Aircraft

Spanish travel company Grupo Marsans has firmed its huge 61-Airbus order which includes four A380s, 10 A350-900s and five A330-200s.

Forty-two Airbus A320-family jets - comprising 25 A320s, five A321s and 12 A319s - are also covered by the deal.

Marsans controls Aerolineas Argentinas, although the Argentine Government has been involved in efforts to renationalise the flag-carrier. The company is also linked with carrier Air Comet.

It had originally planned to distribute the aircraft between the carriers, part of a strategy to build strong connections between Europe and South America.

"This important order allows Grupo Marsans to put into action its mid- and long-term development plan, to enhance our position on the short- and long-haul sector by incorporating the most efficient aircraft available on the market today and tomorrow," says Marsans president Gonzalo Pascual.

"In addition to the overall fleet enhancement this represents, we are particularly proud that, with the A380, we will become the first A380 customer and operator in Spain and Latin America."

While the A350s are only available with Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, and the five A330s will have Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines, no engine selection has been given for the A380s or A320-family aircraft.

Marsans' agreement takes the number of A380s on firm order to 196 and brings the airframer's net orders for 2008 to around 800.

Grupo Marsans already has an order for 12 A330-200s with the European manufacturer.