Afriqiyah Airways takes delivery of First Airbus A319

Afriqiyah Airways from Libya has taken delivery of its first medium range Airbus A319. This A319 is the first of three aircraft of this type to be delivered to the young airline, and is part of an order signed in 2006, which also includes 11 A320s and three long range A330-200s. To date two A320s have also been delivered to the airline. In 2007, Afriqiyah signed another firm contract for six A350 XWB aircraft to further expand their growing international long haul network.

The A319 will be integrated into Afriqiyah's all Airbus fleet, and be deployed from their hub in Tripoli, from where Afriqiyah operates non-stop key routes in Europe such as Paris, Brussels, Geneva, London, Rome and Amsterdam, as well as to 17 destinations in North, West and Central Africa and the Middle East. The aircraft is configured to seat 124 passengers in a two-class configuration and is powered by CFM56-5B engines.

"After having received our A320s which are doing extremely well in our fleet, we are very much looking forward to continue this excellent track record with the A319. With its low operating costs and high passenger comfort these aircraft are a key tool in our long term strategy to further develop our market position," Captain Sabri, CEO of Afriqiyah Airways said. "The commonality of all Airbus aircraft gives us the flexibility to interchange the aircraft according to our needs, to optimise operations and maintenance."

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