Thailand's Really Cool Airlines eyes Airbus widebodies - CEO

ITA Airways takes first A330-900

ITA Airways (AZ, Rome Fiumicino) took delivery of the first of its seventeen A330-900s on May 26, 2023.

EI-HJN (msn 2035) was delivered directly from the Airbus facility at Toulouse Blagnac to Rome Fiumicino. It is the first of ten A330-900s the carrier will take from the manufacturer in addition to a further seven units on due from lessors, including five from Air Lease Corporation and two from AerCap/GECAS, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows. EI-HJN is ALC-owned.

The carrier will outfit its A330-900s with 291 passenger seats, including 201 in economy class, 36 in comfort economy, 24 in premium economy, and 30 in business class.

ITA Airways will use the A330-900s to replace its eight A330-200s inherited from Alitalia which are 13.1 years old on average.

The Italian carrier, which is set to be minority-owned by Lufthansa Group, is in the process of renewing and growing its legacy post-Alitalia fleet. It plans to operate seven A220-100s (none delivered...

Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Air eyes 150+ B737 MAX order - report

Riyadh Air (RXI, Riyadh) is in talks about an order for at least 150 B737 MAX as part of its total narrowbody commitment, which could tally up to 300-400 aircraft, Bloomberg has reported.

Citing internal sources, the news wire said that while Airbus would likely be selected for part of the order, the European manufacturer was constrained by the lack of near-term delivery slots for the preferred A321-200N type.

The Saudi start-up placed its first tentative order in March 2023, comprising thirty-nine B787-9s with a further 33 options. Chief Executive Tony Douglas said later that the state-owned carrier would order more aircraft "soon".

Riyadh Air, which is poised to be the second flag carrier alongside Saudia (SV, Jeddah) with a focus on inbound tourism and a single hub at Riyadh airport, plans to launch in 2025.

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