Airlink has successfully completed the novation of two Embraer E190AR aircraft on long-term operating lease from TrueNoord. These assets are part of TrueNoord’s recent portfolio acquisition of 10 aircraft from Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC), which brings new lessee airlines including Airlink from South Africa amongst others, into the business.
The aircraft, which are based in Cape Town and Johannesburg, fly domestic routes across South Africa and to international destinations within Southern Africa. Maarten Grift, Sales Manager – Africa, Middle East and CIS at TrueNoord, stated that TrueNoord is proud to welcome Airlink noting that the airline “has been connecting Africa for over 30 years” and operates “the Continent’s largest fleet of Embraer aircraft”.
Rodger Foster, CEO and Managing Director of Airlink, comments, “TrueNoord is a highly knowledgeable and experienced lessor with solid financial backing. We are very pleased to have them as a new business partner as we continue on our journey as South Africa’s leading regional airline. We are committed to optimising regional air transportation by providing exceptional quality service to all our customers and setting benchmarks in safety, on-time performance and reliability.”
Richard Jacobs, TrueNoord’s Chief Commercial Officer, concludes, “There is great optimism amongst African airlines for 2023 and beyond, which is further bolstered by forward booking numbers that are already exceeding expectations. TrueNoord is encouraged to see these signs of recovery and is proud to work with an experienced and technically capable carrier such as Airlink.”