Air Astana Signs A Firm Order For Six A320s
Air Astana, the flag carrier of Kazakhstan, has signed a firm contract for the purchase of six A320s, as part of its expansion programme on domestic and medium-haul routes. The contract, which is the airline’s first with Airbus, confirms the Memorandum of Understanding which was announced in December 2007.
"The A318 is the perfect aircraft for these flights. It is capable of operating at London City and is large enough for us to provide the number of business class seats required to make this a viable operation”, says Willie Walsh, British Airways' Chief Executive.
Air Astana’s A320s will feature the brand-new cabin recently introduced on all members of the A320 Family. The aircraft on order will accommodate up to 148 passengers in a two-class cabin layout. The choice of engines has not yet been made. The aircraft will join Air Astana’s existing fleet which already includes some A320 Family aircraft, which are currently being operated on its domestic and international network.
Air One Orders A350 and A330
Air One, the fast-growing Italian airline, has signed a firm order with Airbus for 12 A350-800s, plus 12 options, and 12 A330-200s, plus eight options. The Rome based airline, the second largest in Italy, will use these aircraft to develop a comprehensive long-haul route network, which will complement Air One’s extensive domestic and European operations. With this contract, Air One now has a total of 24 widebody aircraft on order with Airbus (plus 20 options), as well a global agreement for 90 A320 aircraft of which 65 A320s are firm orders and the remaining 25 are to be gradually firmed up.
Air One’s newly ordered A330s will offer a comfortable two-class cabin layout for 253 passengers. The A350-800, the most eco-efficient next generation aircraft, will equally have a two-class cabin for up to 287 passengers.
TACA A320 Crashes in Honduras Killed Five
A TACA A320 overshot a runway and raced onto a busy street in the Honduran capital, killing the pilot, two passengers and a motorist on the ground. At least 65 people were injured. The flight with 140 people on board was flying Los Angeles-San Salvador-Tegucigalpa and was scheduled to head next to Miami. It ended up with its nosed smashed against a roadside embankment and its fuselage buckled and broken in places.
Officials acknowledged that the runways of Toncontin International Airport of Honduran capital are short and its approach paths are dangerous. The airport is ringed by hills, posing a special challenge for pilots.
Fuel Rises Hit A380 Orders
Airbus is revising the number of orders it expects to get for the superjumbo and says they may be a third lower than previously predicted. John Leahy, the aircraft manufacturer’s chief operating officer and senior salesman, said the company may receive about 20 orders for the airliner in 2008, down from the 30 orders forecast as recently as three months ago.
Airbus has so far delivered four A380s, which each cost around £167m at list prices, all to Singapore Airlines.
JetBlue Defer Order of 21 A320s for 4 to 5 Years
JetBlue plans to significantly slow its fleet growth, defer its 21 new Airbus jetliners order for four to five years as it struggles to cope with soaring fuel costs.
The A320s were originally scheduled for delivery between 2009 through 2011, will now be delivered in 2014 and 2015. By delaying delivery, JetBlue will be able to hold off paying for the planes and will save on the additional operating expenses they would bring.
KD Avia Commits To 25 Airbus A320 Family Aircraft
KD Avia, a fast growing Russian airline, has placed a commitment with Airbus for the purchase of 25 A319s, thus becoming a new Airbus customer. The agreement was signed at the International Berlin Airshow taking place from 27th May to 1st June.
KD Avia’s A319s will feature a spacious and comfortable cabin layout. The aircraft will be operated on the airline’s extended network of domestic and international routes out of its Kaliningrad hub. The choice of engines has not yet been made.
Gulf Air Orders 35 Airbus
National carrier of Bahrain, Gulf Air has placed a firm order with Airbus for 35 aircraft. The order comprises 15 A320 single aisle aircraft and 20 A330-300s. The contract was signed by Björn Näf, Gulf Air CEO, and Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO, at the Berlin Air show.
Gulf Air already operates 10 A320s, six A330-200s and nine A340-300s. The new order will more than double the number of Airbus aircraft in their fleet.
Jet Airways Gets Airbus A330-200 Aircraft At The Berlin Air Show
Indian largest private carrier Jet Airways has taken delivery of its latest Airbus A330-200 aircraft. Naresh Goyal, Jet Airways Chairman, formally accepted the aircraft at a ceremony at the Berlin Air Show (ILA) in presence of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Airbus President and CEO Tom Enders.
British Airways Buys Two Airbus A318s
British Airways has signed a firm contract with Airbus for two Airbus A318 aircraft to launch services between London City Airport, in central London, and New York. The A318 is the most modern and largest aircraft certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the steep approach procedures which are required at London City.
"The A318 is the perfect aircraft for these flights. It is capable of operating at London City and is large enough for us to provide the number of business class seats required to make this a viable operation”, says Willie Walsh, British Airways' Chief Executive.
All A318 models were certified for Steep Approach in 2007 after compatibility tests at London City Airport in 2006.
Singapore Airlines Flies Inaugural A380 Flight From Tokyo
A Singapore Airlines A380 took off from Tokyo’s Narita Airport today, marking the first intra-Asia service of the world’s largest commercial aircraft. The inaugural flight from Tokyo, SQ637, carrying 420 passengers, departed from Narita Airport at 1448hrs. It is scheduled to arrive in Singapore at 2035hrs (all times local). The first flight from Tokyo is another milestone in civil aviation – the 30th anniversary of Narita Airport, which also falls on 20 May.
The Airline also announced that it will be adding four weekly Airbus A380 flights between Singapore and London Heathrow, in addition to its current daily schedule. The new flights will take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
Airbus Faces More Delays in A380 Production
European aircraft manufacturer Airbus paid out as much as $110 million USD to Emirates Airline during the last fiscal year in compensation for the late delivery of the A380. Emirates, which has ordered 58 of the world’s largest passenger planes, received the compensation as “liquidating damages", referring to compensation from parties who failed to meet contractual obligations with the airline. Airbus Chief Executive Officer Tom Enders told reporters in Dubai on Tuesday that meeting a new schedule for delivering the A380 to customers was a “battle” and always of concern. The reputation of parent company EADS is seen at stake as it strives to deliver thirteen of the aircraft this year.
The Airbus A380 superjumbo jet has been faced with its share of delays on its journey to coming into commercial operation. Now, despite Singapore Airlines having already put three of the aircraft into service, the company has stated that its initial delivery schedule may again be compromised. According to chief executive Thomas Enders, the company’s plans to deliver four A380s per month until the year 2010 may not be possible. He said a review at this point was in the original plans, but the review may lead to the announcement of yet more delays. One problem lies with the fact that each airline taking delivery of the jets requires different electrical systems and cabin design. According to Airbus, the workload of making one A380 is equivalent to eight of their single-aisle A320s.
In another blow for keeping to schedule, production was slowed last week when workers at three of Airbus’ four French factories went on strike Tuesday for the second time in a week, demanding equal treatment for French and German employees. Thousands staged a demonstration in front of an administrative site near Toulouse.
Airbus Receives New Order From Tunisair
North African airline Tunisair has signed a letter of acceptance of the Airbus proposal for the acquisition of three A350-800s, three A330-200s and ten A320s, as part of an important fleet development plan that will modernise and expand the fleet of this growing airline. With this acquisition, Tunisair is the third African airline to order the all-new A350 XWB. Tunisair currently already has 12 A320s, four A319s of which two with extended range capability and three A300-600s in operation.
BAE Sells Stake In Airbus
BAE Systems has sold its stake in European airliner manufacturer Airbus back to EADS. A spokesman for BAE said that it will take years for the Toulouse based company to return to acceptable levels of profitability. Airbus, which has been complaining about the effects of the dollar’s fall on its bottomline made an operating loss of $1.4 billion USD last year on the back of a loss of nearly $900 million USD in 2006. Early on in the week, Airbus, which books most of its costs in euros but sells in dollars, raised the catalogue prices of its aircraft.
Low Dollar and High Metal Prices Lead Airbus to Increase Prices
Airbus today announced a general price increase for its aircraft. On top of the 2.74% normal escalation for the year 2007, the price increase comprises an additional two million US Dollars per single-aisle aircraft and four million US Dollars per wide-body long range and A380 Family aircraft. The new pricing will apply as of 1st May
Aer Lingus Orders A350-900s and More A330-300s
Aer Lingus, Ireland's national carrier, has become the latest airline to place a firm order for the all-new A350 XWB. In its biggest ever acquisition for long-haul aircraft, the Irish airline has received shareholder approval to purchase six A350-900s, along with six additional A330-300s, confirming its earlier placed contract. This latest contract brings total firm orders for the A350 XWB to 362 from 22 customers.
More News: Jan-Mar
