Air Atlanta Icelandic (CC, Reykjavik Keflavik) is in the process of adding two A330-200s, its first units of the type, for onward placement with Saudia (SV, Jeddah International) under dry-lease.
According to Gatwick Spotters, the two Airbus widebodies will be delivered in April 2020; msn 749 will be registered as TF-EAC and msn 745 as TF-EAD.
Both units are 13.8 years old and are owned by GECAS. They were retired by Air Europa (UX, Palma de Mallorca) in September and October 2019 and subsequently stored at several locations, including Woensdrecht, Châteauroux Déols Marcel Dassault, Palma de Mallorca, and Bordeaux Mérignac. Currently, both are at Teruel airport.
Air Atlanta Icelandic already operates seven B747-400s and one B747-400(F) for Saudia, the ch-aviation fleets module shows. It operates a further six B747-400(F)s and one A340-300.
Air Atlanta Icelandic's Vice President (Sales & Marketing), Unndór Jónsson, told ch-aviation in January last year that the ACMI/charter specialist was looking at acquiring both the B777 and A330 to replace its ageing B747 fleet.
"The B777 and the A330 would be a good strategic fit to Air Atlanta Icelandic’s B747-400 aircraft, initially to supplement the existing fleet and as a replacement in coming years. At this stage, I, however, cannot confirm any specific," Jónsson added in an e-mailed statement.
Earlier this month, it started advertising for B777 type-rated flight crew to be based out of Jeddah International effective immediately.
Saudia does not have any in-house A330-200s but already wet-leases seven such aircraft from Onur Air (Istanbul Airport). The Saudi flag carrier also operates forty-six A320-200s, fifteen A321-200s, thirty-two A330-300s (including twenty Regionals), two B747-8(F)s, four B777-Fs, thirty-five B777-300(ER)s, three B787-10s, and thirteen B787-9s. It also wet-leases four B747-400(F)s from AirACT (9T, Istanbul Atatürk).
