Air Greenland ordered a single A330-800neo. I have been fascinated by the airline for a long time. I wanted to give an update on the plane entering service.
I am looking forward to flying with Air Greenland after it gets its new aircraft. Air Greenland has a single wide body plane, which is an A330-200, and it is used for flights toCopenhagen. The airline operates a fleet of turboprops, which are used for flights in and out of Greenland.
The order for the A330-800neo was placed by Air Greenland in 2020. The plane will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to the plan. The A330-800neo has a list price of 260 million dollars.
The airline's A330-200 has been flying since 1998 and is about 24 years old. Since 2002, it has flown with Air Greenland.
The A330-800neo will enter service as of March 27, 2023. The plane is going to fly between the two countries. It is possible to move the schedule forward given that delivery is expected well ahead of then.
The decision to order an A330-800neo is surprising because this plane has been unpopular. Over 260 of the A330-900neo have been ordered by airlines, but there hasn't been a single order for the A330-800neo.
Aside from Air Greenland, the A330-800neo is flown by Kuwait Airways and Uganda Airlines, and has also been ordered by Garuda Indonesia, but that’s it.
The A330-800neo and A330-900neo have different specifications.
Air Greenland doesn't need the additional range, so they chose the A330-800neo. The reality is that the extra capacity of the A330-800neo is marginal for the operating costs.
It is possible that the airline can take advantage of the additional weight limit for cargo, as one of the primary ways that supplies are shipped to Greenland is via Air Greenland. Air Greenland might have gotten a better deal on the plane.
I was curious to see what the cabins would look like. I was not expecting much, but I was hoping that we would see something cool. I am pretty disappointed, and it looks like these jets may not be as good as they could be.
For what it's worth, Air Greeland's A330-200 has almost 300 seats, including 30 business class seats and more than 200 economy seats.
Business class seats are slightly larger than domestic first class in the US, so it is not much to be excited about. The airline doesn't have any redeyes and the longest flight is under five hours.
The A330-800neo will have 263 economy class seats and 42 business class seats. Business class will be in a 3-4-2 configuration, so it will be even tighter than it is now. The product is not looking good at this point.
There is a bigger picture when it comes to aviation in the country. Air Greenland's A330 is only available between the two capitals. The only airport with a runway that can handle the A330 is the one in Kangerlussuaq.
Over time, that will change as well. Ilulissat and Nuuk are the two biggest destinations for tourists in the country.
New airports are expected to open in 2020. The plan was for this to happen in late 2023, but only time will tell if it stays that way. The plan is to have direct flights from Copenhagen to those destinations.
Between the opening of the new airports and the increase in capacity from the new plane, the hope is that tourists will come in greater numbers.
I am pretty sure this will never happen since Air Greenland only has a single plane. It would be great to have a nonstop flight from the US to the island.
If you would like to go to Greenland, you can.
The shortest flight is from New York to Nuuk. I don't think we'll ever see seasonal, twice weekly flights between the markets.
Canadian North is considering flying to Greenland, which is good news for Canadians. The airline is in the process of forming a partnership with Air Greenland, which could lead to the introduction of several routes.
The flights from Iqaluit to Ilulissat and Nuuk are not very long.
The order for the A330-800neo was placed in 2020. The plane will join the carrier's fleet later this year, and will be in the air as of next spring.
I am excited to see the delivery of this unique jet, but don't expect much from the onboard product. There will be seven seats per row on this plane, making it a worse business class product.
Air Greenland has an A330-800neo order and Canadian North is considering flights to Greenland.
What do you think about the A330- 800neo?
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