News

Courtesy Airbus Air Mauritius, the flag carrier of Mauritius has decided to expand and modernise its long-haul fleet with a Memorandum of Understanding for four A350-900 aircraft. The agreement was announced during the Farnborough International Airshow 2014. The airline has also announced that it is leasing two more A350-900s. The 6 A350 XWB will be operated on European, Asian and Australian routes. Air Mauritius, voted the leading airline in the Indian Ocean at the World Travel Awards for the last last nine years and recently awarded a 4-STAR Skytrax rating, currently operates ten Airbus aircraft including two A330-200s and two A319s. “The A350 XWB combined with the A330 suits Air Mauritius’ entire long-range network and will be key to modernising our fleet while significantly reducing our operational costs and environmental footprint. It is the game-changer we were looking for,” said Andries Viljoen, Air Mauritius’ Chief Executive Officer. “These highly comfortable and fuel-efficient aircraft will fit nicely into our existing Airbus fleet, and our passengers will be able to enjoy seamless service and comfort levels throughout our entire product range.” Source Airbus / Edited By Airline Adviser 07/21/14  

Avolon, the Dublin-based, global aircraft leasing firm, has announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for 15 of Airbus’ newly launched A330neo aircraft. Avolon becomes a launch customer for the A330neo. The commitment was signed at the Farnborough International Airshow 2014 by Dómhnal Slattery, Avolon CEO, John Higgins, Avolon President and Chief Commercial Officer and Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO.

“Our latest order for 15 Airbus A330neo aircraft reflects our ongoing commitment to provide the world’s airlines with the next generation of fuel efficient aircraft. Today’s order represents an additional investment in the neo range of aircraft which follows our previous commitment to the A320neo. We have already experienced great interest from customers in the A320neo range due to the expected high performance and fuel efficiency of the aircraft,” said Dómhnal Slattery, Avolon CEO.

John Higgins, Avolon President and Chief Commercial Officer added: “We are delighted to be a launch customer for this innovative, high performance aircraft. This A330neo order complements our ongoing sale and leaseback and fleet financing activity in both the A330 and A320 families.

Source Airbus / Edited By Airline Adviser 07/21/14

CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT), a global leader in transportation finance announced a commitment to order 15 A330-900neo aircraft and five A321ceo aircraft, becoming a launch customer for the new A330neo. The Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) were signed at the 2014 Farnborough International Airshow by Jeff Knittel, President of CIT Transportation & International Finance and Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President & CEO. CIT will announce its engines selection for the A321 aircraft at a later date.

“As one of the largest aircraft lessors in the world, we are pleased to be able to once again partner with Airbus on the newest variant of the A330, as well as their A320 Programme,” said Jeff Knittel, President of CIT Transportation & International Finance. “These new aircraft will allow CIT to maintain one of the youngest and most technologically advanced fleets in the industry, while providing fuel efficient aircraft solutions to our customers through a range of sizes and categories of aircraft.”

Source Airbus / Edited By Airline Adviser 07/20/14

BOC Aviation, the Singapore-based aircraft leasing subsidiary of Bank of China, has announced an order for an additional 43 A320 Family aircraft, comprising seven A320neo Family aircraft and 36 A320ceo aircraft across A320 and A321 variants, at the Farnborough International Airshow 2014. The announcement was made by Robert Martin, BOC Aviation’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer and Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO. The first eight A320ceo aircraft powered by engines from IAE have been placed. Engine decisions for the rest of the fleet will follow.

“Following our order of 38 A320ceo aircraft in the last 18 months, all of which are now placed, we are seeing additional demand for both A320ceo’s and NEOs,” said Robert Martin, BOC Aviation’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. “By adding this order to our pipeline for the next five years, we are confident at meeting the needs of airlines which are expanding or replacing older fleets.”
Including this latest purchase agreement, BOC Aviation’s cumulative orders for new Airbus aircraft have reached 255, as of June 30th 2014, 142 of these have already been delivered, and another 55 committed to lease.

As of June 30th 2014, BOC Aviation’s fleet of 251 aircraft includes 109 Airbus aircraft operated by 27 airlines. There are 98 A320 Family aircraft in the fleet.

Source Airbus / Edited By Airline Adviser 07/20/14

SMBC Aviation Capital, one of the world’s largest aircraft leasing companies, has signed a major firm order for 115 A320 Family aircraft (110 A320neo, five A320ceo). The contract was announced at the Farnborough International Airshow 2014, by Peter Barrett, SMBC Aviation Capital, CEO, Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President & CEO and John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers.

This new order is the industry’s largest ever single firm order by a worldwide leasing company for single-aisle aircraft. With these new planes, SMBC Aviation Capital’s total orders for Airbus aircraft rise to 206 A320 Family aircraft. SMBC Aviation Capital will announce its engines selection at a later date.

“This is a landmark order for SMBC Aviation Capital and indeed for the wider aircraft leasing industry, and I am delighted to be continuing the close and long-standing relationship that our business enjoys with Airbus”, said Peter Barrett, CEO, SMBC Aviation Capital. “The A320 family has played a crucial role in SMBC Aviation Capital’s success to-date, and this order should be taken as a clear sign both of our commitment to the new generation of single-aisle aircraft as well as our ambitious plans to grow our business.

Source Airbus / Edited By Airline Adviser 07/20/14

AerCap, the industry leading lessor headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, has firmed up an order for 50 additional A320neo Family aircraft at the Farnborough International Airshow 2014. The contract, AerCap’s first major aircraft order following the acquisition of ILFC earlier this year, was signed by Philip Scruggs, AerCap’s President & Chief Commercial Officer and Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO. AerCap will announce its engine selection in due course.

Including the order for 50 A320neo aircraft, AerCap’s total order of A320neo aircraft rises to 200 and its total orders of Airbus aircraft rises to 945. Following the lessor’s acquisition of ILFC, AerCap becomes Airbus’ largest customer overall, both in number and value of aircraft purchased.

AerCap’s CEO Aengus Kelly said: “The A320neo family is proving to be enormously successful. AerCap has already placed 48 A320neo aircraft under lease agreement or letter of intent, so our decision to firm up for 50 additional A320neo Family aircraft is a natural extension of our fleet strategy.”

Source Airbus / Edited By Airline Adviser 07/20/14

Courtesy Airbus

Air Lease Corporation (ALC), the Los Angeles based aircraft leasing company, has announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for 25 A330-900neo aircraft, becoming the first launch customer for the new Airbus Widebody. ALC simultaneously announced a firm order for 60 A321neo aircraft. The contact was signed today at the Farnborough International Airshow by Steven F. Udvar-Házy, Air Lease Corporation’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO.

“The recently launched A330neo is a well-suited addition to ALC’s fleet as we continue to provide our customers with the most modern, fuel efficient aircraft on the market,” said Steven F. Udvar-Házy, Air Lease Corporation’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “The A330neo, like the A320neo Family, will have success in the medium range segment due to its combination of high reliability, exceptional comfort and low operating costs. ”

Including the order, ALC’s total orders and commitments for Airbus aircraft reaches 225, of which 200 are firm orders (50 A320ceo Family, 110 A320neo Family, 15 A330 Family, 25 A350 XWB Family) plus the MoU for 25 A330neo’s. ALC will announce engine selections for the 60 A321neo aircraft at a later date.

Source Airbus / Edited By Airline Adviser 07/20/14

 

International Airlines Group (IAG) has converted 20 A320neo options into a firm order for the world’s most popular single aisle aircraft Family. These aircraft are currently intended to replace 21 shorthaul British Airways’ aircraft.

British Airways already operates 120 Airbus single aisle aircraft covering the full Family range from the smallest A318 to the largest A321.

The order by IAG sustains several thousand aviation jobs throughout the UK, where the wings are designed and assembled. It also contributes some £40million to the UK economy.
In August 2013, IAG announced that, as part of a Vueling order for up to 120 Airbus A320 family aircraft, it had also secured 100 A320neo options.

Source Airbus / Edited By Airline Adviser 07/20/14

AirAsia X, the long haul affiliate of Asia’s largest low cost airline, has signed a Memorandum of Understand (MOU) with Airbus for 50 A330-900neo aircraft. The agreement sees the airline become a launch customer for the latest version of the best-selling widebody. AirAsia X will also be one of the first operators of the aircraft, with deliveries to the carrier scheduled to begin in 2018

The agreement was signed at the Farnborough Airshow in the UK by Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X and Fabrice Brégier, President and CEO, Airbus, and was witnessed by Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, Co-founder and Director of AirAsia X, Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, Chairman of AirAsia X Berhad and John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customer

The latest MOU from AirAsia X further consolidates the position of the AirAsia Group as one of Airbus’s largest airline customers in the world. In total the Group has ordered 536 Airbus aircraft, excluding today’s MOU.

Source Airbus / Edited By Airline Adviser 07/20/14

FARNBOROUGH, United Kingdom, /PRNewswire/ — Boeing [NYSE: BA] continues to expand its product lineup, announcing a 200-seat version of the 737 MAX 8 at the Farnborough International Airshow. This option gives airlines 11 more seats of potential revenue.

“This new 200-seat 737 MAX 8 ensures we’ll retain our leadership in comfort, capacity and lower operating costs in the heart of the single-aisle market,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO Ray Conner. “With this increase in capacity and confidence in our engine and airplane testing, we’re on track to deliver a 20 percent more fuel efficient product than today’s Next-Generation 737.”

The 200-seat 737 MAX 8 is the latest addition to Boeing’s comprehensive product and services lineup. It follows last year’s successful launch of the 787-10 Dreamliner and the 777X to complete the industry’s most efficient widebody airplane lineup.

Boeing’s 787-9 Dreamliner will be featured in the flying display at this year’s air show, only days after the show opening.

Going into the Farnborough International Airshow, Boeing has booked 649 net orders—including an order from Emirates for 150 777Xs finalized last week. All further updates coming at the end of this week.

Source Boeing / Edited By Airline Adviser 07/17/19

Farnborough, UK, – Embraer S.A. announced , at the 2014 edition of the Farnborough International Airshow, that it has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras S.A for 30 firm orders for the E195-E2 jets. The firm order is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of this year, when the aircraft will be added to the Company’s backlog.

Besides the firm order, the LOI includes additional 20 purchase rights for the same model, bringing the total potential order to up to 50 E195-E2 jets. The contract for the E-Jets E2 has an estimated value of USD 3.1 billion, at list prices, if all purchase rights are converted to firm orders. As the first airline to order the E195-E2, Azul becomes the launch operator for this aircraft.

“With the E-Jets family as the backbone of it’s fleet, Azul has brought affordable air travel to an entirely new segment of the population in Brazil,” said Paulo Cesar Silva, President & CEO, Embraer Commercial Aviation. Currently, the Brazilian airline has a total of 82 E-Jets in service and another 11 on order. It operates the largest fleet of E195s in the world.

The first delivery of an E-Jets E2 (the E190-E2) is planned for the first semester of 2018. The E195-E2 is slated to enter service in 2019 and the E175-E2 in 2020. The E-Jets E2 program reinforces Embraer’s commitment to continuously invest in the company’s line of commercial jets and to maintain leadership in the 70 to 130-seat aircraft segment.

Source Embraer / Edited By Airline Adviser 07/16/14

Farnborough, UK, – Embraer S.A. has signed an agreement with Japan’s Fuji Dream Airlines (FDA) for a firm order of three E175s with options for an additional three aircraft of the same model. This brings the total potential order to six E175s, with an estimated value of USD 258.6 million based on 2014 list prices, if all options are exercised. This order was already included in Embraer’s 2014 second quarter backlog as an “undisclosed” customer. The announcement was made today at the 2014 edition of the Farnborough International Airshow. Three E170s and five E175s are currently in operation with Fuji Dream Airlines.

“Embraer’s E-Jets tick all the right boxes that have been crucial to the success of Fuji Dream Airlines – efficiency, performance, exceptional economics and solid customer support that is second to none,” said Yohei Suzuki, the CEO and Chairman of Fuji Dream Airlines.

The newly-ordered E175s will be configured in a single-class layout with 84 seats and will be equipped with the Autoland system to perform CAT III approach and landing in limited visual conditions. The new E175s will also feature recent aerodynamic enhancements introduced by Embraer, such as a new wingtip and other technical improvements that reduce fuel burn.

In addition to these orders, FDA and Embraer have also signed an extension of the Pool Program to cover its fleet of E170s and E175s, including these new orders. The program covers the advance exchange and repair management for more than 300 important parts of the aircraft.

Created in 2007, FDA started operations with two E170s. Over the last five years, its all-Embraer fleet has quadrupled. FDA’s fleet is instantly recognizable by its brightly coloured aircraft, some of which are painted green, pink, yellow and purple.

With aircraft based in Nagoya and Shizuoka, FDA links twelve secondary cities in Japan where demand is growing, such as Fukuoka, Sapporo and Hanamaki. Operating almost 50 flights each day, the airline has carried over 2.4 million passengers to date. FDA is part of the Suzuyo Group, which owns a full-flight simulator to provide pilot and fleet engineering training for its staff.

Source Embraer / Edited By Airline Adviser 07/16/14

Farnborough, UK, – Embraer S.A. announced , at the 2014 edition of the Farnborough International Airshow, that it has received an order for 50 E175-E2 jets from Trans States Holdings, parent company of Trans States Airlines, Compass Airlines and GoJet Airlines. The agreement also includes options for an additional 50 units, taking the total order potential to 100 aircraft. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in June 2020.

The order, which is valued at approximately USD 2.4 billion at list prices, is subject to certain conditions. It will be added to the Company’s firm order backlog when these conditions are met and final confirmation of the aircraft is received from Trans States.

“The E175-E2 is proving to be the preferred aircraft for North American carriers as they confirm their future fleet requirements for the next decade,” said Paulo Cesar Silva, President & CEO, Embraer Commercial Aviation. “When it takes delivery of its first E2 in 2020, Trans States will be flying the newest, most efficient and cost-competitive airplane in its category.

The three new E-Jets E2 (E175-E2, E190-E2, and E195-E2) are powered by Pratt & Whitney’s latest generation geared-turbofan engines. The Trans States E175-E2s will be configured with 76 seats in a dual-class layout.

Source Embraer / Edited By Airline Adviser 07/16/14

SEATTLE /PRNewswire/ — Boeing [NYSE: BA] delivered to Nok Airlines Public Company Limited (Nok Air) a special livery Next-Generation 737-800 commemorating the Bangkok-based carrier’s 10th anniversary.

The 737-800, owned by Ireland-based leasing company Avolon and operated by Nok Air, features the traditional bird-themed livery with the addition of stars, streamers and “10th Anniversary” painted on the airplane to celebrate the milestone.

“This is an extremely exciting day for all of us at Nok Air, as the ’10th Anniversary’ aircraft and livery is a symbol of all the hard work and commitment of everyone at Nok Air in the past 10 years to achieve our goal of becoming Thailand’s number one premium low cost carrier,” said Nok Air CEO Patee Sarasin. “We are proud to have worked with Boeing since we started operations and this aircraft also marks a special milestone for our partnership.”

Source Boeing / Edited By Airline Adviser 07/16/14

Courtesy Boeing

EVERETT, Wash /PRNewswire/ — Boeing [NYSE: BA] celebrated the first 787-9 Dreamliner delivery this week being the launch customer Air New Zealand. About 1,000 Boeing employees representing the 787 program joined Air New Zealand executives and guests at a unique celebration of this milestone event.

“We are proud to be the launch customer for the 787-9,” said Air New Zealand Chief Financial Officer Rob McDonald. “We believe it will be a game-changer for Air New Zealand, with increased levels of fuel efficiency and passenger comfort. We look forward to inviting our customers on board to experience the aircraft and all of its benefits for themselves.”

Air New Zealand’s Rolls-Royce powered 787-9 is part of the airline’s fleet modernization effort. This 787-9, painted in a unique black livery, is the first of 10 Dreamliners to join Air New Zealand’s fleet.

The airline said the airplane will operate the Auckland–Perth route in October 2014 and to both Tokyo and Shanghai in November 2014.
The 787-9 complements and extends the 787 family. With the fuselage stretched by 20 feet (6 meters) over the 787-8, the 787-9 will fly up to 40 more passengers an additional 450 nautical miles (830 km) with the same exceptional environmental performance — 20 percent less fuel use and 20 percent fewer emissions than similarly sized airplanes.

Twenty-six customers from around the world have ordered 409 787-9s, accounting for 40 percent of all 787 orders.

Source Boeing / Edited By Airline Adviser 07/16/14