AEGAEN has announced that they will invest in four Airbus A321neos to deliver extended range capabilities and an upgraded cabin. The goal is to create an initial sub-fleet of four aircraft capable of serving longer-range markets outside of the EU.
On Wednesday (April 18, 2024), AEGEAN announced that they will invest in an extended range and upgraded cabin version of the A321neo, which will be able to serve non-EU markets between four and 7.5 hours of flight time. The initial sub-fleet of four ‘special purpose’ A321neos will have additional fuel tanks, and will offer a higher level of comfort for Economy and Business Class guests with the reduction of seats in AGEAN’s regular A321 fleet from 220 to less than 180. The upgraded A321neo version will also offer satellite connectivity, an IFE screen at every seat, and premium fully lie-flat seats in Business Class. AEGEAN will hold a media event during the second quarter of 2024 to present the upgraded features of these aircraft to the public.
In Wednesday’s announcement, AEGEAN’s CEO, Dimitris Gerogiannis, said,
“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.”
With the specialized A321neos, AEGEAN plans on serving existing routes to Riyadh, Jeddah and Dubai, along with potential new destinations such as Bahrain, Doha, Oman, Lagos, Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Delhi, Mumbai, or Almaty in Kazakhstan.
The new upgraded ‘special purpose’ A321neos are scheduled to be delivered to AEGEAN in 2026 and 2017. In late 2023, AEGEAN exercised three additional A321neo purchase options, and converted five firm A320neo orders to the larger A321neo. In total, the carrier has received or has on order 50 Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft, 29 of which are now A321neos. Out of the 29 A321neos, 25 will be delivered with the standard configuration, and four will initially feature the longer range and higher comfort configuration. Thus far, 28 A320neo Family aircraft have been delivered to the carrier, with a further 22 scheduled for delivery between 2024 and 2028.
Source: AEGEAN