Hans Airways, a new UK-based hybrid, long-haul airline venture which is planning flights to India, has taken delivery of its first aircraft. The airline plans to initially offer a four weekly service from Birmingham to Amritsar in North India.The airline took delivery of the Airbus A330-200 at Birmingham International Airport earlier this week and is now preparing for the first proving flight from the airport. The A330 will fly as a newly re-registered G-KJAS. The aircraft has been taken on lease and was previously operated by Air Europa.“Our first widebody Airbus arriving into the UK is a big and significant milestone on Hans Airways’ journey to launch,” said CEO Satnam Saini. He said the airline would be ready to commence operations as soon as it received its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). After extensive discussions with CAA, the airline submitted its UK AOC application in March 2020. It will also have to obtain similar accreditation from India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
The A330-200 has undergone a thorough 200-hour inspection by Etihad Engineering in Abu Dhabi (UAE). Hans Airways has partnered with MRO specialist STS Aviation Services for re-registration tasks and entry into service modifications. It has configured its A330-200 in a two-class layout - Economy class with a 31-inch seat pitch and 274 seats, and Premium Economy (called 'Anand Plus'), offering a 56 inch pitch and 24 seats. It will offer high quality complementary inflight entertainment and catering as standard.