Airblue, billed as the fastest-growing airline in Pakistan, has signed a firm contract for two Airbus A320 aircraft and is currently in negotiations for four more. The aircraft will sport 157 seats in a two-class configuration.

Airblue currently operates six A320 family aircraft and has already carried over a million passengers since operations began two and a half years ago. Airblue hopes to expand routes to international destinations and offer long haul services to the UK in the near future.

The A320 is a member of the most modern and advanced single aisle aircraft family which features fly by wire technology. All new aircraft are fitted with advanced systems to help reduce maintenance and spares costs.

Louis Gallois, Airbus President and CEO and Co-CEO of EADS said, "the purchase decision by Airblue reflects the technological superiority of the A320, also providing a larger and more comfortable cabin and more onboard baggage space per passenger as well as being about eight per cent cheaper to operate than the competition," he said.

The A320 is the world's most popular single aisle aircraft. In 2005, it outsold its Boeing 737 competition by almost two to one, winning 65% of worldwide orders in this sector. Regionally, the A320 is operated by around 75 percent of the regions airlines.

FMI: www.airbus.com, www.airblue.com