Airbus Updates No.1955

Airbus A321	-211	8502		N363DN	Delta Air Lines	delivery 28sep18 BFM-MCI	ex F-WZMK
Airbus A330	-243	326		SU-ALA	Air Leisure	feried 27sep18 AYT-CAI after wet-lease to AtlasGlobal	ex EI-FSG
Airbus A330	-243	409		JY-JVA	Jordan Aviation	ferried 26sep18 JED-AMM after Hajj-lease to Flynas	ex 2-RLAI
Airbus A330	-243	1008		CS-TFZ	HiFly	ferried 27sep18 BDJ-AUH-BRU afte Hajj-lease to Garuda Indonesia	ex F-WWYD
Airbus A330	-343	1675		PK-LEF	Lion Airlines	ferried 25sep18 JED-BTH after Hajj-ops partially for Flynas ( + 1680 PK-LEG 26sep18 JED-CGK, + 1693 PK-LEH 26sep18 JED-CGK)	ex F-WWTN
Airbus A330	-343	1879		B-302E	Shenzhen Airlines	delivery 26sep18 TLS-TSN	ex F-WWYF
Airbus A330	-343	1894		B-300U	China Southern	delivery 28sep18** TLS-TSN, F-reg for cabin config & paint	ex F-WWCV
Airbus A350	-941	172		A7-AMF	Qatar Airways	delivery 29sep18 TLS-DOH	ex F-WWDW
Airbus A380	-841	6		9H-MIP	HiFly Malta	ferried 27sep18 CDG-CHR-LPBJ after wet-lease to Air Austral	ex 9V-SKC
Airbus A400M	-180	74		54+20	Luftwaffe	delivery 27sep18 SVQ-MAD-ETNW	ex A4M074

Airbus Updates No.1954

Airbus A319	-111	2360		G-EZEZ	easyJet	ferried 22sep18 LGW-SOF prior return to lessor	ex D-AVWP
Airbus A319	-132	2396		SX-ABE	Olympus Airways	ferried 26-27sep18 ATH-LDE-LFBF on return to lessor	ex B-6170
Airbus A320	-231	366		SU-GBG	AMC Airlines	air-test at CAI 27sep18 prior introduction to svc	ex F-WWDD
Airbus A320	-251N	8074		B-1211	China Eastern	delivery 25-26sep18 TLS-TSE-TSN	ex F-WWIJ
Airbus A320	-271N	8331		B-301G	China Southern	delivery 28sep18 TLS-TSE	ex F-WWIK
Airbus A320	-251N	8337		B-302Z	China Eastern	delivery 28sep18 TSN-PVG-NKG	ex B-000K
Airbus A320	-251N	8405		G-UZHM	easyJet	delivery 25sep18 TLS-LTN	ex F-WWBV
Airbus A320	-271N	8413		JA216A	ANA All Nippon	delivery 27-28sep18 XFW-OVB-HND	ex D-AXAA
Airbus A320	-214	8438		HZ-AS84	Saudi Arabian Airlines	delivery 27sep18 TLS-JED	ex F-WWDO
Airbus A320	-271N	8440		VT-IVV	IndiGo Airlines	delivery 28sep18 XFW-DEL	ex D-AUBR
Airbus A320	-251N	8449		B-303E	China Eastern	delivery 28sep18 TSN-PVG	ex B-000Q
Airbus A320	-214	8452		VQ-BTX	Aeroflot	delivery 28sep18 TLS-SVO “G. Fedotov”	ex F-WWDP
Airbus A320	-271N	8464		VT-WGW	GoAir	delivery 27sep18 XFW-DEL	ex D-AUBA
Airbus A320	-271N	8492		VT-IZA	IndiGo Airlines	delivery 27sep18 XFW-DEL	ex D-AVVE
Airbus A321	-231	1015		SX-ACP	Olympus Airways	ferried 24sep18 MMX-ATH after wet-lease to TUIfly Nordic	ex G-OJEG
Airbus A321	-211	1250		G-NIKO	Thomas Cook Airlines	ferried 23sep18 GLA-EMA for paint into new cs	ex D-aVZF
Airbus A321	-271N	8224		B-1055	Sichuan Airlines	delivery 28sep18 XFW-TSE	ex D-AVXP
Airbus A321	-272N	8349		JA138A	ANA All Nippon	delivery 29-30sep18 XFW-OVB-HND	ex D-AYAX
Airbus A321	-231	8450		B-302U	Capital Airlines	delivery 28sep18 XFW-TSE	ex D-AZAV
Airbus A321	-271N	8484		RP-C9934	Philippines Airlines	delivery 28-29sep18 XFW-AUH-MNL	ex D-AVZJ

Airbus Updates No.1953

Lufthansa Group converts 27 A320/A321neo options

Lufthansa Airbus A320-200N © Lufthansa

28.09.2018 - 15:19 UTC

Lufthansa Group has announced it has firmed options for twenty-seven A320neo Family narrowbodies, including twenty-four A320neo and three A321neo. The deliveries are scheduled for 2023 and 2024.

Out of the twenty-seven units, ten - including seven A320neo and all three A321neo - will be delivered to Swiss (LX, Zurich). The remaining seventeen units will operate for other units of the group, which have so far not been named.

Including the newly firmed options, Lufthansa Group ordered a total of 149 A320neo Family aircraft. Prior to the new announcement, the group's order book with Airbus included sixty-seven A320neo and forty A321neo for Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt Int'l), as well as ten A320neo and five A321neo for Swiss.

Of these, thirteen A320neo are already operated by Lufthansa. The German carrier will shortly take delivery of its maiden A321neo, while Swiss will start accepting its A320neo in 2019.

Lufthansa still also has nine current generation A320-200s on order with Airbus.

Airbus Updates No.1952

Air New Zealand to launch A321neo ops in mid-4Q18

Airbus Airbus A321-200neo © Airbus

28.09.2018 - 12:47 UTC

Air New Zealand (NZ, Auckland Int'l) has announced it expected to deploy its first A321neo in commercial service in mid-November 2018. According to Airline Route, the type would initially operate predominantly trans-Tasman services to Australia.

The type will debut on November 12, 2018, on the Auckland Int'l-Sydney Kingsford Smith route. Subsequently, the A321neo will be deployed to Coolangatta/Gold Coast (from November 13), Brisbane Int'l (November 18), Melbourne Tullamarine (November 25), Tongatapu (December 18), Apia Faleolo (December 28), and Nadi (January 30, 2019).

According to the ch-aviation fleets module, Air New Zealand has orders for four A320neo and eleven A321neo directly with Airbus. The carrier will also add two A320neo and three A321neo from lessors' orders, bringing the total numbers to six and fourteen, respectively.

Air New Zealand expects the deliveries of the six A320neo (with 165 seats) and first seven A321neo (with 214 seats) through late 2019. These aircraft will replace A320-200s currently operated on Australian and Pacific Island services. A further seven A321neo, due for delivery between 2020 and 2024, will be deployed domestically.

The carrier's narrowbody fleet currently includes thirty A320-200s.

Airbus Updates No.1951

Hong Kong Airlines delays A350 deliveries - report

Hong Kong Airlines Airbus A350-900 © Airbus

27.09.2018 - 17:02 UTC

Hong Kong Airlines (HX, Hong Kong Int'l) will delay the deliveries of four A350-900s initially scheduled to deliver in 2018 to 2019, the South China Morning Post has reported. The airline will also postpone the launch of either one or both of its planned services to London and New York JFK to at least 2019.

The adjustment has to do with the carrier reacting to the changing market conditions and its first experiences from North American services, a source said. Hong Kong Airlines currently serves Los Angeles Int'l, San Francisco, CA, and Vancouver Int'l in North America.

The carrier will also terminate its only European service, to Moscow Vnukovo, on October 20, 2018.

According to the ch-aviation fleets module, Hong Kong Airlines currently operates five A350-900s with a further fifteen units on order from Airbus. Its widebody passenger fleet also includes eleven A330-200s and eleven A330-300s.

Hong Kong Airlines is also evaluating a possible IPO, which could provide cash to the carrier's debt-ridden parent HNA Group.

HNA Group is currently separately trying to sell CNY700 million yuan (USD102 million) worth of real estate holdings in Hong Kong, currently controlled by its local unit HNA International, Apple Daily has reported.

Airbus Updates No.1950

Spirit to resume A320neo deliveries, mulls Airbus A220s  

Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-200neo © Airbus

27.09.2018 - 12:52 UTC

Spirit Airlines (NK, Fort Lauderdale Int'l) will resume taking deliveries of A320neo aircraft this year as it plans to take two units by the end of 2018 and a further fourteen in 2019, CEO Robert Fornaro told Aviation Week at the APEX conference in Boston.

The American ultra-low-cost-carrier took its maiden A320neo in October 2016 but, after having taken five units in total, suspended further deliveries over performance issues with the Pratt & Whitney PW1127G engines.

"We opted to adjust our delivery stream and that starts to resume later this year going into next year. It’s been frustrating, but I have to say both Airbus and Pratt [have] been pretty good partners. We’ve kind of worked through the issues, but it’s safe to say we haven’t got the benefits that we would have liked to have seen," Fornaro said.

Initially, Spirit planned to resume deliveries of A320neo in mid-2019.

Spirit ordered fifty-five A320neo, including fifty directly from Airbus and five from AerCap. Deliveries will run through 2021.

The ULCC also operates thirty-one A319-100s, fifty-five A320-200s, and thirty A321-200s, the ch-aviation fleets module shows. It also has a further seven current generation A320s on order with Airbus.

Spirit is also preparing to place a new order, expected in early 2019. While it could include more narrowbodies, Fornaro also said that Spirit would look into diversifying its fleet beyond A320 Family jets. In particular, the carrier would be interested in evaluating A220-300s and EMB-195 E2s.

"If we got a different fleet type, it wouldn’t be ten, it would have to be a substantial number - let’s say thirty-five to fifty - to get the right economics. I’m not uncomfortable doing it," Fornaro said.

Airbus Updates No.1949

EgyptAir Cargo picks Cologne/Bonn as initial A330 route

Airbus Airbus A330-200F © Airbus

25.09.2018 - 23:46 UTC

EgyptAir Cargo (MSX, Cairo Int'l) commenced A330-200(F) operations on September 23 with the world's first P2F converted A330-200 SU-GCE (msn 600). The Airbus freighter converted by EFW in Germany will be used by the EgyptAir Holding cargo operator on its 3x weekly Cairo-Cologne/Bonn service. As of October, the frequency will increase to 5x weekly.

According to a press release by the German airport, EgyptAir Cargo also plans to serve Johannesburg O.R. Tambo with the aircraft from October onwards. Besides the A330-200(F) in operation now and a second ex-EgyptAir (MS, Cairo Int'l) aircraft currently being converted at EFW's facility in Dresden, EgyptAir Cargo also operates two A300-600(F) freighters, ch-aviation fleets module shows. EgyptAir Holding also owns an older A300B4-200(F) that last flew in March 2018.

EgyptAir Cargo offers cargo charters as well as scheduled services from Cairo to Cologne/Bonn, Istanbul Atatürk, Milan Malpensa, Ostend, and Sharjah.

The cargo carrier's VP Economics Affairs, Adel Helal, told Air Cargo Week earlier this year that with a third A330-200(F) freighter in place by summer 2019, the fleet rollover would allow EgyptAir Cargo to start services to New York JFK, Johannesburg, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta, Shanghai Pudong, and Hong Kong Int'l.

Airbus Updates No.1948

Airbus A320	-214	914		LY-SPI	Small Planet Airlines	ferried 24sep18 VNO-DGX	ex XU-709
Airbus A320	-214	4567		HC-CUF	Avianca Ecuador	ferried 25sep18 BOG-MDE, N-reg prior transfer	ex N567AV
Airbus A320	-232	5335		VT-IDD	IndiGo Airlines	ferried 20sep18 DEL-KUL after lease	ex 9V-TRS
Airbus A320	-251N	8074		B-1211	China Eastern	delivery 25sep18 TLS-TSE	ex F-WWIJ
Airbus A320	-251N	8093		B-1075	Zhejiang Loong Airlines	delivery 21sep18 TSN-HGH	ex B-000M
Airbus A320	-251N	8365		G-TTNE	Briish Airways	delivery 21sep18 TLS-LHR	ex F-WWIG
Airbus A320	-271N	8367		VQ-BRB	S7 Airlines	delivery 21sep18 XFW-OVB	ex D-AUBB
Airbus A320	-251N	8405		G-UZHM	easyJet	delivery 25sep18 TLS-LTN	ex F-WWBV
Airbus A320	-214	8427		HZ-AS83	Saudi Arabian Airlines	delivery 25sep18 TLS-JED, Skyteam cs	ex F-WWIM
Airbus A320	-251N	8444		CC-AZC	Sky Airline	delivery 21-23sep18 TLS-YYR-PTY-SCL	ex F-WWDY
Airbus A320	-271N	8465		VT-IVZ	IndiGo Airlines	delivery 24sep18 XFW-DEL	ex D-AVVY
Airbus A321	-271N	8372		B-1088	China Southern	delivery 18-19sep18 XFW-TSE-CAN	ex D-AZAE
Airbus A321	-231	8410		B-LEL	Hong Kong Express	delivery 22-23sep18 XFW-RKT-HKG	ex D-AZAL
Airbus A321	-271N	8471		N216HA	Hawaiian Airlines	delivery 21sep18 XFW-YYR-PAE	ex D-AVZC
Airbus A321	-231	8473		N997JL	jetBlue	delivery 20sep18 BFM-LCQ	ex F-WZMJ
Airbus A330	-321	60		HS-TEB	Thai International	ferried 24-25sep18 UTP-NGO-SBD, for part-out & scrap	ex F-WWKQ
Airbus A330	-343	782		M-ABLO	BOC Aviation	ferried 21sep18 SHA-CRK prior delivery to?	ex B-6128
Airbus A359	-941ULR	220		9V-SGA	Singapore Airlines	delivery 22sep18 TLS-SIN	ex F-WZFZ

Airbus Updates No.1947

Singapore Airlines takes first ever delivered A350-900ULR

Singapore Airlines Airbus A350-900 © Airbus Industrie

24.09.2018 - 16:00 UTC

Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi) has taken delivery of the first of seven A350-900ULR aircraft it has on order from Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac). The carrier thus became the first ever operator of the ULR variant globally.

The aircraft, 9V-SGA (msn 220) left Toulouse in the evening of September 22 operating on a polar route to showcase its long-haul capabilities. It arrived at Singapore's Changi airport on September 23 in the afternoon after a 16 hour 28-minute delivery flight, FlightRadar24 ADS-B data shows.

The A350-900ULR is configured for just 94 Premium Economy and 67 Business Class passengers.

Starting October 11, the aircraft will be used to resume non-stop services between Changi and Newark. The route was last served in November 2013 with SIA's A340-500s which have since been retired and returned to Airbus. The first two A350-900ULRs will be deployed on the Newark flights before Singapore Airlines will resume non-stop service to Los Angeles Int'l on November 2, gradually increasing the frequency on the route from 4x to 10x weekly by December 7.

SIA will also operate three additional weekly services to San Francisco, CA with the new premium configured ULR aircraft starting November 28, complementing a daily service already operated by its three-class A350-900s, of which it currently operates twenty-one.

In addition to the new non-stop flights, Singapore Airlines also operates a daily A380-800 service to New York JFK via Frankfurt Int'l and five weekly services to Houston Intc'l via Manchester Int'l using three-class A350s.