US Airways is expanding its A330 fleet with the purchase of five more A330-200 passenger aircraft. This firm order is in addition to the 92 Airbus aircraft, including 10 A330-200s ordered by US Airways in October of this year.
„The A330-200 with its superior range relative to our existing fleet will allow US Airways to continue international expansion to new destinations across the globe from the Pacific to the Atlantic“ said Doug Parker, chairman and CEO of US Airways. „We intend to use the A330s to expand our existing gateways as well as provide the potential to eventually add intercontinental service from our west coast hubs.“
„We are delighted that US Airways, our largest world-wide operator, continues to choose Airbus aircraft for its fleet. This additional order reaffirms the A330 as a superb performer for US Airways‘ expanding international route network,“ said John Leahy, Airbus‘ Chief Operating Officer-Customers.
The A330/A340 is a unique family of six true wide-body aircraft models with capacities covering 253 to 380 seats, regional to ultra-long haul passenger markets. With its numerous advantages in range flexibility, fuel efficiency and low maintenance costs, as well as a modern, comfortable cabin, the A330-200 benefits both passengers and airline employees.
With a true wide-body fuselage allowing very high comfort standards, the A330-200 is able to accommodate seat and class configurations to suit diverse customer requirements. Its large under-floor cargo holds can also carry standard pallets and containers side-by-side. It also has the excellent operational flexibility necessary to serve a wide range of route structures, providing operators with very low operating cost per seat. Its proven record of economy and superior passenger comfort provides operators with a significant competitive advantage in the market today.
The A330/A340 family benefits from Airbus‘ unique cockpit and operational commonality. Each family member shares the same cockpit philosophy which helps shorten training times for flight crews transitioning from one Airbus aircraft to another. The common cockpit design also streamlines maintenance procedures and reduces spare parts holdings. Additionally, high levels of passenger comfort are a hallmark of the passenger models, as is a consistently high level of operational efficiency.
Photo: Airbus
