The problems started right at the beginning of 2019, when Surinam Airways' only long-haul aircraft broke down on January 7. The Airbus A340-300 needed lengthy repair work. After that the 21-year-old aircraft with registration PZ-TCR flew back and forth between Paramaribo and Amsterdam. But it continued to cause problems.
And so Surinam Airways decided to get a new aircraft for its long-haul flights to the former colonial power Netherlands. The national airline of the South American state agreed with Boeing's leasing subsidiary to lease a used Boeing 777-200 ER. Shortly before Christmas the aircraft arrived at Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport of Paramaribo.
Formerly with Singapore Airlines
The Boeing 777 helps Surinam Airways to save in two ways. On the one hand it is more efficient than the Airbus A340. On the other hand, the airline can now do without wet lease providers. Air Belgium and Privilege Style have been flying for them since October. That is expensive.
Passengers benefit from a more modern interior with 26 business class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration and 245 economy seats in a 3-3-3 configuration. The cabin was once installed by Singapore Airlines, which used the Boeing 777 for around 16 years before it was transferred to Air New Zealand for just under a year.
Dreamliner in sight
However, for the country's national airline between French Guiana and Guyana, the 777 leased by Boeing Capital Corporation is only an interim solution. It plans to acquire a Dreamliner very soon. The new aircraft will enable it to operate even more efficiently on the trunk route between Paramaribo and Amsterdam.
For the shorter flights to Aruba, Curaçao, Trinidad, Belem in Brazil, Georgetown in Guyana and Miami in the USA, Surinam Airways relies on two Boeing 737-200s.
