VELA Airlines is preparing to fly long-haul. Five widebody aircraft are on order: two Airbus A330-200, two Airbus A330-300 and one Airbus A340-300. They will be the first twin-aisle aircraft at VELA, whose fleet today consists of 14 Airbus A319, A320 and A321 flying short-haul routes from Zurich.
Three cabins
The long-haul aircraft will have three cabins: Business, Economy Max and Economy. Economy Max is new to VELA; the short-haul fleet flies with Business and Economy.
- Airbus A330-200 · 2 aircraft
- 36 Business · 24 Economy Max · 184 Economy
- Airbus A330-300 · 2 aircraft
- 48 Business · 32 Economy Max · 192 Economy
- Airbus A340-300 · 1 aircraft
- 48 Business · 32 Economy Max · 192 Economy
That makes 244 seats on the A330-200 and 272 seats on both the A330-300 and the A340-300. The two larger types share one seating layout, so guests will find the same cabin whether an A330-300 or the A340-300 operates their flight.
Two families, one cabin width
The A330 has two engines, the A340-300 four. Both were developed together and share the same fuselage cross-section, which is why the same three cabins can be offered on all five aircraft.
Destinations to follow
The long-haul destinations and the date of the first flight will be announced at a later stage. Until then, the timetable is unchanged: 23 short-haul destinations from Zurich, flown by the Airbus A319, A320 and A321.
“Long-haul is a different kind of flying, and we want to get it right before we publish a single route. The aircraft come first. The destinations will follow when we are ready.”
Once all five aircraft have been delivered, the VELA fleet will number 19 aircraft.
