NewsUnited, Air New Zealand expand joint venturePartners United Airlines and Air New Zealand are boosting capacity in the US-New Zealand market, including a new route between Chicago and Auckland to be operated by Air New Zealand. The new route is set to be launched in November, starting with three flights per week. Flight duration will be about 15 hr. northbound and more than 16 hr. southbound. The service will use Boeing 787-9s.
LinkEasyJet adds new connecting partners and airportsUK leisure carrier Thomas Cook Airlines will join the Worldwide by easyJet connecting platform, which is also being extended to include another seven airports. Worldwide by easyJet is a booking platform, powered by Icelandic travel technology company Dohop, which allows passengers to buy tickets and connect between easyJet and its partner airlines, rather than using traditional interlining agreements.
LinkAl Baker: Qatar must ‘aggressively’ pursue leasing opportunitiesQatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker sees opportunities in the global aircraft leasing business, but acknowledged the Doha-based carrier needs to “become aggressive because this is a very strong profit center for the airline.”
LinkRussian passenger traffic up 12.6% in January-FebruaryRussian airlines carried 14.3 million passengers for January and February 2018, up 12.6% year-over-year (YOY). International traffic was up 14.3% to 5.5 million; domestic traffic grew 11.6% to 8.8 million during the two-month timeframe. Cargo and post traffic increased 3.6% YOY to 156,099 tonnes. Load factor was up 2 points YOY to 79.9%.
LinkAzul eyes regional, international expansionBrazil’s Azul plans to expand its regional and international route network to potentially 35 new cities in coming years, the São Paulo-based LCC said March 26. “The arrival of air service to a city gets the attention of local business people and entrepreneurs,” the company said. “It also sparks the interest of someone planning a holiday or work trip and consequently supports and boosts the local economy.”
LinkGreat Lakes lays off staff and puts aircraft up for saleGreat Lakes Airlines has started laying off staff and is seeking to sell assets including Beechcraft and Embraer turboprops, moves that follow the company’s decision to halt operations several days ago. The US regional carrier, based in Cheyenne, Wyoming, stopped flight operations abruptly and with no explanation following an evening flight on 26 March.
LinkSIA invests $350m in new cabin products for 787-10sSingapore Airlines is investing $350 million on new regional cabin products for its first 20 Boeing 787-10s. The carrier unveiled the products to the media at a launch in Singapore, shortly after the jet arrived at Changi airport following a delivery flight from Charleston. Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that the 787-10 is also the first new aircraft type that SIA has taken from Boeing in 21 years, after the Boeing 777-200ER in May 1997.
LinkAegean signs for 30 A320neo-family jetsAegean Airlines has signed a memorandum of understanding for the purchase of 20 Airbus A320neos and 10 A321neos. The Greek carrier will also acquire a "significant number" of new A320neo-family aircraft from leasing companies, Airbus says, in detailing the commitment.
LinkSIA to introduce regional A350-900 later in 2018Singapore Airlines will introduce a regional variant of the Airbus A350-900 later this year that will complement its Boeing 787-10s. Chief executive Goh Choon Phong says that the regional A350s will have similar hard product to the 787s, but "will be configured in a manner that will allow us to stretch the distance a little longer than the 787-10."
LinkAir China Group to add 170 jets through to 2020Air China Group is scheduled to add 170 jets to its fleet over the next three years. 2018 will see the addition of 54 aircraft, including its first Airbus A350s. The group will take 25 Boeing 737s, 15 Airbus A320 family jets, six A350s, four A330s, as well as two 777 and 787 each. It will also retire 22 aircraft during the year.
LinkVietJet signs GECAS, Safran deals during state visitVietnamese low-cost carrier VietJet Air has entered into a sale-and-leaseback deal with GECAS covering six Airbus A321neos, as well as a support deal with Safran for aircraft engines. Both deals were signed in Paris during a visit by the general secretary of Vietnam's communist party chief Nguyen Phu Trong with French president Emmanuel Macron.
LinkPiaggio's marketing offensive bolsters Avanti Evo's prospectsIt has been a tough decade for Piaggio and the P180 Avanti. Deliveries of the iconic twin-pusher – which emerged in the late 1980s and is now in its third iteration, the Evo – have fallen from their market peak of 30 aircraft in 2008, to only two in 2017, due to a mix of broader economic weakness, muddled company strategy and customer apathy.
LinkRAF Tornados ready to deploy BriteCloud decoysRoyal Air Force Panavia Tornado GR4 crews flying missions over Iraq and Syria are poised to benefit from a defensive update developed by Leonardo and recently approved for operational use by the UK Ministry of Defense.
LinkJF-17 to get Chinese-developed AESA radarThe Chengdu/Pakistan Aernautical Complex JF-17 fighter is to get an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, which is expected to boost its export prospects. The KLJ-7A AESA radar developed by the Nanjing Research Institutie of Electronics Technology (NRIET) will be installed on the single-engined type, which is operated by the Pakistan air force, says NRIET's head Hu Mingchun in a China Daily report.
LinkUS Navy plans to modify 45 more Super HornetsThe US Navy plans to modify 45 more Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets in the next two years to increase the aircraft’s service life and capabilities, the US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) announced on 27 March. The potential contract will cover modifications to up to 15 aircraft in fiscal year 2019 and a maximum of 30 aircraft in FY2020, NAVAIR says. The modifications are designed to extend the fighter’s airframe life from 6,000-9,000h, adding up to 10 years of service.
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