Air Mauritius has taken delivery of its first A330-900, on lease from ALC, becoming the first A330neo operator based in the Southern Hemisphere.
The national carrier of the Republic of Mauritius also becomes the first airline to operate a combination of the A330neo and the A350 XWB.
The aircraft will feature Airbus’ Airspace cabin in a two-class configuration with 28 business class seats and 260 economy class seats. The airline will deploy the aircraft on routes connecting Mauritius to Europe (mainly London and Geneva), India and South East Asian routes and on regional destinations including Johannesburg, Antananarivo and Reunion Island.
“I am delighted to welcome our first Airbus A330neo, another milestone in our fleet modernisation programme,” said Air Mauritius CEO Somas Appavou. “The addition of two A330neos to our fleet will bring more flexibility and efficiency to our operations while supporting our network strategy. The A330neo offers similar levels of comfort as the A350 XWB, which has received very favourable feedback from our customers.
“I strongly believe that with the addition of the A330neo to our fleet, Air Mauritius will further reinforce its focus and emphasis on the customer who are at the very core of our business model,” Appavou added.
A proud moment for @airmauritius as new A330neo lands at LHR fresh from Toulouse @HeathrowAirport @Airbus pic.twitter.com/ExWrXvaNzn
— Alexander Preston (@inflight_editor) April 18, 2019
Christian Scherer, Airbus chief commercial officer commented that the airline’s first A330neo “will pioneer Air Mauritius into a whole different level of efficiency and flexibility by operating both the A330neo and the A350XWB.”
The airline currently operates nine Airbus aircraft including two A350-900s, three A340-300s, two A330-200s and two A319s on its regional and long-haul services.
