Avianca Airlines has completed the humongous task of reconfiguring the interiors of about 104 Airbus A320 planes in just two years. The airline took help from over 1,500 in-house technicians for this task. With the new reconfigured fleet, the airline will add 20% more capacity and reduce CO2 emissions by 15.35% per passenger.
“We are very proud of this milestone for Avianca. They told us we were being too ambitious, wanting to do this in-house and in less than two years. Even so, we achieved it together with more than 1,500 experts from our MRO and other areas of Avianca, and with the help of allies such as Recaro, our seat manufacturer, and Airbus, the manufacturer of this fleet and who developed the engineering, who were fundamental in moving forward with this project even during difficult situations such as the pandemic, the war in Europe or the shortage of some supplies,” said Adrian Neuhauser, president and chief executive, Avianca.
“Without a doubt, the reconfiguration of our fleet makes us more efficient and competitive, brings us ever closer to what we set out in our business plan, and also leads us to achieve the goal of being an Avianca for everyone,” Neuhauser added.
Yohan Closs, vice president of Services for Airbus Latin America & the Caribbean commented: “Avianca’s commitment -to prepare for this moment in which we see traffic levels regain momentum- means that now passengers can enjoy an improved cabin, with a better inflight experience. The selection for Airbus’ SpaceFlex Next Generation for more than 100 A320 aircraft is unprecedented, having this number of aircraft retrofitted and returned into service in a two-year time frame during a supply chain crisis is an outstanding achievement.”