Venezuela's Avior to expand fleet with A340s, B737s

President Jorge Anez says his airline will acquire twelve used aircraft in line with plans to expand into the intercontinental market. At present, the Venezuelan carrier offers domestic flights as well as regional services to Aruba, Brazil, Colombia, Curaçao, Ecuador, Panama, and the United States using an ageing fleet of five B737-200(Adv)s and four B737-400s. Anez told the El Universal newspaper that of the aircraft, valued at approximately USD150 million, six A340-300s will come from Airbus Industrie (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) alongside four B737-400s and two B737-300s from Boeing (BOE, Chicago O'Hare). The airline is in the process of securing a USD150 million financing facility through the Venezuelan government's National Centre for Foreign Trade (CENCOEX) and the Venezuelan Industrial Supplies Co. (SUVINCA). More…