Thursday, April 18, 2024
AEGEAN Airlines has announced its strategic plan to invest in an enhanced version of the A321neo, designed for extended range and upgraded cabin quality. This initiative aims to create a dedicated sub-fleet of four A321neo aircraft initially, tailored to better serve non-EU markets, particularly those to the South and South-East of Greece. The specially designed A321neo planes will come equipped with extra fuel tanks, allowing for flights lasting up to 7.5 hours. Notably, the cabin layout will be revamped to offer increased comfort for both Economy and Business Class passengers, with a reduced seat count from the standard 220 to less than 180 seats.
Moreover, these aircraft will come equipped with satellite connectivity, individual in-flight entertainment screens for every seat, and a premium lie-flat seat option in Business Class. AEGEAN plans to unveil these upgraded features to the public during a media event in Q2 2024.
The purpose of this investment is to expand AEGEAN’s services to existing and potential new non-EU destinations, focusing on routes with flight durations ranging from around 4 hours to 7.5 hours. Target regions include the Gulf (such as Riyadh, Jeddah, Dubai, and potentially Bahrein, Doha, Oman), Central Africa (like Lagos, Addis Ababa, Nairobi), and Asia (with potential routes to Delhi or Mumbai in India, or Almati in Kazakhstan). These destinations are typically served by carriers using aircraft with higher comfort levels and lower seat density than standard intra-European flights due to market demands.
AEGEAN’s goal with this investment and upgraded product is to cater to these longer-haul markets more effectively while delivering a superior travel experience. The new “special purpose” aircraft are scheduled for delivery to AEGEAN in 2026 and 2027.
AEGEAN CEO Dimitris Gerogiannis stated, “We believe in the great opportunity for AEGEAN and for our country that lies in developing markets beyond the EU, either in the Gulf area, Africa or in regions of Asia which could be served with a special, extended range, version of the A321neo given our location in the southeast edge of Europe. We further recognize the necessity of a cabin with a significantly higher comfort and experience features to effectively represent AEGEAN’s service values, for our passengers in these markets. We are making a significant investment in the extended range and a totally new level of comfort for an initial four aircraft sub-fleet to give our crews the right tool to best represent AEGEAN values for these longer flight markets. It’s one more big step towards growing our reach and capabilities and we look forward to welcoming our passengers from these markets to this new level of experience with us in the years to come”.
In late 2023, AEGEAN capitalized on three (3) additional Airbus A321neo aircraft options under their Purchase Agreement with Airbus. They also converted five (5) firm orders of A320neo to A321neo. These actions brought the total number of A320/321 family neo aircraft received or on order to 50, of which 29 are now A321neo. Out of these 29, 25 will stick to the current standard configuration, while an initial four (4) will be upgraded to the new “special purpose” longer range and higher comfort configuration, ideal for Non-EU destinations with longer flight durations.
As of now, twenty-eight (28) Airbus 321/321 neo aircraft have been delivered, and another twenty-two (22) are scheduled for delivery between 2024 and 2028.
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
