Jet Airways gets first Airbus A330-200 aircraft

New Delhi, Apr 28: Jet Airways has taken delivery of its first Airbus A330 aircraft on order, making it the first India-based carrier to receive an aircraft in the A330 product range.

Jet had ordered 10 Airbus A330s in October 2005.

The aircraft an A330-200 was handed over to airline's chairman Naresh Goyal at a ceremony attended by Airbus' chief operating officer John Leahy and other top company executives at the delivery centre in Toulouse (France).

''Introducing the A330 into our existing fleet will be relatively seamless as we already operate the A340 and two leased A330s which share a common cockpit,'' said Mr Goyal.

''We chose the A330 because it fits in with our long-term strategy to operate efficient aircraft that best fit the mission laid down and to provide our customers with the most modern and comfortable fleet around.'' The airline already operates the leased A340s and the A330s between India and Britain. It plans to use the A330s on a mix of regional and long-haul international flights.

''With the world's fastest passenger growth in near-term in India, we are delighted to be a part of these exciting times through our partnership with Jet Airways,'' said Mr Leahy. ''The A330 is not only a fantastically efficient aircraft operationally, it still offers leading standards of passenger comfort.'' With over 1,080 orders and 280 deliveries so far, the A330/A340 family has become popular in 250 to 375 seat category. The aircraft share the same cockpit philosophy which helps shorten training times for flight crews transitioning from one Airbus aircraft to another, streamlined maintenance procedures and reduced spare parts holdings.

UNI