SAA takes delivery of its first A330-300
South African Airways (SAA), has taken delivery of its first of five new leased A330-300 widebody jetliners, becoming Airbus's first Southern African operator of the aircraft type.
SAA’s A330-300 are configured in a two-class cabin layout with 46 seats in Business Class and 203 in Economy class seats. The aircraft will introduce connectivity for SAA’s passengers and enhanced operating efficiencies for the airline.
SAA has selected the latest 242-tonne Maximum Take-Off Weight variant of the A330-300, which incorporates a new aerodynamic packages enabling the aircraft to cover distances of up to 6,350 nautical miles (11,750km) in flights up to 15 hours in duration. This payload/range capability allows the aircraft to be deployed across SAA’s long-haul, intra-Africa and peak domestic routes.
The A330-300s share the same cockpit configuration, operating philosophy and procedures with SAA’s existing fleet of Airbus widebody jetliners.