Within five weeks of announcing its intention to sign orders for new aircraft, Air Algérie has actually completed both transactions with Boeing and Airbus. The Algerian carrier will renew and expand the fleet with fifteen aircraft on direct order from the OEMs.
Air Algérie confirmed an order for five Airbus A330-900s and two A350-1000s on June 1. The aircraft will be outfitted with the Airspace cabin, but no details have been shared of the layout. It isn’t known either when the airline will take delivery of the Airbus widebodies.
The order was part of a tender that was issued in October. In late April, Air Algérie said that it has selected the A330-900 and A350-1000. The latter type will become the biggest in the fleet, which should also see the arrival of two leased A330-900s plus four A330-200s.
In mid-May, the carrier already signed a firm order for eight Boeing MAX 9s as part of the same tender for new aircraft. These are direct orders, but the airline also eyes the lease of two more MAX 9s and two 737-800s. With 25 already in the fleet, the -800s form the backbone of Air Algérie’s current operations.
