The Icelandic wet lease airline operates almost only Boeing 747s. Now there are indications of a successor at Air Atlanta Icelandic.
The realization came last February. In the medium term, Air Atlanta Icelandic will have to part with the Boeing 747-400, which has been their workhorse so far. For the Icelandic wet-lease airline, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find younger models to replace jumbo jets that have been phased out, as the new boss said at the time.
Air Atlanta Icelandic has now officially announced the project in a message. In the next few years she wants to flee her entire Boeing 747-400 (seven passenger planes and five freighters), like the portal Cargoforwarder reported. So far, with the exception of an Airbus A340-300, the fleet consists exclusively of Boeing 747s. It is still unclear which aircraft will replace the Jumbos – but there are indications.
Saudi jumbos will go first
Air Atlanta Icelandic is currently looking for captains and first officers with type ratings for the Boeing 777 on an online job portal for pilots. The airline says Jeddah in Saudi Arabia will be deployed. So far, the airline has been using some of its passenger jumbos there on behalf of Saudia – it is precisely this Boeing 747 that the airline would like to retire first.
It is still unclear whether Air Atlanta Icelandic will only partially or completely replace its fleet with Boeing 777s. So far, the airline has only commented on the phasing out, without mentioning the order for new aircraft. The airline already announced last year that in addition to the Boeing 777, they were also looking at the Airbus A330.
Used 777 freighter announced
At the time, the Airbus A330 was the only one of the two aircraft that was available used as a passenger aircraft and as a conversion freighter. It was precisely this aspect that made the Boeing 747-400 a favorite at Air Atlanta Icelandic. A used fleet of just one model combines two money-saving factors.
Last November, however, the first conversion program for the Boeing 777 was announced. The first copies are to be delivered from 2022. In contrast to the A330, the Boeing 777 is larger, and there would be fewer losses in terms of seats and transport capacity.
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