Airbus Updates No.3814

 

Alaska Airlines schedules A320 phase-out for early 1Q23

Alaska Airlines Airbus A320-200© Alaska Airlines

29.09.2022 - 17:03 UTC

Alaska Airlines (AS, Seattle Tacoma Int'l) has scheduled the end of its A320-200 operations for January 8, 2023, marginally later than previously announced.

The ch-aviation schedules module shows that the carrier plans to continue operating the type out of its four main bases - Seattle Tacoma Int'l, Portland Int'l, Los Angeles Int'l, and San Francisco, CA - through the last day. The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows the airline currently operates thirty-seven A320-200s, of which only 25 remain active. All of the aircraft are leased. Alaska Airlines previously said all A320s would exit the fleet by the end of 2022.

All of the A320s, as well as previously exited A319-100s and still active A321-200Ns, were inherited by Alaska Airlines after its takeover of Virgin America. The A321neo will leave the fleet by the end of 2023. Afterwards, Alaska Airlines plans to consolidate its mainline fleet around the B737 MAX family, while its regional subsidiary Horizon Air (QX, Seattle Tacoma Int'l) will focus on operating E175s.

Airbus Updates No.3813

 

Malaysia Airlines to return A380s to Airbus by 2023

Malaysia Airlines Airbus A380-800© Airbus Industrie

30.09.2022 - 00:40 UTC

Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the parent company of Malaysia Airlines (MH, Kuala Lumpur Int'l), is returning its six inactive A380-800s to Airbus in a deal reportedly reached during recent negotiations to acquire twenty A330-900Ns. The first of the A380s - 9M-MNA (msn 78) - only arrived at the airline in 2012. Collectively, they were deployed on select routes to Europe, Australia, and within Asia.

Malaysia Airlines parked its A380s in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. In July 2021, the airline issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) soliciting bids for the sale of the six planes but attracted no serious interest.

In mid-August 2022, MAG ordered twenty A330neo jets on behalf of Malaysia Airlines. A total of 10 planes will be directly purchased from Airbus with a back-to-back sale/lease-back arrangement with Avolon, while the remaining 10 will be leased directly from Avolon. When the deal was announced, there was no mention of the fine print facilitating the A380s return. According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, all six Malaysia Airlines A380s are inactive and stored at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

"The plan is for Airbus to take back all the aircraft by the end of this year. It's up to them what they want to do with the aircraft." an airline source told Malaysia's New Straits Times, adding that discussions about precise return dates and where the A380s would be sent are ongoing.

In a statement provided to ch-aviation, a Malaysia Airlines spokesperson said that "Malaysia Aviation Group plans to retire and exit A380 by the end of 2022. However, the terms related to the deal with Airbus remain confidential." Airbus also declined to provide further details, citing confidentiality.

Airbus Updates No.3812

 

UK's Virgin Atlantic delays Airbus A330neo EIS

Virgin Atlantic© Virgin Atlantic

29.09.2022 - 13:13 UTC

Virgin Atlantic (VS, London Heathrow) has delayed the service entry of its A330-900N, with the type's first scheduled flight - between London Heathrow to Boston -pushed back from October 12 to October 27. Virgin Atlantic has 16 of the A330neos on order, however, the first of the type - G-VJAZ (msn 2018) - is still to deliver.

In July, Virgin Atlantic said it expected three A330neos to be delivered in the last quarter of 2022, with deliveries of the remaining planes timetabled through to 2026. In addition to the Airbus order, the airline plans to add at least seven A330neo from lessors, including at least six from Air Lease Corporation. An airline spokesperson has confirmed to ch-aviation that the delayed arrival of the first A330neo is behind the Boston flight delay.

According to the ch-aviation schedules module, Virgin Atlantic plans to deploy the A330neo onto five London Heathrow-US routes over the IATA 22/23 summer. In addition to Boston, the aircraft type is due to take on flights to Tampa Int'l from November 2; Miami Int'l from November 13; New York JFK from March 6; and Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson from March 21.

Virgin also operates ten A330-300s - which average 11 years of age - alongside nine A350-1000s and seventeen B787-9s, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows.

Airbus Updates No.3811

 

Wizz Air launches new units and orders more aircraft

Wizz Air is in a big expansion mode and has transferred its first aircraft to its new Maltese subsidiary. We already reported on the plans about this new unit in May 2022. The first aircraft registered in Malta is Airbus A321-200NX 9H-WAM (10389), which was previously registered HA-LVS and registered on 25 September 2022. By summer 2023, Wizz Air Malta is set to have 78 aircraft.

The company is also planning to establish a subsidiary in Saudi Arabia, now that the number of flights operating to that country is expanding rapidly. In total, Wizz Air is considering growing the fleet of the new unit to 50 aircraft by 2030. Wizz Air is now in discussions with local partners to back-up the plans.

To be able to handle this growth, the Wizz Air Holding announced it has decided to firm up options for 75 A321neos into firm orders. The new Airbuses will be used for expansion as well as replacing older, less fuel efficient A320s/A321s in the fleet.

Photo by Wizz Air.

Airbus Updates No.3810

 

Ireland's Aer Lingus launches A320neo operations

Aer Lingus Airbus A320-200© Aer Lingus

28.09.2022 - 09:23 UTC

Aer Lingus (EI, Dublin Int'l) will deploy its first A320-200N into revenue service on September 28, 2022, with the first flight to London Heathrow, the carrier announced.

EI-NSA (msn 10712) had been in pre-delivery maintenance at Ostrava since July 6. It was originally assigned for Russia's smartavia (5N, Arkhangelsk Talagi) but reallocated to Aer Lingus once international sanctions on Russia rendered the original contract invalid. It is the first of at least two A320-200Ns picked up by the Irish carrier to be inducted into revenue service. The second, EI-NSB (msn 10786), was ferried to Dublin on September 26 and will be inducted shortly.

Aer Lingus said the two A320neo will replace two A320-200s. The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that Aer Lingus A320ceo Family fleet comprises thirty-one A320-200s.

Airbus Updates No.3809

 

Airbus A321	-252NX	10620		B-58207	Starlux Airlines	delivery 26/28-29sep22 XFW-TLS-DWC-TPE	ex D-AVXZ
Airbus A321	-253NX	10831		B-329Z	China Southern	delivery 23-24sep22 XFW-NQZ-CAN	ex D-AZYA
Airbus A321	-271NX	11017		9H-WAC	Wizz Air Malta	delivery 28sep22 XFW-BUD	ex D-AZAU
Airbus A330	-243	1486		OE-LAC	Altitude Aircraft	ferried 26sep22 LETL-WOE, for Air Belgium	ex A6-EYT
Airbus A330	-941	2017		B-58304	StarLux Airlines	delivery 28sep22 TLS-TPE	ex F-WWYV
Airbus A330	-743L	2027	(5)	F-GXLN	Airbus Transport International	first in svc 26sep22 TLS-SNR-CEG	ex F-WWBD
Airbus A350	-941	250		N573DZ	Delta Air Lines	delivery 27sep22 VCV-SEA	ex PR-XTI
Airbus A380	-842	14		VH-OQA	Qantas	ferried 24sep22 VCV-LAX after storage	ex F-WWSK

Airbus Updates No.3808

 

Airbus A319	-111	1524		F-GRHX	Air France	ferried 26sep22 TLS-DGX for part-out & scrap	ex D-AVWC
Airbus A319	-111	2742		G-EZAJ	easyJet	re-delivery 24-27sep22 GYR-BGR-KEF-QLA, N-reg	ex N6310U
Airbus A319	-153NCJ	10339		VP-CRR	Jet Aviation Hong Kong	delivery 27sep22 BOD-TLS	ex D-AVWH
Airbus A320	-232	2430		HL8066	Air Busan	ferried 24/27sep22 ICN-ALA-SKG-CDT on return to lessor	ex N677AW
Airbus A320	-232	3541		PK-SAY	Super Air Jet	delivery 22-23sep22 AMM-MAA-CGK	ex OE-ITK
Airbus A320	-232	3927		LY-LGA	Global Airways Lithuania	posn 26sep22 RHO-EBB-JNB on wet-lease to Lift on behalf of Global Airways	ex VQ-BIR
Airbus A320	-232	5230		PK-SAH	Super Air Jet	first in svc 23sep22 CGK-PKU-CGK	ex VT-IEY
Airbus A320	-232	5641		OE-IUX	Jackson Square Aviation	air-test at ISL 22sep22 prior delivery to?	ex VT-IFO
Airbus A320	-232	6007		OE-IPJ	GECAS	ferried 26sepp22 LJU-ACC on re-delivery to South African?	ex ZS-SXD
Airbus A320	-214	6962		A6-AUI	Air Arabia Abu Dhabi	posn / re-regd 27sep22 SHJ-AUH	ex A6-AOY
Airbus A320	-214	7392		HK-5425	Avianca Colombia	ferried 23sep22 MLB-ROW, N-reg for paint prior delivery	ex N792AG
Airbus A320	-214	9279		B-32AE	Chengdu Airlines	delivery 26-27sep22 LFBF-TAS-CTU	ex D-AXAO
Airbus A320	-271N	10546		VT-	Jet Airways	to be ferried 27sep22 MST-TLL, OE-eg after paint prior delivery	ex OE-IBQ
Airbus A320	-251N	10923		EI-SIP	SAS Connect	delivery 23sep22 XFW-ARN	ex D-AUBY
Airbus A320	-251N	11034		B-32CT	China Eastern	delivery 24sep22 TSN-XIY, 600th Airbus off the TSN assembly line	ex B-007J
Airbus A320	-271N	11103		TC-LUK	Turkish Airlines	delivery 26sep22 TLS-ISL, all white, for paint into Andadolu Jet cs	ex F-WWBX
Airbus A320	-232	2204		N220CL	Carlyle Aviation Partners	ferried 23sep22 SBD-TUS	ex PS-TCS
Airbus A320	-214	5152**		AP-BMV	Pakistan International	delivery 23sep22 SHJ-ISB	ex OE-IPB
Airbus A321	-211	7879		A6-ATH	Air Arabia	delivery / posn 27sep22 ERF-SHJ	ex N228WG
Airbus A321	-271NX	10389		9H-WAM	Wizz Air Malta	re-regd first in svc 25sep22 KTW-BUD, ferried 26sep22, BUD-MLA-BUD	ex HA-LVS

credit : Skyliner Aviation

Airbus Updates No.3807

 

Jet Airways Expected To Take Airbus A320neos Not Delivered To S7

An Airbus A320neo aircraft is creating a significant buzz on social media and aviation websites for its paint job. While most Indians are familiar with its livery, nobody can claim to have seen it on an A320. The aircraft in question is an Airbus narrowbody sporting colors of soon-to-be-launched Jet Airways, further fueling long-standing speculation that the airline could look towards Airbus narrowbodies for its aircraft needs this time around.

A320 in Jet Airways' livery

Images of an A320 airplane in Jet Airways livery are actively being circulated on social media. The aircraft is said to have rolled out after a fresh paint job, keeping all speculation alive that the airline will have Airbus narrowbodies in its fleet.

Earlier this year, it was reported that Jet Airways is in talks with plane manufacturers and lessors to add up to 8 planes before 2023. Usually, there's always a long waiting line for popular narrowbody aircraft such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737, but Jet was said to be eying the planes which were to be delivered to Russian carriers before the Ukraine war.

A new sight

At its peak, Jet Airways operated a mixed fleet of Boeing 737, ATR turboprop, Airbus A330, and Boeing 777 airplanes. But it was the 737, which shouldered the bulk of its operations and defined the airline's brand for the millions of passengers who flew the carrier over the years.

And now, to see the same colors (with minor differences) on an A320 is a sight many Indians, particularly av-geeks, will take some time to get used to.

Pilot hiring for the type

One of the first clues about Jet considering the A320 was when it posted a message on Twitter in July, inviting applications for current and type-rated pilots on the Airbus A320, Boeing 737NG, or the 737 MAX aircraft.

The carrier is yet to announce any official order for aircraft, but rumor has it that it is close to finalizing a deal to buy 50 A220 jets from Airbus. But until an order is finalized, Jet will likely get a handful of leased airplanes for its immediate needs until it settles for a more uniform fleet later.

Airbus Updates No.3806

 

Airbus Wins Order for 40 A320neos from Xiamen Airlines

by Gregory Polek

 - September 22, 2022, 10:14 AM

A China Southern Airlines Airbus A319 takes off from Hamburg on a delivery flight on February 18, 2022. At the time the airline and its subsidiaries operated more than 300 A320-family narrowbodies. (Photo: Airbus)

China’s Xiamen Airlines has placed a firm order for 40 Airbus A320neo-family jets, the carrier’s parent company, China Southern Airlines, reported in a filing with the Shanghai Stock Exchange on Thursday. The filing valued the transaction at $4.848 billion and noted that the airline won price concessions comparable to those it had negotiated in past deals.

The contract follows a broader deal involving four Chinese airlines announced July 1 that included a China Southern order for 96 A320neo-family aircraft worth $12.25 billion. Delivery schedules call for the first 30 airplanes from that order to go to China Southern in 2024, then 40 in 2025, 19 in 2026, and seven in 2027. The most recent filing said only that deliveries of the 40-aircraft order for Xiamen will take place in stages from 2024 to 2027.

The deal comes as another blow for Boeing and its 737 Max, 24 of which China Southern operated and 10 of which Xiamen flew before the model’s grounding in March 2019 following two fatal accidents involving Max 8s. Nearly every relevant global civil aviation authority has allowed the Max to return to service apart from China’s, which continues to evaluate data from test flights.

China’s CAA became the first to ground the Max following the twin crashes that claimed the lives of 346 people. The CAAC issued an airworthiness directive (AD) that would have ostensibly allowed operators in that country to return the airplane to service soon. However, some nine months later, the Max remains grounded in the country against a backdrop of strained diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the People's Republic.

Airbus Updates No.3805

 

Airbus A320	-214	8942		AP-BOO	Fly Jinnah	delivery 21sep22 SHJ-KHI	ex A6-AOZ
Airbus A320	-251N	10712		EI-NSA	Aer Lingus	onward delivery 22sep22 OSR-DUB after paint	ex F-WWDK
Airbus A320	-251N	10850		9K-CBJ	Jazeera Airways	delivery 21sep22 TLS-KWI (+ 10934 9K-CBK ex F-WWIR)	ex F-WWIK
Airbus A320	-271N	11056		N962NK	Spirit Airlines	delivery 22sep22 BFM-DTW	ex F-WZMG
Airbus A320	-271N	11090		TC-LUL	Turkish Airlines	delivery 22sep22 TLS-ISL, all white, for paint into Andadolu Jet cs	ex F-WWIS
Airbus A321	-253NX	10831		B-329Z	China Southern	delivery 23sep22 XFW-NQZ	ex D-AZYA
Airbus A321	-271NX	10898		N508DA	Delta Air Lines	delivery 20sep22 XFW-BGR-MSP	ex D-AZYZ
Airbus A321	-271NX	10935		N505DL	Delta Air Lines	delivery 21sep22 XFW-BGR-MSP	ex D-AZYM
Airbus A321	-271NX	10967		SX-NAL	Aegean Airlines	delivery 23sep22 XFW-ATH	ex D-AYAU
Airbus A321	-211	11011		SX-NAG	Aegean Airlines	delivery 19sep22 XFW-ATH	ex D-AVXL
Airbus A321	-271NX	11022		A6-WZF	Wizz Air Abu Dhabi	delivery 20sep22 XFW-AUH	ex D-AVXH
Airbus A330	-223	476		G-VWND	Virgin Atlantic Airways	scrapped at NOC 19sep22	ex D-ALPF
Airbus A330	-343	1423		VP-CSU	AerCap	ferried 19sep22 FNI-NAP	ex 9M-XXJ
Airbus A330	-243	1452		OE-IMZ	Avolon Aerspaace	ferried 21sep22 LETL-NAP	ex 2-VFXH
Airbus A330	-243	1486		OE-LAC	Altitude Aircraft	regd 21sep22, ferried 23sep22 LETL-WOE, for Air Belgium	ex A6-EYT
Airbus A330	-343	1670		2-MXBA	BOC Aviation	ferried 19sep22 CRK-KUL	ex 9M-XBA
Airbus A330	-941	1996		N414DZ	Delta Air Lines	delivery 21sep22 TLS-NRT	ex F-WWYZ
Airbus A340	-313	538		HB-JMA	Swiss International	ferried 19sep22 CHR-ZRH after paint into same cs**	ex F-WWJJ
Airbus A350	-1041	503		B-LXP	Cathay Pacific	delivery 20sep22 TLS-HKG	ex F-WZNM
Airbus Canada A220	-30ß0	55167		N215BZ	Breeze Airways	delivery 22sep22 BFM-TPA	ex C-GPVE

Airbus Updates No.3804

 

Airbus A320	-232	1732		SU-NMB	Nesma Airlines	ferried 22sep22 CAI-LDE on return to lessor	ex G-MIDP
Airbus A320	-214	1879		F-GKXE	Air France	ferried 20sep22 TLS-DGX, for part-out & scrap	ex F-WWDX
Airbus A320	-232	2135		OE-LFF	Sapphire Leasing	regd 19sep22, parked at HYD, for Super Air Jet	ex VT-IKD
Airbus A320	-232	3183		4R-EXR	Fits Air	at CMB 22sep22 after paint into full cs	ex SU-BQB
Airbus A320	-214	3246		EK-YRB	Fly Arna	delivery 22sep22 SHJ-EVN	ex A6-ABM
Airbus A320	-232	3541		PK-SAY	Super Air Jet	delivery 22-23sep22 AMM-MAA-CGK	ex OE-ITK
Airbus A320	-232	3676		ZA-	Air Albania	at SAW 18sep22 in full cs, VP-reg prior delivery (+ 4934 ex VP-CEK)	ex VP-CLP
Airbus A320	-214	3954		ES-SAX	smartLynx Estonia	posn 19sep22 CHR-LOS, all white, Air Peace titl	ex VQ-BCN
Airbus A320	-232	4813		PK-SJH	Super Air Jet	at SAW 18sep22, OE-reg prior delivery	ex OE-ITM
Airbus A320	-232	4834		9H-GTS	Airhub Aviation	posn 22sep22 VNO-LIS on wet-lease to Cape Verde Airlines	ex VT-IGT
Airbus A320	-213	4933		N948AV	Avianca Colombia	delivery 22sep22 GYR-SLN for paint prior delivery	ex VP-CDC
Airbus A320	-232	4957		PK-SJL	Super Air Jet	delivery 22sep22 HYD-CGK	ex VT-IEM
Airbus A320	-214	5162		AP-BMV	Pakistan International	delivery 23sep22 SHJ-ISB, c/n tbc	ex OE-IPC
Airbus A320	-232	5407		ES-SAG	smartLynx Estonia	posn 19sep22 BJV-RHO-LOS on wet-lease to Air Peace	ex VP-CDL
Airbus A320	-232	5429		PK-BKO	Batik Air	OE-reg canx 21sep22 prior delivery ex SNN	ex OE-IEQ
Airbus A320	-232	5641		OE-IUX	Jackson Square Aviation	air-test at ISL 22sep22 prior delivery to?	ex VT-IFO
Airbus A320	-214	6054		A6-AUE	Air Arabia Abu Dhabi	posn re-regd 20sep22 SHJ-AUH after transfer	ex A6-ANX
Airbus A320	-214	6166		A6-AUG	Air Arabia Abu Dhabi	posn re-regd 22sep22 SHJ-AUH after transfer	ex A6-ANZ
Airbus A320	-214	7024		D-AIUS	Eurowings Discover	ferried 18sep22 MUC-NWI for paint prior transfer	ex D-AUBV
Airbus A320	-216	7057		HS-BBV	Thai AirAsia	ferried 20sep22 DMK-CGK after storage	ex F-WWBT

credit: Skyliner Aviation