Air Atlanta Icelandic (CC, Reykjavik Keflavik) is in the process of adding two A330-200s, its first units of the type, for onward placement with Saudia (SV, Jeddah) under dry-lease.
According to Gatwick Spotters, the two Airbus widebodies will be delivered in April 2020; msn 749 will be registered as TF-EAC and msn 745 as TF-EAD.
Both units are 13.8 years old and are owned by GECAS. They were retired by Air Europa (UX, Palma de Mallorca) in September and October 2019 and subsequently stored at a number of locations, including Woensdrecht, Châteauroux, Palma de Mallorca, and Bordeaux. Currently, both are at Teruel airport.
Air Atlanta Icelandic already operates seven B747-400s and one B747-400(F) for Saudia, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows. It operates a further six B747-400(F)s and one A340-300.
Air Atlanta Icelandic's Vice President (Sales & Marketing), Unndór Jónsson, told ch-aviation in January last year that the ACMI/charter specialist was looking at acquiring both the B777 and A330 to replace its ageing B747 fleet.
"The B777 and the A330 would be a good strategic fit to Air Atlanta Icelandic’s B747-400 aircraft, initially to supplement the existing fleet and as a replacement in coming years. At this stage, I, however, cannot confirm any specific," Jónsson added in an e-mailed statement.
Earlier this month, it started advertising for B777 type-rated flightcrew to be based out of Jeddah effective immediately.
Saudia does not have any in-house A330-200s but already wet-leases seven such aircraft from Onur Air (8Q, Istanbul New). The Saudi flag carrier also operates forty-six A320-200s, fifteen A321-200s, thirty-two A330-300s (including twenty Regionals), two B747-8(F)s, four B777-Fs, thirty-five B777-300(ER)s, three B787-10s, and thirteen B787-9s. It also wet-leases four B747-400(F)s from AirACT (9T, Istanbul Atatürk).