Aerolineas Argentinas to upgauge Austral fleet

Aerolineas Argentinas president Mario Agustín Dell'Acqua stated it would commence the replacement of aircraft in the Austral Líneas Aereas (Austral) fleet from Jan-2018 (baenegocios.com/reportur.com/.iprofesional.com, 28-Dec-2017). The carrier, which currently has a fleet of E190s, is seeking to upgauge from a fleet size with 96 seats to 170 seat aircraft, to support growth in the market. Mr Dell'Acqua stated: "It is more economical to fly the routes we have today with 170 seat aircraft than with 90 seat aircraft, even more so if we take into account the growth that is taking place in our country's aviation sector". He noted that the cost of deploying larger aircraft, where demand is sufficient, is significant lower, stating that "flying with a 737 aircraft has a cost of 25% over an Embraer, but the capacity is 60% higher".