Nigeria’s Green Africa Airways places record order for A220

February 13, 2020 in Business, Companies, Transport, Travel & Tourism by Editor

Nigerian start-up Green Africa Airways, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the purchase of 50 units of Airbus’s A220-300 aircraft, making it potentially the largest operator of type in Africa. It is also one of the biggest orders placed by a single carrier globally for the programme in which Airbus upped its stake to 75 percent this week after Bombardier’s exit.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow where the MoU was announced today, Africa Airways founder and chief executive Babawande Afolabi, said the order was the largest for the A220 from the African continent and represented Green Africa’s ambitions.

“The Green Africa story is a story of entrepreneurial boldness, strategic foresight and an unwavering commitment to using the power of air travel to create a better future,” he said.

Airbus Chief Commercial Officer, Christian Scherer, said the A220 will position Green Africa to unlock new markets on the continent.

“The unique characteristics of the A220 will allow the airline to unlock destinations and route pairs that previously would have been considered non-viable. We look forward to our partnership with Green Africa and to accompany their development with the most efficient aircraft in its class,” Scherer said.

The A220 is the only all new aircraft design that is purpose-built for the 100-150 seat market. The type which delivers a 20 percent fuel burn advantage per seat over previous generation aircraft, had accumulated 658 orders at the end of January 2020.