BUENOS AIRES – During an interview at the MRO Latin America 2023 event, Aerolíneas Argentinas‘ President, Pablo Ceriani, confirmed that the company is in the preliminary stages of incorporating four Airbus A330neo to complement its long-distance fleet, while also seeking to renew its first-generation Embraer E190AR fleet with the E195 E2.
“Initially, we will have a fleet of 10 A330. Our goal is to reach 12, we have a couple of planes that are retiring in 2025-2026, so our idea is to search for four A330neo to have a fleet of 8 A330 Classic and 4 330neos. This is our idea, but we haven’t released the RFP yet, we’re still in that process,” Ceriani told Aviacionline.
According to Ceriani, these Airbus A330-900 will initially be used to “consolidate the current international network” before searching for new destinations. “First, reinforce the fleet and then, we’ll seek growth,” he added.
Additionally, the President of Aerolíneas Argentinas indicated that the replacement for the Embraer E190AR will be the E195-E2, with a configuration of 136 seats in two classes (Premium Economy and Economy).
More Boeing 737 MAX for Aerolíneas
Ceriani also confirmed that the company will receive three additional Boeing 737-8 in 2023, which, when combined with those scheduled to arrive in 2024 and 2025, will bring the total number of aircraft of this variant to 17. But the incorporation of the latest generation of the legendary 737 won’t end there.
“We’re considering the 737-9 to compete against the 321neo,” said the AR executive, although he didn’t provide further details. The other 737s that will arrive are the two converted to cargo planes: in fact, one is on a flight to Argentina and is expected to arrive on the afternoon of February 22, while the other will have to wait “a few months.”
Pablo Ceriani, President of Aerolíneas Argentinas at MRO Latin America 2023 (Photo: Matías Campaya- Aviacionline)
Airbus A330 at Aeroparque?
During the interview, the obligatory question arose: Is Aerolíneas Argentinas preparing to operate Airbus A330s from Aeroparque? Ceriani was cautious, although he reported that it’s being evaluated: “There are many things to be resolved, but it’s an ongoing idea.”
The possibilities offered by the twin aisle from Aeroparque are not few: reaching Miami or New York from Aeroparque would give it a competitive advantage over other operators that will offer those destinations with an intermediate stop.
When asked about the cost equation of operating an A330 versus an A321neo, which is initially favorable for single-aisle planes, Ceriani explained that “it’s not so linear” and that there are opportunities.
Maintenance for third parties: An opportunity boosted by the pandemic
At MRO Latin America 2023, the President of Aerolíneas Argentinas talked about the projects the company has in the sector: expanding its major maintenance capabilities to offer services to third parties at competitive rates.
“Our idea is to invest heavily in maintenance capabilities to reach 100% fleet availability as quickly as possible, and from there offer services to third parties, which are in high demand in the region.”
“The supply chain problems and delays in maintenance services are something that will persist over time, because they are deep problems that have to be solved,” he added.
“Doing third-party maintenance was always an objective and something very much desired by the whole company and by the workers in particular, because it implies a much more ambitious development possibility than just maintaining the airline’s aircraft,” Ceriani continued. “[But] there were a lot of things that needed to be adapted for that purpose and that involves changes in work processes that obviously generated resistance.”
“The rawness of the pandemic and everything we are living through made those changes more necessary than ever. That is how we all understood it in the company and also the workers, so we were able to agree on a way to be able to adjust the work processes to be able to have the possibility of providing services to third parties in a competitive way, to be able to go out and offer our services to the market and be protagonists in the region.”
