La Compagnie (B0, Paris Orly) has announced it has selected the A321neo for its fleet renewal plan. The French premium-service carrier said in a statement on Thursday, September 21, the two aircraft are leased from GECAS and will deliver in April and September 2019.
“Since joining forces with XL Airways France (Paris CDG) in 2016, we have progressively focused on optimizing our performance across all fronts,” Laurent Magnin, CEO of La Compagnie, said. “This year alone, La Compagnie has flown over 40,000 passengers, in which sixty percent were from the US and twenty-five percent frequent fliers. The purchase of two new Airbus A321neos, which are more in line with industry standards than our current fleet of Boeing 757s, is an important step in maintaining our unique position in the market as we continue to invest in our clients and evolve as a brand.”
La Compagnie currently leases two B757-200s, one from Icelandair and the other from AerCap, for use on its transatlantic shuttle flights between Paris CDG and New York Newark. Despite the arrival of the Airbus jets, the Boeings will not be phased out immediately. Magnin told France's La Tribune newspaper one will be retained at least until the end of 2019 while the other will not be returned to its owner until 2021.
"Keeping them [the B757s] in the fleet will allow for the opening of new seasonal routes and to develop our charter business which makes up 5% of our revenue at present," he said.
