Air Similan orders 4 additional A320ceo and 4 737, and signs a letter of intent for A320neo, A321neo, 777 and 787

Air Similan orders 4 additional A320ceo and 4 737, and signs a letter of intent for A320neo, A321neo, 777 and 787

Paris, May 1st, 2022 | After two years of operation, Air Similan is pleased to announce today the order for four Airbus A320-200 and four additional Boeing 737-800, as well as the signing of a letter of intent to acquire Airbus A320neo, A321neo, Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 787-9.


Air Similan currently has six Airbus A320. Three of them, the most recent (F-MFED, F-MFEE and F-MFEF), have recently been retrofitted with "Sharklets". Airbus A320 equipped with Sharklets benefit from up to 4% lower fuel costs and an increased range of 185 km compared to the "Wingtip fences" version. These three retrofitted Airbus A320 with Sharklets have until now had a slightly different configuration to that of the A320 equipped with Wingtip fences, a less dense configuration made up of 154 seats. These three aircraft will be modified and will very soon have a configuration similar to that of the A320 Wingtip fences, namely a configuration of 168 seats including 12 seats in a so-called European Business class and 156 in Economy class.

All of the Airbus's Airbus A320-214s will thus have the same configuration, regardless of whether they have Wingtip fences or Sharklets. This will make it possible to standardize Air Similan's A320 fleet and thus to deploy any A320 on any route served by Air Similan with this aircraft. Despite the absence of flat beds in Business classn passengers traveling on board this fleet will still benefit from individual entertainment screens as well as the excellent service signed Air Similan, complemented by a meal adapted to the travel class, the duration of the flight and the final destination.

Today Air Similan orders four additional Airbus A320-214(WL), equipped with Sharklets and powered by two CFM56-5B. The four planes will also be configured to accommodate 168 passengers in a two-class configuration, with 12 seats in a so-called European Business class and 156 seats in Economy class. This order will bring the number of Airbus A320 owned by Air Similan to ten. The four new aircraft, registered F-MFEG, F-MFEH, F-MFEI and F-MFEJ, will bear the names “Le Bourget”, “Rochefort”, “Orléans” and “Nancy” respectively. Air Similan will thus continue, thanks to these aircraft, to spread French culture throughout the world through the names that will be attributed to them.


Air Similan currently has six Boeing 737-800 equipped with “Blended Winglets”. Air Similan is now ordering four additional 737-800, this time equipped with “Split Scimitar Winglets” – an improved version of traditional Winglets to further improve the aircraft’s aerodynamics – and powered by two CFM56-7B. Like the six Boeing 737 already owned by the airline, the four new aircraft will be equipped with the same seats as those present on board the Airbus A320-214 and will thus be configured to accommodate 172 passengers in a two-class configuration, with 20 European Business class seats and 152 Economy class seats. This order will bring the number of 737 owned by Air Similan to ten. The four new aircraft, registered F-MFLG, F-MFLH, F-MFLI and F-MFLJ, will bear the names “Mulhouse”, “Orly”, “Perpignan” and “Limoges” respectively.


Thanks to the standardization of its short- and medium-haul fleet with the deployment of the same cabin equipping all of its Airbus A320 and Boeing 737, Air Similan will now be able to deploy these two types of aircraft on any short- and medium-haul destination.

Nevertheless, Air Similan pays very close attention to its medium-haul network and does not wish to indefinitely eliminate the comfort of a real Business cabin on these flights. For this reason, Air Similan has signed a letter of intent for the acquisition of fourteen Airbus A320neo family aircraft, including ten A320neo and four A321neo. These aircraft, which will be confirmed later this year, will allow Air Similan to offer even more comfort on board, with a practical, versatile and comfortable single-aisle aircraft. The A320neo Family incorporates the very latest cutting-edge technologies, including next-generation engines and Sharklets, which together deliver 20% fuel savings and lower CO2 emissions compared to Airbus aircraft in the previous generation. The configurations and engines of these aircraft will be detailed when the orders are made official.


With nearly thirty medium- and long-haul destinations operated by twin-aisle aircraft, Air Similan will not be able to continue its operations with only two Boeing 777-300ER and two Boeing 787-9. Thus, the French airline took the opportunity to sign a letter of intent for the acquisition of two additional Boeing 777-300ER and two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. This order, which will be confirmed later this year, will allow Air Similan to make long-haul a key branch of its business by increasing its twin-aisle fleet to four Boeing 777-300ER and four Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The configurations of these aircraft will be detailed when the orders are formalized.