One of Europe’s largest airline groups has finally announced which of its brands will operate 50 Boeing 737MAX jets that were ordered more than three years ago in a deal that many analysts concluded would never actually come to fruition.
On Friday, however, the Madrid-based International Airlines Group (IAG), which owns well-known brands including British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus, announced that its Spanish low-cost subsidiary Vueling would become the sole operator of these planes.
Founded 21 years ago in February 2004, Vueling started off with just two Airbus A320 airplanes and has only ever operated this aircraft type throughout its history. Over the years, Spanish flag carrier Iberia built a 45% stake in Vueling before IAG acquired the entire business in 2013.
Which Aircraft Types Will Vueling Operate?
Today, Vueling operates a fleet of 143 Airbus A320 series aircraft, so the switch to Boeing marks a major change for the airline.
The initial IAG order includes 25 Boeing 737 8200 aircraft, which can carry up to 200 passengers in a high-density configuration, and 25 of Boeing’s stretched 737MAX-10 jets, which have a maximum capacity of 230 passengers.
The MAX 10 is Boeing’s longest variant of the 737 family, designed to compete with the Airbus A321neo, which Vueling already operates on a small scale. There is, however, one problem – the MAX 10 is yet to be certified owing to ongoing issues with the anti-ice system.
Boeing is hoping to clear the remaining regulatory hurdles delaying the plane’s certification in 2026.
Vueling will use the initial order of 50 planes for fleet renewal and expansion, but IAG has options for a further 100 Boeing 737 jets, and Vueling will eventually phase out its Airbus airplanes to become an all-Boeing operator.
The initial batch from this order will start to make their way into the Vueling fleet from late 2026.
How Much Did IAG Pay For These Planes?
When IAG placed its firm order for the planes in May 2022, the list price for this initial order was US$6.25 billion. Airlines, however, rarely, if ever, pay the list price, and this was certainly the case with this order.
At the time, Boeing was still reeling from the two fatal crashes of its 737MAX planes that occurred in October 2018 and March 2019, claiming the lives of 346 people, so the beleaguered manufacturer was willing to offer huge discounts to win back customers.
IAG said it secured a “substantial discount” for the planes, although, as is normal, the precise value of the deal is a closely guarded secret.
Why Vueling Makes Most Sense For This Order
Switching Vueling from an all-Airbus operator to an all-Boeing 737 operator will be no easy feat to accomplish, requiring extensive crew training, rewriting operations manuals, updating airport and maintenance procedures, working with new suppliers, and a lot of regulatory red tape to clear.
That being said, of all the IAG brands, Vueling does make the most sense for this order.
IAG’s other brands already have complicated fleet structures, using a combination of single-aisle and widebody planes, which limit their scope to integrate yet another aircraft model, especially in the transition phase.
Take British Airways as an example. The airline already operates six primary aircraft types, which are made up of even more variants, which would prove incredibly difficult and costly to introduce the Boeing 737 as an alternative short-haul plane.
Not that Vueling should come as too much of a surprise as being named the airline that will use this order – back in 2019, IAG signed a Letter of Intent with Boeing for a potential order of up to 200 MAX jets, which would have been used by IAG’s Spanish low-cost brands Vueling and LEVEL.
LEVEL, however, has abandoned its short-haul network and has become the group’s low-cost, long-haul brand operating out of Barcelona.
Ryanair Describes These Planes As Its ‘Gamechanger’
When IAG placed its order with Boeing in 2022, the group was careful not to refer to the planes as MAX jets because of just how toxic this name had become.
The 8200 variant, for example, is actually a stretched, high-density version of the Boeing 737-MAX8, which was initially designed just for European low-cost behemoth Ryanair.
Ryanair has described the plane as a ‘gamechanger’ given the fact that it can carry 4% more passengers than similar-sized models of the Boeing 737 but with a reduced fuel consumption of 16% per seat.
Vueling has demonstrated it is an antisemitic carrier. Any article about Vueling that doesn’t mention this very recent incident and the airline’s lack of response is truly abhorrent.
While I would never say “crash and burn” in the context of an airline, even in humor, I hope Vueling goes out of business ASAP and its stain faded into history.
Any article author that does not mention this is similarly stained.
And yet you didn’t provide ANY information to back up your claim, let alone post links to any supporting information.
Not that I’m calling you a liar, I don’t know the facts. But you didn’t help me learn anything.