Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

Azerbaijani state airline AZAL has purchased six aircraft from Brazil's Embraer, including four new planes, in a deal that will allow it to expand flights.

The total value of the deal is $180.8 million, at list price, which will be included in Embraer's fourth quarter of 2012 backlog, the company's website said.

The four new EMBRAER 190s jets are planned to be delivered in the third quarter of 2013.

AZAL has also purchased from Embraer, through its wholly-owned subsidiary ECC Leasing, two pre-owned EMBRAER 170s, the first of which will be delivered in the second quarter of 2013.

By the end of next year, the six E-Jets will be flying in AZAL's domestic and international networks from Heydar Aliyev International Airport, the national carrier's main base in the Azerbaijani capital Baku.

Embraer S.A. is a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that produces commercial, military, and executive aircraft and provides aeronautical services.

Paulo Cesar Silva, Embraer President and CEO for Commercial Aviation, said Azerbaijan's strategic geographical location offers excellent potential for developing air links with CIS, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

"With both the E170 and E190, AZAL will have the flexibility to grow with an ideal combination of frequency and seat capacity that only the E-Jets family can offer," he said.

AZAL, the biggest Azerbaijani airline and national flag carrier, is introducing the E-Jets as part of a fleet renewal strategy that includes replacement of its turboprop fleet. The carrier will configure its E170s and E190s in single class with 76 and 106 Elite seats, respectively.

The aircraft will enable the airline to increase frequencies between Baku and Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and to introduce new local and international services to cities such as Odessa and Donetsk in Ukraine and Volgograd and Sochi in Russia.

AZAL offers passenger flights to countries in Europe, the CIS, Middle East and Asia. After purchasing new Boeing aircraft for long-haul flights in 2014, the airline plans to open regular flights to destinations in North America and South-East Asia.

AZAL is a regional and CIS leader for the number of new aircraft. Its fleet currently consists of modern aircraft meeting all safety requirements, including Boeing 757-200, Airbus А319, ATR 42, ATR 72, Airbus А320 and Boeing 767-300.

The company cooperates with about 60 airlines to provide its passengers with the opportunity to travel freely around the world.

AZAL was certified by IATA Operational Safety Audit, a program that is an internationally recognized evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline.