Yemen's national carrier Yemenia and European aircraft manufacturer Airbus signed Monday a deal for the purchase of 10 A320 aircraft worth 700 million U.S. dollars, state- run Saba news agency reported.
The agreement was inked by Yemenia Airways board member Saleh al-Awaji and Airbus Chief Operating Officer John Leahy on the fringe of the Dubai Airshow, the report said.
The A320 can accommodate 12 first class and 138 economy class passengers. Yemenia aims to use the new aircraft to expand its services on regional, African, Indian and European routes, the report added.
Under the agreement, the first delivery of the aircraft is due by 2011, the report quoted Mounir Jahoush, Yemenia's regional director in Dubai, as
saying.
The agreement comes within efforts by the Yemeni airline to expand services, whether by launching new routes or increasing flights on existing ones, he said.
Yemenia also plans to start a direct route to China, Jahoush said, noting that a delegation from the carrier is currently visiting the country
for talks in this regard.