29-Jan-99
Olympic Airways took delivery of its first two A340-300s from Airbus Industrie today in Toulouse, becoming a new operator of the four-engined, ultra long-range aircraft. Two additional A340s are scheduled to arrive at the carrier's Athens base in the second half of 1999.
The A340s, which will replace Olympic Airways' aging 747-200s, will be deployed on the airline's intercontinental network to North America, Australia, the Far East and the South Africa.
As the most modern, user friendly, efficient and comfortable airliner in its category, the A340 provides unrivaled profit potential, passenger appeal and range. Olympic Airways' A340s feature a two-class cabin seating 32 passengers in "Olympian" business Class and 263 passengers in Economy. Powered by four CFM56 engines from CFM International, the aircraft is equipped with the very latest in passenger entertainment and communications, and all seats are fitted with personal audio and video systems offering a selection of multi-language entertainment channels. Telephone and fax services are also available on board.
Theo Tsakiridis, Chief Executive Officer of Olympic Airways, said that the A340 is the main element of the airline's long-range fleet modernisation. "Not only will the A340 offer a more economical tool on ultra-long flights than current fleet but it also boasts state of the art technology and the highest levels of passenger comfort, while being free of any ETOPS constraints."
Airbus Industrie Chief Executive Officer No?l Forgeard said it was a source of great pride for the consortium that, after the A300 and the A300-600, the A340 is now joining Olympic Airways' fleet, an Airbus Industrie's customer for 20 years. "Total customer satisfaction is an essential goal in Airbus Industrie's product strategy, which itself is based on uncompromised excellence of the product and its support. Once again, we are confident we can fully satisfy Olympic Airway's requirements with this brand new A340," he added.
The A340 is part of the world's most comprehensive aircraft product line in the 250-380 seat category. In addition to the A340, which is available in four different versions, the family also includes two versions of the widebody twin A330. To date, some 240 A330/A340 family aircraft are flying with more than 35 operators worldwide, while the family has attracted more than 510 orders from 51 customers.