TAM expands Airbus fleet

Brazil's largest airline,

has signed a contract with Airbus for the acquisition of 37 additional

aircraft and 12 options. The aircraft on order are 12 A319s, 16 A320s, three A321s and six A330s.

Since 1998, TAM has increased its Airbus fleet to match the growth in demand in the Brazilian domestic market and to expand on its international network.

TAM is the largest Airbus operator in Latin America, and currently operates a fleet of 72 Airbus aircraft, including 14 A319s, 48 A320s and ten A330-200s.

TAM is also the launch customer in Latin America of the A350 for which it has placed a firm order for ten aircraft plus five options.

Airbus says its presence in Latin America has steadily grown over the past ten years to reach 66 per cent of all new sales in the region, with a total of 236 aircraft in operation with 12 airlines.

The A320 Family, which includes the A318, A319, A320 and A321, is the world's best-selling single-aisle aircraft family, with around 50 million flight hours to date, more than 4700 aircraft ordered and 2,900 delivered to 180 operators worldwide.