With the aim of adding a fourth Airbus A320 to its fleet in March 2023, Faroe Islands carrier Atlantic Airways has sold the first Airbus A319 airplane that it purchased back in 2012.
The replacement of the A319 is part of the airline’s ongoing efforts to become more competitive and more sustainable, the company said.
Nicknamed Elinborg by Atlantic Airways, the outgoing A319 plane, with the call name OY-RCG, is scheduled to leave Vagar for the last time on December 15th. The airline has looked into and considered options for selling the A319, the smallest airplane in its fleet, and in that respect a contract has been signed with American company CFM Materials, who offered the highest bid.
Arriving in March 2012, in what represented a milestone in Faroese aviation history, the then brand new Elinborg was the first Airbus plane in the Atlantic Airways fleet. Built at the Airbus factory in Hamburg and specially equipped for scheduled flights to and from Vagar Airport, this was Europe’s first aircraft equipped with the advanced RNP AR 0.1 navigation technology, which, as it turned out, significantly improved flight punctuality and regularity on aviation routes to the Faroe Islands.
“The Elinborg has completed 20,819 flight hours spread over a total 11,242 departures and arrivals,” Atlantic Airways noted in a news release. “For a limited period of time the aircraft was leased to a Canary Islands company that had to cancel its business activities due to the effects of Covid-related restrictions.”
For replacement, if everything goes according to plan, a long-term leased A320 airplane will join the Atlantic Airways fleet in March 2023. That will upgrade the fleet to four Airbus A320 aircraft and two AW 139 helicopters. Out of the four planes, two are Airbus A320neo, known as the most energy-saving of its kind. All of the fixed-wing aircraft are equipped with RNP AR 0.1 navigation technology.
“We are grateful for the opportunity we had to use A319 airplanes, which have served us exceptionally well,” Atlantic Airways CEO Jóhanna á Bergi stated.
“With increasing numbers of air passengers, however, the time has come for us to finally say goodbye to the A319 period. With four larger A320s, all of equal size, we will be able to boost competitivity and operate our flights more effectively. Also the A320s are more sustainable compared to A319 when considering CO2 emissions per seat and per flight.”
On Thursday December 15th, the Elinborg A319 will leave the Faroes for the last time as it heads from Vagar on a direct flight to the United States. The new Airbus A320 airplane to join the fleet come spring, will be given the call sign OY-RCM and will acquire the nickname Elinborg.
