Deanw
9th Mar 2005, 10:55
Business Day:
SAA, Airbus in pow-wow on fleet plans
SOUTH African Airways (SAA) and the European aircraft maker Airbus are holding high-level discussions about the SAA’s future fleet requirements.
The talks follow the approval by the SAA board of a decision to cancel 15 of the 38 aircraft the airline ordered from Airbus three years ago.
The cancellation will save the airline an estimated $50m.
But the board also approved the leasing of 11 single-aisle Airbus A319-100s and five twin-aisle A340-300Es.
SAA has already taken one A340-300E using bridging finance.
“It is the intention of SAA to complete the permanent financing of this aircraft by entering into an operating lease arrangement,” SAA’s parent company Transnet said in its annual report last year.
The A340-300E formed part of a total of 41 new aircraft that SAA ordered in 2002. The three additional planes will be leased from International Lease Finance Corporation.
Transnet CEO Maria Ramos said this week that the SAA board had approved the cancellation of the order, and that ongoing negotiations had been held with Airbus to either recover predelivery payments or switch them to other orders.
Airbus spokesman Linden Burns said nothing had been concluded at this point. He said Airbus was “flexible” with regard to customers changing fleet acquisition arrangements.
His comments echoed those of Airbus MD Ramón Dorrego de Carlos, who said recently that it was common practice for airlines to tweak their aircraft requirement plans depending on their needs.
“Airbus maintains a constant dialogue with all its customers and is always willing to listen to their requests,” said Burns.
“In SAA’s case, as with any other airline, Airbus is happy to discuss its future requirements should they ask us to do so,” he said.
SAA, Airbus in pow-wow on fleet plans
SOUTH African Airways (SAA) and the European aircraft maker Airbus are holding high-level discussions about the SAA’s future fleet requirements.
The talks follow the approval by the SAA board of a decision to cancel 15 of the 38 aircraft the airline ordered from Airbus three years ago.
The cancellation will save the airline an estimated $50m.
But the board also approved the leasing of 11 single-aisle Airbus A319-100s and five twin-aisle A340-300Es.
SAA has already taken one A340-300E using bridging finance.
“It is the intention of SAA to complete the permanent financing of this aircraft by entering into an operating lease arrangement,” SAA’s parent company Transnet said in its annual report last year.
The A340-300E formed part of a total of 41 new aircraft that SAA ordered in 2002. The three additional planes will be leased from International Lease Finance Corporation.
Transnet CEO Maria Ramos said this week that the SAA board had approved the cancellation of the order, and that ongoing negotiations had been held with Airbus to either recover predelivery payments or switch them to other orders.
Airbus spokesman Linden Burns said nothing had been concluded at this point. He said Airbus was “flexible” with regard to customers changing fleet acquisition arrangements.
His comments echoed those of Airbus MD Ramón Dorrego de Carlos, who said recently that it was common practice for airlines to tweak their aircraft requirement plans depending on their needs.
“Airbus maintains a constant dialogue with all its customers and is always willing to listen to their requests,” said Burns.
“In SAA’s case, as with any other airline, Airbus is happy to discuss its future requirements should they ask us to do so,” he said.