Uzbekistan Airways recently took delivery of A330-200 wet leased from Lithuania’s Heston Airlines. The airline is expecting delivery of a second aircraft in May 2023. The lease-agreement is for one year.
As this will be the first time for Uzbekistan carrier to use A330-200 widebody for commercial operations, the arrival of the aircraft was greeted with traditional water canon followed by music and dance festivities.
The liner’s cabin is designed for 266 passengers, including 18 in business class and 248 in economy class.
Shukhrat Yadgarov, deputy chairman of Uzbekistan Airways said: “The decision to lease two A330s was made to cover our schedule. This type is most suitable for the cabin structure of Uzbekistan Airways aircrafts. Currently, almost all of the company’s aircrafts have 246 to 270 seats, and we had to find an aircraft that would help us fly the entire route network at this distance.”
The negotiations on the lease-deal lasted for over six months with the process including many parts – pricing policy, technical issues and inspection. Some of the spare parts were delivered on board of the A330 aircraft, which will be placed in the free economic zone of the Tashkent airport in case of urgent repair work.
The airline plans to operate the A330 on Tashkent to Istanbul, Dubai and Jeddah routes. The first commercial flight to Istanbul is scheduled for April 23.