The aircraft, with a capacity for 137 passengers and leased by Air Lease Corporation to ensure domestic and intra-African connections, was received this Monday at the 4 de Fevereiro International Airport in Luanda, in a festive atmosphere.
According to the management of TAAG – Angolan air carrier –, the Airbus A220-300 is a modern and extremely efficient aircraft, with fuel consumption savings of around 25 percent, low noise pollution and reduced emissions of gases harmful to the environment.
The reinforcement of TAAG's fleet "is evidence of the company's path of modernization and growth, which will now have a more versatile fleet and greater availability of aircraft to meet the growing demand of passengers and customers", says the management in a statement.
For the Minister of Transport, Ricardo de Abreu, who presided over the aircraft presentation ceremony, the occasion represents the realization of a partnership on the ground that "will take the company further" and that "brings with it good winds of a fruitful marriage with Airbus".
"A partnership that I take the opportunity to once again thank on my own behalf and on behalf of Angola, because working with the best forces us to raise our levels of performance and service across the board in this complex and admirable sector of activity", he stressed.
He expressed "true satisfaction and enthusiasm" in receiving and being able to present the A220-300 aircraft, highlighting that this is the first of fifteen that Angola has ordered from this aviation giant and that in due time they will arrive to further strengthen our operational capacity across the board".
He considered that this aircraft arrives in the country at a time when TAAG is solidifying an internal climate of cohesion and commitment to the purpose it serves, at a time when the civil aviation sector is challenged to grow in several directions and to contribute to the country playing an increasingly catalytic role in the development of the African continent.
"At a time when we are approaching the transition of international and domestic flights to António Agostinho Neto International Airport, in other words, we are receiving it at the best of times and we are certain that its contribution will be relevant in the coming times", he said.
Ricardo de Abreu assured that the sector he heads will continue to focus on the consolidation of all the reforms undertaken and the plans mobility project underway, as well as contributing to the growth and diversification of the Angolan economy.
TAAG's management also stated that the A220-300 aircraft "will provide career progression opportunities for Angolan flight staff" and that it has the particularity of being the first to incorporate the company's new visual identity, preserving its Angolan character in its decoration, with the increased visibility of the Palanca (national symbol) on the plane's tail and wings.
The Angolan state-owned airline now has 22 passenger aircraft: eight Boeing 777s, seven Boeing 737-700s, six Dash-8 Q400s and now an Airbus A220-300.