WOL - Wings of Lebanon (WLB, Beirut) is planning to add another second-hand B737NG aircraft by the end of the year, CEO Naji Majdalani told Forbes.
"We are thinking of adding soon an extra aircraft. It will be NG for sure. I have got a B737-700 and B737-800 on the table offered to me, and we are still debating which way to go," Majdalani said.
The airline is looking for around 10-year-old aircraft. Majdalani said that the airline is evaluating new year-round services to Berlin, Stockholm, and Izmir Adnan Menderes with the new aircraft.
For the time being, the airline will also continue its arrangement with Egypt's Nile Air (NP, Cairo International) covering the summer wet-lease of one A320 and one A321.
According to ch-aviation fleets module, the carrier currently operates a single in-house -700, an 11-year-old unit dry-leased from Macquarie AirFinance. It also already wet-leases an A320 from Nile Air in the form of SU-BQM (msn 4310).
The carrier currently operates regular charter flights to Sharm el Sheikh, Adana, Dalaman, and Antalya, as well as ad-hoc charters on behalf of its owner, tour operator Nakhal.
Majdalani pointed out that Wings of Lebanon regained its EU Third Country Operator (TCO) status in mid-May 2019, after having lost it last year. This allows the airline to fly to the European Union again. He added that while the loss of the TCO status initially cut the airline off from some markets, it used this as an opportunity to diversify its business and is now stronger than before the TCO suspension.
