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Surprise! Bamboo’s first A330 appears
July 5th 2019
A330 spotted in Manchester with more on the way; A380 no longer an option. Read More »
A fully-painted Bamboo Airways A330-200 appeared out of the paint shop in Manchester this week. Bamboo has known commitments for up to 30 787s, but the first of the type is not due at the carrier until late 2020. There had been industry speculation Bamboo was looking for earlier wide body capacity, but the airline had made no official statement on the subject before the A330 sighting.
The aircraft joins a fleet of mixed A320 family aircraft. There are industry concerns that rapid growth will saddle the airline with many fleet sub-types that it will have to address.
The painted A330, serial number 943, is a 10-year old airframe that previously flew with Vietnam Airlines. It entered storage in France last August, according to Flightradar24. Bamboo is expected to receive at least a second A330. Macquarie Air Finance had been rumoured as the lessor. Macquarie did not respond to requests for comment.
Bamboo is not ready to discuss how many A330s it will receive and if they will be used in domestic, short-haul international and or long-haul markets.
A Bamboo spokesperson said the airline’s plan to lease A380s for non-stop U.S. flights was a previous consideration and that the idea should be disregarded. Last week, the chairman of Bamboo’s owner, FLC, said the airline would take A380s, the Financial Times reported.
