IATA AGM 2013: Royal Brunei Airlines eyes narrowbody replacements
Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) deputy chairman Dermot Mannion told (04-Jun-2013) CAPA on the sidelines of the IATA annual general meeting in Cape Town that the carrier is looking to acquire up to 10 next generation narrowbody aircraft to replace its fleet of A320 family aircraft. Mr Mannion says RBA has issues a request for information to Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and Embraer and requires new generation aircraft for delivery starting in late 2015. RBA currently operates a fleet of four A320s and two A319s, all of which have leases expiring in 4Q2015 or 1Q2016. RBA is considering replacing these six aircraft with the Airbus A319/A320neo, Boeing 737 MAX, Bombardier CSeries or Embraer E190. Mr Mannion says RBA also seeks up to four additional aircraft to support expected growth of its short-haul network.