Brazilian Airline TAM will receive by October three aircraft Airbus A330 that had been subleased to an airline company in the Middle East. The aircraft will be reintegrated into the Company’s fleet for intercontinental flights.
The first aircraft returned in the last week of July and was reintegrated into TAM’s network yesterday, August 2, after ANAC’s (National Agency of Civil Aviation) inspection.
The second aircraft is expected by the end of this month and will be used in daily night flights from Guarulhos, in São Paulo, to New York (U.S.), beginning September 1st.
The third aircraft will reintegrate into TAM’s fleet in October and will operate the daily flight to London as of October 28. The Company’s fleet is currently composed of 88 aircraft, of which 66 models are Airbus: 13 A319, 43 A320 and 10 A330 (including the three subleased returning to the Company).
TAM expects its fleet to achieve a minimum of 96 airplanes by the end of 2006 and 107 by the end of 2007.
TAM’s fleet plan includes the delivery of the remaining 28 A320 family aircraft contracted from Airbus in June 2005 with the option of another 20 aircraft.
Additionally, the company announced last June the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the manufacturer for the acquisition of another 37 Airbus aircraft – 15 A319, 16 A320 and 6 A330, with deliveries scheduled through 2010, the same period for receiving the 28 aircraft remaining from the previous contract. TAM’s strategic plan foresees an operational fleet of 127 Airbus aircraft by the end of 2010.
TAM – www.tam.com.br