Azores Airlines has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321LR aircraft. The carrier is already an operator of the Airbus A321neo jet. However, the airline will replace the A321neo with the longer-range version.
The brand new aircraft features 190 seats in a two-class configuration (16 Business class seats and 174 seats in Economy) and is powered by CFM LEAP-1A engines. The Portuguese carrier is leasing the A321LR aircraft from Air Lease Corporation (ALC).
With the addition of the new Airbus jet, Azores Airlines plans to continue its strategy of growth and network expansion to European destinations as well as intercontinental routes between the Azores and North America. Its current transatlantic route network includes services to Boston, Toronto and seasonal services to Oakland and Montreal. In Europe, the carrier flies to mainland Portugal, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom.
The airline, which was previously known as SATA Internacional until 2015, currently operates an all-Airbus fleet of A320 and A321neo. Selected higher-demand routes are occasionally served by an Airbus A340-300 of charter airline HiFly. De Havilland Canada Dash 8 turboprop aircraft are operated by its parent company, SATA Air Açores, on regional routes between the islands. Azores Airlines previously had three Airbus A310 wide-body aircraft in its fleet; the last one was retired in October 2018.
Nick Wenzel founded International Flight Network in 2016. He is the Social Media Manager and an Editor for IFN.news.
