Sanaa based Yemenia, the official carrier of the state of Yemen, has taken delivery of its first Airbus aircraft as part of its plan to replace its entire fleet of single aisles with the A320 Family, and make the carrier an all Airbus operator.

The aircraft is the first from an order for 10 A320 Family aircraft placed in January 2010, and is equipped with IAE engines.

The aircraft is configured in two classes (12 business and 138 economy seats) and will be deployed on regional and international services to Gulf States, Middle East, Africa, India and Southern European destinations, to help to stimulate economic growth in Yemen.

Captain Abdulkhalek Al-Kadi, Chairman and CEO of Yemenia said, “Our fleet modernisation will see us operating one of the newest and most harmonized fleets in the region. Airbus’ unique commonality between aircraft families will bring added operational and maintenance efficiency and help us achieve our growth targets, and to redefine the best in passengers comfort and services.”

“It is a strong sign of the resilience of our industry that Yemenia is on course with their fleet renewal strategy, and we feel privileged to be the exclusive partner in their long-term growth ambitions”, said Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO. ”With the added efficiency of operating an all Airbus fleet Yemenia will further strengthen their competitive position in the market.”

Airbus aircraft share a unique cockpit and operational commonality, allowing airlines to use the same pool of pilots, cabin crews and maintenance engineers, bringing operational flexibility and resulting in significant cost savings.

The A320 Family, which includes the A318, A319, A320 and A321, is recognized as the benchmark single-aisle aircraft family. Each aircraft features fly by wire controls and all share a unique cockpit and operational commonality across the range. With over 7,000 Airbus A320 Family aircraft have been sold and more than 4,600 delivered to almost 330 customers and operators worldwide, making it the world’s best selling commercial jetliner ever. With proven reliability and extended servicing periods, the A320 Family has the lowest operating costs of any single aisle aircraft. Uniquely, the A320 Family offers a containerized cargo system, which is compatible with the worldwide standard wide-body system.

Source and photo: Airbus