Latin American airline company Abra Group has divulged more details about how it will utilise seven incoming Airbus A330-900neos, which are due for delivery this year and into 2027.
The company’s fleet strategy will see member carrier Gol begin operating widebody long-haul jets for the first time, as five of the latest-generation A330s will be positioned with the Brazilian carrier. Gol has historically operated an all-Boeing 737 fleet, including a mix of latest-generation Max jets and older 737NGs.
Abra Group does not get more specific about when deliveries of the long-haul jets are expected to begin.
The other two A330-900neos will be added to Avianca’s existing widebody fleet, which features more than a dozen Boeing 787-8s.
Abra Group’s incoming A330s will be configured with more than 290 seats, including a business class cabin.
”Reinforcing our commitment to accessibility and inclusive travel, some of the aircraft will also feature a specially adapted lavatory for passengers with reduced mobility,” the company says.
In October, Abra Group signed a deal with Avolon Aviation to lease up to seven A330neos, in addition to a memorandum of understanding with Airbus to take four A350-900s.
The group says the incoming widebodies will be used to boost operations to Europe and North America.
Adrian Neuhauser, Abra Group’s chief executive, told FlightGlobal in October that the Airbus widebodies will reinforce an area of relative weakness across Abra’s portfolio, especially in relation to LATAM Airlines Group’s strong international network.
”If you compare us as a group to our biggest competitor in the region, we are underweight on long haul,” he said. “Ultimately, we have less connectivity to the rest of the world than our competitor does, and that is a huge opportunity if you think about long-haul being… the brightest spot in the market today.”
But the airline company did not identify where those widebody jets would be positioned across Avianca, Gol and Madrid-based Wamos Air until a 6 March announcement.
”In an initial phase, up to five of the seven aircraft will be operated by Gol and two by Avianca, reinforcing the group’s network and operational capabilities within the region and on routes to and from Europe and North America,” Abra says. ”Wamos Air, an essential part of the group, will support Gol’s internationalisation strategy and Avianca’s expansion during this growth period.”
Wamos deploys 13 older A330s in its charter and wet-lease operations.
Arturo Barreira, president of Latin America and the Caribbean for Airbus, says that the airframer is “thrilled” that Abra Group selected the A330-900neo to support Gol’s international expansion effort.
“We look forward to working with Gol to integrate these state-of-the-art widebody aircraft into their fleet and unlock new long-haul route possibilities for Brazilians,” he says.
In addition to anticipated widebody deliveries, Abra Group has hundreds of narrowbody jets on order, including A320neos and 737 Max aircraft.
