Romanian minister: State airline Tarom to get second aircraft next week

Romanian state-owned airline Tarom will get the second Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft next week, transport minister Razvan Cuc said yesterday. Besides the recently purchased planes, Tarom will get two long haul aircraft by the end of this year. These will be used for flights to China and the United States, the minister added. The state airline received the first Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft yesterday. The two new Boeing planes will be part of the operator's fleet and will replace the two A310 models withdrawn last year. They are leased for 10 years from the aircraft owner Air Lease. The value of the lease hasn’t been made public. “I assure you that they have been taken at market price,” said the transport minister. After 10 years, Tarom will decide whether or not to purchase the two planes, depending on their degree of wear, according to the Tarom CEO Eugen Davidoiu. The two new Boeing planes will operate flights to Madrid, Tenerife, Tel Aviv and Larnaca. Their acquisition was necessary after Tarom last year decided to withdraw the two Airbus A310 aircraft bought in 1992 by the Petre Roman Government. As a consequence, the airline has been closing routes and losing ground to the low-cost competitors Wizz Air, Blue Air, and Ryanair. Tarom recorded losses last year for the ninth consecutive year, Davidoiu said. He wishes the company to reach a break-even point this year, namely the point where the company's earnings are equal to the expenses. The airline’s losses reached about EUR 6 million in 2015. The Tarom CEO said that the company was sabotaged both from the inside and the outside, by those who had an interest in the company not being performant and efficient. editor@romania-insider.com (photo source: Mt.gov.ro)