TAP Air Portugal (19 A330-900neos)

XWB, here it's saying that "this photo is no longer available", perhaps was deleted?

MSN1836 outside the Hangar >>>
www.flickr.com/photos/146519169@N03/25119556438/

So, as I said before here there has been some changes with the A330neo phase-in plan for TAP.

I was thinking about posting the A330neo changes, farther in the line when the certification of the type would be pretty much complete and a date for the first delivery locked in, but since Wednesday (and probably some of you don't know), TAP has changed their CEO and in his interviews (so far I've only seen them in Portuguese) he has spilled some beans about their fleet plan (which matches what I've been hearing the past few months).

So, to give you some context the "initial" plan as published here was:
2018: 5
2019: 3
2021: 2
2022: 2
2023: 2
Total: 14;

And now the plan is*:
2018: 7
2019: 9
Total: 14 from the initial order (so far four have been sold and leased back, likely to happen the same to the remaining 10) + two leased;

By the end of 2019, they want to receive all of the 14 330neos "initially ordered" + two more from a lease. Also, they may receive four more leased 330neos, but if this happens it'll be 2020 on-wards.

Overall, TAP wants to increase their fleet from 67 to 81 planes (not counting anything related with "TAP Express") by the end of 2019. Also, they won't phase-out all of theirs A330-200 (they will keep seven for a few years), they will phase-out their four A340-300 and I don't know yet the plan for theirs A330-300.

*Note: For this plan to happen a lot of things must be on spot, where there wouldn't be anymore delays in the certification and any major delays in the deliveries. Also, as always with TAP, their fleet plan is subject to change to fit their growth plan.