm order for 15 new A319s.
The Denver-based carrier currently operates 19 A319s and took delivery of the
first two of five purchased A318s in July this year. Deliveries of the newly
ordered A319s will begin next year and continue through 2008.
Airbus has granted Frontier type conversion rights to change some of the
newly ordered aircraft to larger A320s, in keeping with the aircraft manufacturer's characteristic flexibility.
In addition to the new orders and pending completion of negotiations with
leasing companies, Frontier plans to lease as many as 14 more aircraft - a mix
of A319s and A318s. Deliveries of the leased aircraft also are planned to begin
in 2004.
"At this critical time in the market, the key to growth is economics," said Jeff
Potter, Frontier President and CEO. "We've been very pleased with the economics of our A319s to date, and our passengers have been equally
pleased with the comfort of the aircraft. We believe our air crews and our
passengers will enjoy these new planes as they did with our previous Airbus
aircraft."
"It's no secret that this is a challenging time for the airline industry, especially
in the United States," said Noel Forgeard, Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer. "But Frontier is demonstrating that the path to recovery is
with the most efficient aircraft possible run by a team that is focused on
customer value. We are proud Frontier is continuing on its path toward an all
Airbus-fleet." |
