Air Greenland has put its one and only long-haul airplane, an Airbus A330-200, up for sale. The airline currently flies a seven-aircraft-strong fleet of DHC-8-200 turboprops, and a single Airbus widebody for its connection to Denmark.

The plane has been in Air Greenland’s fleet for 20 years, having been delivered in August of 2002. But it’s older than that, and was originally delivered to Sabena as OO-SFP back in 1998, making it just over 24 years old. Flying with Air Greenland as OY-GRN, it is configured with 228 economy seats and 24 angle-flat seats in ‘Premium Laurel,’ Air Greenland’s business class.

According to data from ch-aviation.com, the A330-200 has operated some 12,487 flight cycles, and has been in the air for a total of 56,000 hours – that’s around six and a half years of continuous flight! It is still in daily use, mainly flying from Copenhagen to Kangerlussuaq. At the time of writing, it is around halfway through its trip back to Greenland from Denmark, so will have a few more miles on the clock by the time it leaves the fleet.

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The airplane is currently mid-flight heading back to Greenland. Data: FlightRadar24.com

Who will buy the aging A330?

British firm Skytech AIC has been instructed with the sale of the jet. The company has previously sold aircraft for and to numerous well-known airlines, including Singapore Airlines, easyJet, TUI, airBaltic and many more. Skytech AIC lists the A330-200 as available for sale from March 2023.

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The A330 is 24 years old. Photo: Air Greenland

Although the A330 has some age to it, its flight cycles show it still has life left in the old girl. Airbus rates its A330-200 for approximately 20,000 cycles so, in theory, the plane could fly around 8,000 more cycles without any concerns for its structural integrity.

However, the appeal of an older A330-200 might be limited for airline operators. The A330 is certainly the workhorse of the long-haul market, with legendary reliability and decent passenger comfort. Some startups are even targeting older A330ceos for their launch, preferring these over the newer neo options thanks to the low-cost of lease and trouble-free operation.

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Hans Airways has picked the A330ceo for its reliability and low cost of leasing. Photo: Hans Airways

But the jet could be worth more as the sum of its parts than as a fresh lease to an airline. Its PW4000 engines, its landing gear, avionics, and other valuable parts could be stripped and sold to the market, providing other A330s with replacement items to extend their life. We’ll have to wait and see…

Awaiting the A330neo

Just last month, Air Greenland showed off its brand new A330neo in full paint. Bearing MSN 2020 and currently sporting the Airbus temporary registration F-WWCR, the aircraft looks nothing short of majestic in its bright red livery. However, it is currently without engines, so is yet to begin its flight testing ahead of delivery to Air Greenland.

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Air Greenland ordered the Airbus A330-800neo in December 2020. Photo: Hervé Goussé - Master Films via Airbus

But this is not just any old neo. Air Greenland opted to take the rare -800 variant of the jet, of which only three are active in the world at present. Two are with Uganda Airlines, and one with Airbus itself – the Air Greenland. A further two are with Kuwait Airways but are currently listed as inactive.

Seven more A330-800s are set to be delivered in the future. Two will go to Kuwait Airways as 9K-APH and 9K-API, and four are on order with Garuda Indonesia. The final one, of course, is Air Greenland’s forthcoming airplane, which will replace its A330-200 when it is eventually delivered.

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The neo is yet to have its engines fitted. Photo: Airbus

It is anticipated that the neo could be delivered as early as December. As Air Greenland is not releasing the A330-200 until March, this could indicate a buffer period in case of delay to the delivery, or could simply be a crossover allocation to allow for post-delivery configuration and crew familiarization of the new jet.