Last week, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) took delivery of the first Airbus A330-200 (KC-30) in a beautiful ceremony at Galeão Air Base (BAGL). During the event, Azul Linhas Aéreas, the winner of the tender, passed the aircraft’s token key into the hands of the FAB Commander, to activate a pirate squadron, which will now have multipurpose equipment (MRTT) essential to the country.
However, as is known, This plane will not be unique and a second plane is being prepared To force delivery soon. Remember that according to the auction won in April, Azul has 90 and 180 days to deliver the first and second planes, respectively.
The second – in order to meet the given deadline, Azul is progressing in preparation for the upcoming A330, Which will be the serial number 1508. The aircraft is new, only eight years old, and was built in 2014, having initially been delivered to Avianca Colombia as the N508AV. It was then transferred to Avianca Brasil (OceanAir), where it flew under the name PR-OCK until March 2019, when the Brazilian company suspended operations.
Where is it today – since then, the plane that belongs to Leasing Avolon is stored in France under VP-BDV registration. First, he spent two years in Lourdes-Tarbes, an area known for its drier climate and conducive to long-term storage. Then, on July 1, it was transferred to Perpignan, where it is currently located, as shown by the flight tracking platforms.
NEXT STEPS – According to sources telling AEROIN, the plane will be flown to Ireland in August, where it will be mapped out at the IAC premises, similar to the route taken by the first plane. It will then be handed over to FAB and finally converted to the MRTT standard.