THE IAG group confirmed options out of six Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner destined for British Airways and one Airbus A350-900 intended for Iberiatwo types of aircraft already put into service by the two airlines.
International Airlines Group (AGI), which also includes Aer Lingus, Vueling and Level, announced during the presentation of its half-year results on July 28, 2023 that it had strengthened the long-haul fleet of two of its subsidiaries. At the house of British Airways first, where six options on 787-10 have been converted to firm orders, and six more options have been added to its backlog. Based at the airport of London-Heathrowthe British flag carrier already operates seven 787-10s, configured to accommodate 8 passengers in First Class, 48 in Business Class, 35 in Premium and 165 in Economy (256 seats).
British Airways is now expecting five additional wide-body 787-10s on the firm side, 18 777-9 (with 24 options) and three A350-1000 (with 10 options, 15 already in service). She already operates twelve 787-8 and 18 787-9 Dreamliners, as well as 59 777-200ER and -300ER..
At the house of Iberiabased at Madrid-Bajaras Adolfo SuarezIAG has at the same time converted into a firm order an option for a A350-900, a model of which it already operates 18 units (in 31+24+293, 348 seats). The Spanish flag carrier is now expecting four additional planes; it also has sixteen A330-200 and nine A330-300.
All of these additional devices “have been secured at substantial discounts from list prices” and are expected to be delivered in 2025 and 2026, these new wide-body aircraft should “play a crucial role in helping British Airways and Iberia restore the capacity of their long-haul fleets after the impact of the pandemic”. IAG CEO Luis Gallego said he is confident the additions will “help airlines reach their pre-pandemic capacity levels.”
After eleven deliveries during the first half, the group “now plans the delivery of 30 aircraft in total in 2023, including an additional leased aircraft for LEVEL”, including 19 single-aisle aircraft from all companies. British Airways in particular will “return to pre-pandemic non-premium capacity levels in 2024, long-haul capacity by 2025 and premium capacity by 2026,” the IAG statement said.
