TAAG Angola Airlines has taken delivery of its first Airbus A220 twinjet aircraft at a ceremony held at Airbus’ Mirabel assembly plant in Canada. The aircraft, registered D2-TAA and resplendent in the carrier’s updated livery is part of the national airline of Angola’s ambitions to modernize its fleet and become more competitive in the African regional marketplace.
TAAG’s new A220-300 will feature 137 seats in a two-class configuration comprising 125 in economy and 12 in business class.
The delivery marks the start of the incorporation of the A220 into the TAAG Angola Airlines fleet. The carrier initially ordered six A220s from Air Lease Corporation at the Farnborough Air Show in 2022. The airline followed this up with a further order for nine additional aircraft from three lessors at the Paris Airshow in 2023, bringing its total commitment to the aircraft to 15 airplanes.
The latest addition to the airline’s fleet is set to depart Canada in the coming days for its ferry flight to its new base at Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport in Luanda.
According to ch-aviation, TAAG Angola Airlines currently operates a fleet of 23 aircraft, in a mix of jet and turboprop-powered planes. This includes nine passenger and cargo-configured Boeing 737s, four 777-200ERs, five 777-300ERs, and six De Havilland Canada DHC-8-Q400s.
As part of the carrier’s ongoing modernization strategy, in addition to the incoming 15 A220-300s, the airline has two Boeing 787-9s, and two 787-10s on order from the manufacturer to replace its older 777-200ERs and provide some fleet expansion capacity.
The Airbus A220-300 offers TAAG Angola Airlines the benefits of improved fuel economy over its previous narrowbody jets (25% less fuel burn than previous generation aircraft), industry-leading passenger comfort through its 3-2 main cabin configuration), and range capability of up to 3,450 nautical miles (5,520 km) which will allow the carrier to open new routes of longer stage length than that offered by other types it has operated in the past.
The type is already proving to be a popular choice for airlines with its versatility, range, and unsurpassed economics across a range of route lengths. As of the start of September 2024, there had been 910 orders placed for the Airbus A220 from around 30 customers, the largest of which is Delta Air Lines in the US with 71 aircraft in service. In Europe, AirBaltic is the largest operator with 48 examples.
On the continent of Africa, TAAG Angola joins fellow carriers Air Tanzania, Ibom Air, and EgyptAir, which operate four, two, and 11 planes, respectively, although in February 2024, AeroTime reported that EgyptAir had sold its entire fleet of A220s to specialist aircraft lessor Azorra.