South African low-cost airline set to have the youngest fleet in region

14th August 2015

By: Keith Campbell

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

  

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The delivery of the last of the six new Boeing 737-800 aircraft ordered by South African low-cost carrier kulula.com (kulula) in 2009 will give the carrier the youngest airline fleet in Southern Africa, the company has reported. Part of the Comair group, kulula (the company spells the name with a small k) has already received four of the new planes and should have taken delivery of the fifth on August 10. The sixth is due in early October – when it arrives, the average age of the airline’s fleet will be 11 years. (Comair also operates the British Airways brand in Southern Africa.)

This fleet modernisation programme has required an investment of R2.5-billion. This modernisation “is fundamental to Comair’s business strategy of consistently improving customer service and value, while ensuring a sustainable airline”, explained the group in a media release.

The 737-800 is part of the ‘New Generation’ (NG) family of Boeing’s famous single-aisle (or narrow-body) airliner. The other NG models are the 737-700 and 737-900ER. A 737-800 can carry a maximum of 189 passengers (the configuration so far chosen by kulula), but this reduces to 162 in a two-class configuration. The aircraft is 39.5 m long, 12.5 m high and has a wingspan of 35.8 m. To support the operation of its new aircraft, Comair bought a new 737-800 simulator in 2011 for R80-million to provide flight crew training.

“The new 737-800s utilise 18% less fuel per seat than the aircraft we are replacing, thereby saving two- million litres of fuel per aircraft per year for the equivalent total seats,” highlighted Comair CEO Erik Venter in a statement. “Our decision to purchase these highly fuel-efficient aircraft is a significant component in managing our exposure to the volatile fuel price.”

The new aircraft are fitted with Split Scimitar Winglets, which increase efficiency and cut fuel burn by an additional 1.4%, reducing carbon emissions as well as saving the airline R1.3-million on each aircraft each year. “kulula is the first African airline to install this cutting-edge technology to its aircraft, which is testament to its long-term objective of investing in future technology to maintain the highest standards of safety and ensure continuous sustainability,” he stressed. “We are excited about our new fleet and we are confident that this investment strategy will support kulula in delivering the great value that our customers are familiar with since we championed low-cost flying 14 years ago in South Africa.”

From the point of view of the passengers, the new airliners are fitted with Boeing Sky Interiors, which are characterised by sculpted cabin sidewalls – which attract the passengers’ attention to the aircraft windows – and light-emitting-diode (LED) lighting. The LED system allows the airline to employ differing cabin light colour options. These interiors also feature enlarged overhead stowage bins, giving passengers more room for their cabin baggage and near their own seats. The effect, the airline stated, is to “add to the openness of the cabin”.

Comair launched kulula in 2001, at which point the low-cost operation had just one leased aircraft. With the delivery of the last of the six new 737-800s, it will have a fleet of ten aircraft. The new aircraft are and will be painted in the company’s ‘k’ dot’ colour scheme (basically, green overall with the letter ‘k’ in white on the tail and engine nacelles and a big blue dot on the lower rear fuselage, partially covered by the tail ‘k’). This calendar year should see kulula transport 2.8-million passengers across 14 routes in South Africa and Southern Africa

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Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

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