Air Mauritius adds two Airbus A330-900neo aircraft to its current order of six Airbus A350-900 aircraft, with their existing fleet being upgraded with new seats, new inflight entertainment system and onboard WiFi.
Air Mauritius is pleased to announce the introduction of two new Airbus A330-900 (New Engine Option – neo) aircraft, on long-term operating lease from Air Lease Corporation (ALC), in September and October 2018 in replacement of two A340-300E aircraft, whose leases will expire in November and December 2018.
This decision follows a thorough evaluation process and accelerates the fleet renewal programme of the airline with another state-of-the-art aircraft. The A330-900 aircraft, which has been officially launched in July 2014, is powered by two new generation Rolls Royce Trent 7000 engines. The aircraft is also equipped with a new cabin interior design, high-span wings and sharklets as well as new systems.
The aircraft consumes at least 20% less fuel as compared to the current A340-300 enhanced aircraft. The A330-900 aircraft will have a similar cabin layout as the A350-900 aircraft and will be configured in a two-class layout with 291 seats (28 business and 263 economy class seats) with full-flat seats in business class, new seats in economy, new inflight entertainment systems as well as onboard WiFi.
The replacement of the two A340-300E aircrafts by the A330-900 aircraft is key to modernising the fleet of Air Mauritius and will offer enhanced passenger experience and comfort, operating efficiencies and technological innovation. The new aircraft will also allow Air Mauritius to improve its products and competitiveness in the current dynamic and challenging market environment. The two aircraft will initially serve the medium-haul routes of Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Delhi and Perth.
Moreover, based on its future fleet requirements, Air Mauritius is maintaining its order of two A350-900 aircraft for 2019 and has decided to reschedule the delivery of the last two A350-900 aircraft, initially planned for 2020 to 2023.
At the same time, Air Mauritius is upgrading the cabin interiors of its existing fleet with a view to meet customer expectations and consolidate its status as the leading airline of the region. The airline’s existing aircraft will thus be equipped with new seats, new inflight entertainment systems and onboard WiFi. The revamp of the cabin interiors is planned to be completed by June 2018.
Air Mauritius’ Memorandum of Understanding for four A350-900 aircraft is marked at the Farnborough Airshow by (from left to right): Air Mauritius Chief Executive Officer Andries Viljoen, Air Mauritius Chairman Dass Thomas, Airbus President and CEO Fabrice Brégier and Airbus Chief Operating Officer – Customers, John Leahy
KLM and Air Mauritius launch joint flights to Mauritius
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will introduce a direct flight from Amsterdam to Mauritius in cooperation with Air Mauritius soon. Through this cooperation, KLM and Air Mauritius can provide a year-round product for the customers. “Mauritius is literally a beautiful addition to the network of KLM. It has been on our wish list for a while, so I am glad that we can now offer a year-round flight to this stunning island together with our new partner Air Mauritius,” says Pieter Elbers, CEO of KLM.
The flights to Mauritius will be operated in KLM’s newest aircraft, the Boeing 787-9, which carries 30 World Business Class seats, 45 Economy Comfort seats, and 219 Economy Class seats. As from October 30, flight KL501 departs on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays from Amsterdam at 17:20 (local time) and arrives in Mauritius at 07:35 (local time). The flight leaves Mauritius at 09:45 to arrive back at Schiphol airport at 18:35.
The summer service will be operated by Air Mauritius, two times per week effective 26 of March 2018, on Mondays and Fridays. A third weekly flight will be added on Wednesdays in August and October. Air Mauritius will operate the Amsterdam-Mauritius route in Airbus A340 with 28 Business Class seats and 264 Economy class seats. Thanks to the partnership between KLM and Air Mauritius, a year-round flight from Amsterdam to Mauritius can be provided to their customers. “The addition of the Amsterdam-Mauritius route to our network highlights our development objectives not only for the Dutch market, but also to the whole of Europe using the extensive network of KLM. Amsterdam, together with our Paris hub, reinforces the long-standing cooperation we have with Air France-KLM to Paris. This will enhance our offering to our customers by leveraging on these two strong European gateways.” Raja Buton, Officer in Charge of Air Mauritius.
This article was written by KRISTIE OMAR.
