Abra Group Expands International Long-Haul Fleet With Memorandum of Understanding For 5 Airbus 350-900s

Abra Group

—which is the majority investor in Latin American giants

Avianca

and

GOL Linhas Aéreas

—has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with European manufacturer

Airbus

for five Airbus A350s. The agreement covers the -900 variant and will strengthen the group’s connectivity internationally. The announcement came on day 4 of the renowned Farnborough Airshow.

Details of the order

This would mark the first time that the Abra Group invests in Airbus A350 aircraft. Currently, the group’s long-haul flagship is the Boeing 787, operating with avianca, which also operates the A330. Brazilian low-cost carrier Gol does not have any widebody aircraft, flying a fleet of Boeing 737s exclusively per ch-aviation. Adrian Neuhauser, CEO of Abra Group said:

“We are delighted to announce this agreement with Airbus. We believe the arrival of these five A350s, which offer a best-in-class passenger experience, are more fuel efficient and have a lower cost per seat than competitor aircraft, will allow us to strengthen our commitment to make travel more accessible and responsible.”

Photo: Airbus

Neuhauser also noted that the planes would be used to grow the group’s network between Latin America and Europe.

“This also means better prices for customers with better connectivity between our continent and Europe, and will further consolidate Abra as one of the largest and most competitive air transportation groups in Latin America. The aircraft selection is consistent with the strategic announcements we have done this year and further executes on our long term vision.”

On the other hand, Airbus’ Executive Vice President Sales of the Commercial Aircraft business, Benoît de Saint-Exupéry took a broader position, indicating that the planes would allow the group to grow its network beyond Europe.

“We are delighted to see the Abra Group endorsing the A350 to continue its mission of strengthening air connectivity between Latin America and the rest of the world. The selection of the A350 reaffirms the aircraft as the undisputed leader in long-haul air travel.”

Abra Group’s growing focus in Europe

In recent months, the Abra Group has been further increasing its presence in Europe. First and foremost, it decided to acquire a stake in European charter and ACMI expert Wamos Air. As part of this deal, Wamos Air said it would continue to grow its long-haul presence, particularly in Latin America.

In June, it also struck a deal with Volotea, in an attempt to benefit from the ongoing Air Europa-IAG acquisition. The two companies put themselves forward to act as remedy takers in the merger between IAG and Air Europa, noting that their partnership would expand their operations and provide additional competition. This would ease competition concerns from the European Commission on possible monopolies as a result of the IAG deal.

Related

EU Commission Questions IAG’s Air Europa Deal

Sources have indicated that the probability of the EC blocking the Air Europa–IAG merger was very high.

Volotea and the Abra Group would work together to “consolidate Madrid’s position as a connection hub and reinforce Spain’s status as a top destination”. In particular, they said:

“The complementary nature of Volotea’s short-haul operations in Europe and the long-haul and intra-Americas operations of Abra Group —which includes airlines Avianca and GOL—make this alliance an optimal and integral solution to act as a ‘remedy taker’ in the merger between IAG and Air Europa.”

Photo: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock