First Airbus A330-200 in Livingston Aviation Group’s colours presented to public

Toulouse, 19th December 2003: The first Airbus A330-200 long-range twin-jet for Livingston Aviation Group SpA, the Italian air transportation holding created in March 2003 and entirely owned by Ventaglio Group, has made its public debut at the manufacturer’s main facility in Toulouse, France. The aircraft is currently in the process of customisation for the airline’s long-haul operations from Italy towards some of the major leisure destinations in the Caribbean area, South America and the Far East starting from late December 2003.

The A330-200 wide-body twin-jets for Livingston Aviation Group SpA are powered by Trent 700 engines from Rolls-Royce and feature a comfortable two-class cabin with 24 seats in Business Class and 248 seats in Economy Class. Also, the Airbus long-range aircraft for Livingston Aviation Group SpA will feature the latest on-board entertainment systems (Matsushita 2000E), including SMS messaging and Internet access. Two more A330-200s are scheduled to be delivered to Livingston Aviation Group SpA by Summer 2005 and will be operated by Lauda Air SpA.

The holding Livingston Aviation Group SpA includes two airlines: Lauda Air SpA for both scheduled and charter long-haul flights and Livingston SpA (created in January 2003) for charter short & medium-haul flights. Both airlines are subsidiaries of Ventaglio Group (the second largest Tour Operator in Italy as for revenues). Livingston Aviation Group SpA’s fleet also includes three Airbus A321 single-aisle aircraft, seating up to 196 passengers, operated by Livingston SpA on its medium-haul routes to Mediterranean destinations.

Airbus aircraft of the A320 Family and the A330/A340 Family, such as the A321 and the A330-200, feature full design and operational commonality, which allows operators to benefit from shorter training times for pilots and engineers to transition from one type to another, thus leading to significant savings through streamlined maintenance procedures and reduced spare parts holdings.

The Airbus A330-200 has taken the leadership in the market segment of aircraft fleets for European holiday carriers, with a market share of 31 per cent and still growing. In comparison to previous generation aircraft, that the A330-200 is replacing in many cases, it is bringing greater range versatility, superior cabin comfort for passengers and very attractive operating costs for the airlines.

A leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive product line on the market, Airbus is a global company with design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK, and Spain as well as subsidiaries in the US, China and Japan. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is an EADS joint Company with BAE Systems.

More...