In a formal ceremony held at Viru Viru International Airport (VVI) in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Boliviana de Aviación (BoA) showcased its first two Airbus A330-200 aircraft. The planes are part of a deal for three A330s announced during the 2022 International Air and Space Fair (FIDAE) in Chile.
The first aircraft, registered as CP-3209, arrived in Bolivia on April 26th, while the second, registered as CP-3208, arrived on May 3rd. The third aircraft is expected to be delivered in July.
The three planes are part of a leasing contract signed with Avolon and were previously owned by Virgin Australia. The first A330 departed from Chateauroux (CHR), France, and the second from San Bernardino (SBD), United States.
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BoA’s Three Airbus A330-200 Aircraft
The initial agreement, made in April 2022, was for three Airbus A330-200 aircraft, ex-Virgin Australia, aged between 8 and 10 years. All Airbus aircraft will be equipped with Rolls Royce Trent engines.
Originally scheduled for delivery in October 2022, the A330s were delayed due to issues in MRO services and the global supply chain.
During the ALTA Forum last October, Ronald Casso, General Manager of Boliviana de Aviación, told Aviacionline that the three Airbus A330-200 aircraft were undergoing maintenance in three different cities.
The two aforementioned A330s exited maintenance but were stored in San Bernardino, California, and Chateauroux, France, due to Bolivia’s foreign currency shortage.
The A330s will have a configuration of 20 business class seats and 255 economy class seats, totaling 275 seats. The arrival of these aircraft marks the renewal of BoA’s long-haul fleet, which currently consists of four Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, over 28 years old.
The A330s will primarily fly to Madrid (MAD), Spain; Miami (MIA), United States; São Paulo/Guarulhos (GRU), Brazil; and Buenos Aires (EZE), Argentina.
The new aircraft will feature a refreshed corporate image representing Bolivian culture. Additionally, they will offer lie-flat seats in business class and individual in-flight entertainment (IFE) screens for all passengers.
Airbus will provide BoA with training services for flight and maintenance crews, as well as on-site consulting services on Skywise Health Monitoring (SHM). SHM is an Airbus IT aircraft monitoring tool that allows airline engineers to scan aircraft in real-time, providing warnings to anticipate disruptions related to unscheduled maintenance. This collaboration will ensure the efficient operation of BoA’s new Airbus A330-200 aircraft, further enhancing its long-haul fleet capabilities.
