Aircastle Limited has delivered the first of six new Airbus A330-200 aircraft to South African Airways (SAA) as scheduled.
The six new A330-200s will support SAA’s fleet modernisation programme and will provide the airline with significant improvements in fuel efficiency and operating costs.
The purchase was financed by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and supported by a guarantee from Compagnie Française d’Assurance pour le Commerce Exterieur (COFACE), the French export credit agency.
The company placed the aircraft on long-term leases with SAA in 2009, which will be equipped with the latest-generation Rolls-Royce Trent 772B engines, scheduled to be delivered in 2011.
