CDB Aviation Lease Finance signed a lease agreement for one new Airbus A320neo aircraft with the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, Air Seychelles.

“We are delighted to welcome our newest customer in Africa, Air Seychelles, and to support the carrier’s plan to renew its fleet and deliver increased efficiency to its regional network,” said Patrick Hannigan, CDB Aviation chief commercial officer. “We congratulate Air Seychelles on their investment in one of our A320neos and we look forward to building a strong partnership that will advance their long-term growth strategy.”

Air Seychelles CEO Remco Althuis said, “We are very pleased to announce that the lease agreement with CDB Aviation has been completed. This is a significant milestone, bringing us closer to the introduction of the A320neo.”

Althuis explained that the new aircraft, which is scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2019, will position Air Seychelles as the “airline of choice within the Indian Ocean,” servicing the high demand routes including Johannesburg and Mumbai.

“The new order will not only enable Air Seychelles to gradually replace its existing jet fleet with modern new aircraft, but it will also enable us to further strengthen the business by operating in a more efficient manner,” Althuis said. “We thank the CDB Aviation team for their cooperation and support throughout the process.”

CDB also delivered a fleet of six Airbus A320-200neo aircraft to Scandinavia’s largest airline, SAS, as part of a sale and leaseback transaction commenced in March 2017.

“We are delighted to conclude our first transaction with SAS by delivering the last of six A320neos,” Hannigan said. “The scale of this transaction underscores CDB Aviation’s commitment to delivering a unique global aircraft leasing platform with the customized fleet options our lessee customers need, one aircraft or an entire fleet at a time.

“We applaud the SAS team for continuing to lead the way in sustainability by leveraging this aircraft’s increasingly energy efficient characteristics. We look forward to further expanding our partnership by delivering the industry’s best professional, full-service support to assist the airline with their fleet plans and ensure their profitability well into the future.”

Niklas Hårdänge, vice president of Fleet Management for SAS Group, said, “We, at SAS, are also delighted to further develop our cooperation and appreciated CDB Aviation’s continued support of our business.”