Edelweiss announced the acquisition of six second-hand Airbus A350-900 widebodies to renew its long-haul fleet.
The jets are expected to enter service from the summer of 2025 and replace five four-engine A340-300s by the end of 2026.
The A350s were part of the LATAM Airlines fleet until 2021, when the Chilean airline decided to remove them from service. The aircraft have been stored in Victorville, California, since then.
“The modernization of the long-haul fleet is a milestone in Edelweiss’ almost 30-year history. Edelweiss will thus operate one of the youngest long-haul fleets in Europe from 2026,” said Bernd Bauer, CEO of Edelweiss, a subsidiary of Lufthansa group.
The A350-900s will maintain the 339 seat configuration applied by LATAM, 30 seats in business class, 63 in economy plus and 246 in economy.
“Due to worldwide material shortages and reduced maintenance & engineering capacities, the first four aircraft will initially operate in the original operator’s configuration with slight modifications to the cabin and Edelweiss design”, added a statement from the carrier.
Edelweiss also stated that it will retrofit the cabin in the future, but did not estimate when this will occur.
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“The design of the Airbus A350-900 sets new standards in efficiency with state-of-the-art technologies and outstanding aerodynamics. It is one of the most environmentally friendly long-haul aircraft in the world”, continued Bernd Bauer.
