The national flag carrier of the Côte d’Ivoire, in West Africa, Air Côte d’Ivoire, has taken delivery of its first Airbus A330-900 widebody airliner, the airframer has announced. The airline has ordered two of these aircraft, which belong to the A330neo family (with -neo standing for “new engine option”).

On its delivery flight, from Toulouse to Abidjan, the new aircraft carried five tons of humanitarian supplies. These included materials and school supplies. This was the third such goodwill flight operated by the airline. The supplies were donated by Aviation Sans Frontières and the mission was coordinated by the Airbus Foundation. The supplies were transferred to two local NGOs, la Bienfaisance and LifeShine, to give direct support to their operations in the education and health sectors in Abidjan.

The A330-900 is the first widebody airliner to be operated by Air Côte d’Ivoire. It will be used to expand the carrier’s network into Europe, starting with Paris, and then into the Middle East and North America. (The airliner currently operates a network involving 22 destinations, spread across Africa.)

“The A330neo features the award-winning Airspace cabin, which offers passengers a unique experience, high level of comfort, ambiance and design,” highlighted Airbus. “This includes more individual space, enlarged overhead bins, a new lighting system and access to the latest in-flight entertainment and connectivity systems.”

In Air Côte d’Ivoire service, the aircraft are configured with four-class cabins. There are four seats in First class, 44 in Business class, 21 in Premium Economy class and 173 in Economy class.

As of July 31 this year, the A330 family of airliners had secured more than 1 920 firm orders from more than 130 customers, around the world. The A330neo, like all Airbus aircraft, is already able to use fuel blends of up to 50% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The airframer is targeting 2030 as the date by which its aircraft will be capable of flying on 100% SAF.