The CEO of Cyprus Airways, Paul Sies, has showcased the first A220-300 aircraft slated to join the company.
Nicknamed the Cyprus Airways Greenliner, the A220-300 is estimated to reduce the company’s emissions by a mere 40%, all the while offering great economics and passenger appeal.
In the official post shared by Paul Sies on LinkedIn, the aircraft can been seen displayed in a hangar carrying the registration C-FPBZ and a white livery.
The CEO further shared images from the cabin, where an Air Senegal interior can be seen. AviationSource has not yet been able to identify the airframe and ascertain whether the aircraft was a cancelled order from the airline.
The order
Cyprus Airways announced their future A220-300 jet acquisition through a recruitment process of pilots, cabin crew and mechanics.
According to the posted recruitment ad, Cyprus Airways will operate the A220 out of its Larnaca (LCA) base and is planning to increase the fleet size to ten A220 aircraft over the next five years.
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Over the images provided, the future registration of the aircraft can be seen as 5B-DEB. However, no further details on the airframe has been found so far except for the cabin photos provided by Paul Sies himself, which has the Air Senegal logo and a flashy beige interior clearly visible.
The order anouncement comes between the company eyeing the Airbus A320neo series aircraft, to replace the older A320ceo fleet, as revealed within the airline’s strategic plan unveil in late 2022. Per date, Cyprus Airways have three A320-200ceo aircraft in the fleet, one of which is leased from Nordica.
Efficiency and Sustainability – The Airbus A220
Seating 100 to 150 passengers in a typical 2-class layout, the A220 family flies up to 3,450 nautical miles.
Powered exclusively by GTF engines, the aircraft reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions up to 25% per seat vs. prior-generation aircraft.
The Airbus A220 aircraft will, according to Cyprus Airways’ Paul Sies, provide a 40% decrease in fuel usage for the company, along with the provision of great passenger comfort due quieter engines and open cabin.
May passenger numbers
In May, the airline announced that it had seen a significant surge in passengers in April 2023, carrying 60,237 passengers during the previous month, compared to 11,556 in April 2022.
This marks a more than fourfold growth in passengers. The airline also noted that 48,237 passengers were carried on its scheduled services, while an additional 12,000 passengers were carried on charter and ACMI services. The airline has been seen operating with airlines like airBaltic, on such ACMI lease agreements.
Overall
It remains clear that Cyprus Airways is eager to receive their first A220-300 aircraft, something its CEO Paul Sies clearly indicated in his social media post, by saying quote “Flying to and from Cyprus will never be the same again. The future is here, the future is green”.
The future may very well be knocking at the doorstep of Cyprus Airways very soon, seeing that the fleet addition will be quite the change compared to its current fleet of older Airbus A320 aircraft
