LONDON – Earlier this week saw Titan Airways take delivery of their third Airbus A321neo Long Range aircraft, as the carrier’s ACMI network continues to grow.
G-POWT’s Delivery Flight…
According to data from RadarBox.com, G-POWT was the aircraft in question that was delivered to the airline earlier this week.
The aircraft departed Tucson, Arizona, at 0757 local time on November 15 and arrived in London Stansted at 0029 local time on November 16.
Titan Airways has said that the aircraft can be used either in an all-economy 220-seat configuration or in an all-business 80-seat configuration.
Executive Comments…
Commenting on the delivery was Alastair Wilson, the CEO of Titan Airways:
“We are delighted to be expanding our A321LR fleet as we continue our investment in the latest technology aircraft. The A321LR is the ideal replacement for our Boeing 757’s which will leave the fleet over the next 6 months.”
“The A321LRs provide additional range and reduce carbon emissions by around 30% compared to the B757. Passengers will benefit from in-flight connectivity and on-demand entertainment via the Wi-Fi in a quieter cabin.”
In the press release, the airline expanded more on its reasoning for choosing the A321neoLR:
“G-POWT is the third A321neoLR to enter our fleet in two years, following the introduction of G-XATW and G-GBNI in 2020 and 2021, respectively.”
“Our newest passenger aircraft is available with immediate effect for ACMI airline and full charter flight operations.”
“The addition of a third A321neoLR and disposal of the B757 is part of our move to an all-Airbus fleet, scheduled for completion by the end of 2023.”
“This strategy has also seen the replacement of our Boeing 737 classic freighters with the latest generation Airbus A321 freighters.”
G-POWT Had A Previous Life…
It turns out, based on data from Planespotters.net, that G-POWT has had a previous life.
The airframe itself is 3.5 years old at the time of writing, with the aircraft produced in Hamburg as D-AVXR originally.
MSN8830 started out life with Arkia Israeli Airlines back in June 2019 as 4X-AGN and didn’t last a year with the carrier until it was withdrawn from use in April 2020.
From there, the aircraft was sent to Tucson in May 2020 and remained there until November 15 this year.
In October 2020, the aircraft was transferred over to DVB Bank and was supposed to be bound to Vietravel Airlines, but was never taken up by the carrier.
From there, the aircraft was then sent to Stansted as G-POWT.
Overall…
The need for such ACMI chartering has grown in Titan Airways over the years, and the addition of this third aircraft will help continue that upward trajectory.
Looking ahead, it’s going to be interesting to see what its first commercial flight will look like and who it will be operating such flights for.
Could it be used for future government transports that G-GBNI has been doing, for example, or will it be exclusively for airlines to use?
Either way, it’s definitely something to keep an eye out for.
