Arkia to fly to North America, Far East
Company completes purchase of two A330-900neo planes, making it the first Israeli airline with wide body Airbus aircraft.
The company, which is owned by Jordache Enterprises, has completed the purchase of two Airbus A330-900neo planes with an option of purchasing two more. The official price of each plane is about $266 million.
Even before the new planes' arrival, the company will begin flying to the Far East on leased long-haul aircraft.
Arkia already signed a deal for the purchase of four Airbus 321 planes about a year ago. The modern Airbus 330 model purchased by the company was first displayed in 2012 at the Farnborough International Airshow.
Airbus announced Tuesday that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Arkia for the sale of its wide body airliner, which is considered the most advanced of its kind in the world today and has low maintenance costs.
The deal makes Arkia the first Israeli airline with wide body Airbus aircraft. The company is expected to receive the planes in 2018, when it will launch its routes to the new destinations.
According to Arkia CEO Nir Dagan, the acquisition of the new aircraft will allow the company to advance to new destinations while using an efficient, reliable and economical plane.
"The plane's fuel consumption is about 14% lower per seat compared to similar wide body planes with. Its model is in fact an advance model with proven reliability which has undergone many improvements, including advanced Rolls-Royce engines, aerodynamic improvements, etc."
The new plane will arrive in two configurations: One with 310 seats and two classes – economy and business class with lie-flat seats, and the other with 354 seats and two classes – economy and premium economy.
The new planes will feature an advanced entertainment system which will offer Internet access on laptops and advanced wireless services on cell phones.
