Johannesburg-based Global Airways has acquired another Airbus A320-232 as part of its strategy to replace its older aircraft with a more efficient fleet. The aircraft, manufacturer serial number 2167, initially served Martinair in Holland before being purchased by Macquarie AirFinance and operated by Etihad Airways until June 2023.
Global Airways says the aircraft “Now in the hands of Global Aviation Operations, the aircraft will undergo South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) certification. Thereafter, it will be placed on South Africa’s civil aviation register as ZS-GAB and added to Global Airways’ licence.”
In the arrangement, the aircraft will be “wet-leased by Afrijet and will fly under the Fly Gabon banner, providing operational capacity and enhancing regional connectivity in its markets.”
Global Airways Chief Operating Officer, Sandy Baynes, says that “the company’s fleet renewal program is based on sound financial principes that allows more efficient aircraft to be operated without incurring financial debt and or other potentially onerous and inflexible obligations.”
Afrijet is a Gabonese airline operating mainly a fleet of turbo-props with substantial ownership interest by the government of Gabon.