Start-up airline Hans Airways has signed a letter of intent for its first aircraft, an Airbus A330-200, ahead of launching flights later this year.
The UK carrier, which plans to link secondary cities in Britain and India from its base in Birmingham, also said it has applied for its aircraft operator’s certificate (AOC) and said it was hopeful of receiving it in time to start flights in summer 2022.
Its first aircraft will operate with 275 economy and 24 premium economy seats. The plane has been re-registered as G-KJAS, with the final four letters representing the name of one of the airline’s early investors.
The aircraft, registration MSN950, previously flew for Air Europa, according to data from airfleets.net.
“We are delighted to have achieved this very important milestone in our two-year journey,” said Hans Airways’ CEO Satnam Saini in a statement on January 12, 2022. “Our scheduled operations center on the Airbus A330, a popular and spacious long-haul widebody, excellent for cargo too, and we are grateful to everyone who has helped us to ratify this agreement at the start of the new year.”
Hans Airways, which said it will offer “value-for-money” services, added that its first flight crew, comprising four pilots and cabin crew, started training on January 3, 2022 with partners IAGO Flight Training and L3 Harris Commercial Aviation.