TAM Receives New Airbus A320
February 18 2008 - 8:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Arrival of the aircraft reinforces the Company's policy of
operating a fleet with a low average age, ensuring greater
passenger comfort SAO PAULO, Brazil, Feb. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
-- TAM (Bovespa: TAMM4 e NYSE: TAM) last weekend incorporated a new
Airbus A320 to its fleet, brought directly from the factory at
Toulouse, France. With this aircraft, TAM now has 103 Airbus models
- 15 A319s, 71 A320s, 3 A321s, 12 A330s and 2 A340s. The arrival of
the new airplane reinforces TAM's policy of operating a fleet with
a low average age, ensuring greater passenger comfort. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060418/SPTU001LOGO ) This is
the first aircraft incorporated into the Company's operating fleet
this year. With the new A320, TAM has a fleet of 110 airplanes in
operation, with 103 Airbus models, 4 F-100s and 3 MD-11s. The
Company expects to close 2008 with 123 airplanes. The estimate is
to have 147 airplanes in operation by the end of 2012. TAM was the
airline that received the most new aircraft from the Airbus
factories in 2007 (33 models), according to the French
manufacturer, even surpassing Chinese and Indian airline companies.
With the arrival of this new A320, TAM is not only operating the
largest Airbus fleet in Latin America, but is also the company with
the widest range of the European airplane builder's models in the
region. Used on Brazilian routes and South American destinations
operated by TAM, the new A320s are satisfying the increase in
demand that has been seen over the past few months. From January to
December 2007, domestic passenger air traffic increased 11.9%. Over
the same period, TAM's traffic was up 14% compared to the previous
year, according to official data released by the National Civil
Aviation Agency (ANAC). Investor Relations: Press Agency Contact:
Phone: (55) (11) 5582-9715 Phone: (55) (11) 5582-8167 Fax: (55)
(11) 5582-8149 Fax: (55) (11) 5582-8155 http://www.tam.com.br/ir
MVL Comunicacao Phone: (55) (11) 3594-0302 / 0304 / 0305 About TAM:
TAM Linhas Aereas (http://www.tam.com.br/) has been domestic market
leader for more than four years, and closed the month of January
2008 with a 48.6% market share. The company flies to 45
destinations in Brazil. With commercial agreements signed with
regional companies, it reaches 82 different destinations
nationwide. TAM's market share among Brazilian companies operating
international airlines was 67% in January. Operations abroad
include direct flights to eleven destinations: New York and Miami
(USA), Paris (France), London (England), Milan (Italy), Frankfurt
(Germany), Madrid (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Santiago
(Chile), Caracas (Venezuela) and Montevideo (Uruguay). With TAM
Mercosur, it also serves Asuncion and Ciudad del Este (Paraguay),
Cordoba (Argentina), Santa Cruz de la Sierra and Cochabamba
(Bolivia), among other South American cities. It has code-share
agreements with international companies, allowing for the sharing
of seats on flights with international companies, enabling
passengers to travel to 62 other destinations in the USA, South
America and Europe. A pioneer in Brazil's airline industry with the
launch of its Programa Fidelidade frequent flyer program, TAM today
has more than 4.5 million members and has issued more than 5,2
million tickets redeemed with frequent flyer points.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060418/SPTU001LOGO
DATASOURCE: TAM CONTACT: Libano Miranda Barroso, TAM Investor
Relations, +011-55-11-5582-9715, fax, +011-55-11-5582-8149,
Copyright