Greece’s Aegean Airlines to Buy Eight Airbus Planes

Greece’s Aegean Airlines to buy eight Airbus planes

ATHENS, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) — Greece’s largest private air carrier, Aegean Airlines, announced Monday it has ordered eight A320 airplanes from Airbus at 420 million US dollars in a bid to increase its capacity and reduce operating costs.

The airliner also said it may order 12 more aircraft from the A319, A320 and A321 series of Airbus planes.

The company said it will gradually replace the Boeing 737s.

It is expected the new planes will be delivered during 2007- 2009.

Aegean Airlines had an average annual growth of about 20 percent over the past five years, and its domestic market share exceeded 50 percent.

According to figures released by Aegean, the airliner is expected to carry more than four million passengers in 2005.