Air Malta takes delivery of new A320 on Sunday

Air Malta is expected to take delivery of a new Airbus Industrie A320 on Sunday, the first of 12 new aircraft the national carrier will acquire over the next four-and-half years on lease from the International Lease Finance Corporation.

All 12 aircraft will be from the A320 family powered by CFM International engines and will each be leased for a period of 12 years.

Air Malta had introduced the A320 into its fleet in August 1990. The airline started its flight operations 30 years ago as an all-Boeing carrier, initially leasing two Boeing 720Bs from Pakistan International Airlines. In 1983 Air Malta chose the Boeing 737 to replace the ageing Boeing 720s. Then, in February 1987 the airline placed an order for the state-of-the-art A320.

This new airliner introduced fly-by-wire systems based totally on computers, a technology that was originally employed with success by the military.

The A320's cockpit is also different from the conventional ones, using side-sticks instead of the traditional control column in front of the pilot.

Air Malta decided to become an all-Airbus operator late 2002 concluding a multi-million dollar deal involving ILFC, the European aerospace consortium Airbus Industrie and CFM International.

The new A320 to be delivered to Air Malta on Saturday will carry the Maltese registration 9H-AEG. It is expected to enter service with the airline in the following weeks. The official inauguration of Air Malta's new Airbus fleet is expected to take place later this month.

The arrival of the new A320 will see the departure of Boeing 737-2Y5 9H-ABE which the airline had acquired new from Boeing back in July 1987. It is understood that Bravo Echo will be flown to Southend, in the UK for maintenance awaiting a new operator.

The aircraft is owned by ILFC.