Airbus Updates No.4659

Emirates Airbus A380 in Arsenal colours

To commemorate Arsenal winning the Premier League for the first time in 22 years, Arsenal sponsor Emirates (since 2006!) decided to repaint A380 A6-EOE (169) in special colours.

On both sides it shows Viktor Gyökeres, Martin Ødegaard, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka with in the middle the Arsenal-crest and Champions.

It already made its first flight to, appropriately, London-Heathrow, on 29 May, as EK1.

Late afternoon on Saturday 30 May Arsenal will play in the UEFA Champions League final in Budapest, with Paris Saint Germain their opponents and current holders of the Champions League trophee.

This is a making off video of the Airbus at Dubai.

Credit: Emirates (Facebook)

Airbus Updates No.4658

 

Israir to expand with A330-200s

Israir has announced it has acquired two Airbus A330-200s, which are scheduled for delivery in the coming weeks. The airline plans to use its new widebody-aircraft on new long-haul flights. The first destination announced is New York (NY), with flights starting the latest in September 2026.

The two aircraft involved were previously operated by American Airlines and have been stored since February and March 2020. They will be registered 4X-BAK (1095) and 4X-BAL (1100). Both are currently being prepared at Marana-Pinal Air Park (AZ).

It's not the first time the airline used an Airbus A330. Between April and December 2008, it wet-leased an A330-200 from Eurofly. The two new A330-200s will join Israir's-fleet that is currently made-up of eight A320s.

Competitor Arkia has also began operating the A330, wet-leasing two A330-200s from HiFly since November 2025.

Airbus Updates No.4657

Swiss to dismantle some Airbus A220-100's

In October 2025, Swiss made a decision to park the majority of its Airbus A220-100s and use them as donors to keep its A220-300s in service. That decision was made due to the issues with the aircraft's Pratt & Whitney GTF-engines and the unavailability of replacement engines and parts. Now, the airline has announced that two of the A220-100s will not return to service and will be dismantled completely.

Swiss was the launch customer for the A220, called CSeries back in the day, and has taken delivery of nine A220-100s and 21 A220-300s. They decided to park the A220-100s as the -300 provide better economics.

According to the airline, they aren't planning to phase-out the A220 itself. The A220 isn't the only type that suffers from GTF-engine issues. Also the Airbus A320neo-family and the Embraer E2s suffers from the same challenges. Swiss currently also has five of its six A320neos and one of its seven A321neos parked.

Pratt & Whitney has said it expects the majority of the GTF-issues to be resolved by 2027. However, a retrofit of the engines of aircraft currently parked can take up to 300 days. This means returning parked aircraft back to service has a long lead time.

The current status of the Swiss A220-100s is:

• HB-JBA (50010), stored at Zurich since May 2026.
• HB-JBB (50011), stored at Toulouse-Francazal since April 2026.
• HB-JBC (50012), withdrawn from use in November 2025, and stored at Toulouse-Francazal since January 2026 and to be dismantled.
• HB-JBD (50013), withdrawn from use in November 2025, and stored at Toulouse-Francazal since January 2026 and to be dismantled.
• HB-JBE (50014), stored at Toulouse-Francazal since April 2026.
• HB-JBF (50015), currently active.
• HB-JBG (50016), stored at Maastricht since November 2024.
• HB-JBH (50017), stored at Toulouse-Francazal since May 2026.
• HB-JBI (50018), currently active.

Photo by Anton Homma.

Airbus Updates No.4656

Cathay Pacific increases Airbus A350F-order

Airbus announced on 27 May 2026, that the Cathay Group has decided to convert two options on the A350F into firm orders. With this conversion, Cathay now has eight A350Fs on firm order. No delivery timeline has been communicated.

Cathay selected the A350F in December 2023 and placed a firm order for six aircraft with options on another twenty. Deliveries of the first of these six was originally scheduled to begin in 2027.

The airline plans to use its new Airbuses to replace the older Jumbojets in the fleet, which currently is made-up of six B747-400Fs and fourteen B747-8Fs.

Illustration by Airbus.

Airbus Updates No.4655

 

Airbus A321	-271NX	12975		N14567	United Airlines	delivery 28may26 BFM-TPA	ex F-WZKW
Airbus A321	-271NX	13014		XA-VXY	Viva Aerobus	delivery 30may26 BFM-MTY	ex F-WZKA
Airbus A321	-251NX/LR	13084		VH-OLU	Jetstar Airways	delivery 30may-01jun26 TLS-IST-MCT-KUL-MEL	ex F-WWSB
Airbus A321	-271NX	13102		SX-NAZ	Aegean Airlines	delivery 27may26 XFW-ATH	ex D-AVZF
Airbus A321	-271NX	13147		N615DN	Delta Air Lines	delivery 28may26 BFM-MSP	ex F-WZKQ
Airbus A321	-251NX	13171		B-32RF	China Eastern	delivery 27-28may26 XFW-NQZ-PVG	ex D-AVZJ
Airbus A321	-251NX	13181		G-ZXIB	easyJet	delivey 27may26 XFW-LGW	ex D-AXXJ
Airbus A321	-251NX	13210		B-32RG	China Eastern	delivery 29may26 TSN-PVG	ex B-000T
Airbus A321	-271NX	13225		N678FR	Frontier Airlines	delivery 29may26 BFM-TPA	ex F-WZKV
Airbus A321	-251NX/LR	13233		G-SUNZ	Jet2	delivery 29may26 XFW-MAN	ex D-AXXM
Airbus A321	-252NX	13251		B-32QM	Air China	delivery 28may26 SN-CTU	ex B-000V
Airbus A321	-252NX	13305		PH-YHF	Transavia	delivery 29may26 TLS-AMS	ex F-WWSL
Airbus A330	-343	662		HS-XTA	Thai AirAsia X	ferried 30may26 DMK-CDT o return to lessor	ex 9M-XXL
Airbus A330	-343	670		F-WNFC	Airbus	ferried 28may25 LDE-TLS	ex EC-LXa
Airbus A330	-243	906		EC-ORP	Wamos Air	delivery 23/29may26 HAK-MAD-LETL, OE-regd by AerCap at MAD	ex OE-IGO
Airbus A330	-941	1861		7T-VLB	Air Algérie	delivery 26may26 LDE-ALG	ex F-WTBR
Airbus A330	-941	2119		PR-ANU	Azul Linhas Aéreas	delivery 29may26 TLS-CNF	ex F-WWYS
Airbus A350	-941	60		B-18922	China Airlines	for delivery 02jun26 CAN-ICN-TPE, regd D-AADF, all white	ex B-301D
Airbus A350	-1041	778		RP-C3511	Philippine Airlines	delivery 28may26 TLS-MNL	ex F-WZNV
Airbus Canada A220	-300	55445		N3307J	jetBlue Airways	delivery 28may26 BFM-MCO	ex C-GPWC

Airbus Updates No.4654

 

Airbus A320	-214	?		A6-AQU	Air Arabia	delivery 27may26 KUL-SHJ	ex ?
Airbus A320	-214	3221		5B-DEH	Tus Airways	first in svc 27may26 LCA-TLV-LCA	ex OE-IEK
Airbus A320	-213	3297		N320FR	Advantage Asset Sweden	ferried 30may26 DGX-EMA for paint into?	ex LY-BQS
Airbus A320	-216	3427		YR-HAC	Hello Jets	posn 28may26 OTP-FCO for Aeritalia wet-lease ops	ex 2-TKOC
Airbus A320	-214	3817		LY-TEN	GetJet Airlines	ferried 25may26 SQQ-SEN for paint	ex VP-CXT
Airbus A320	-214	8673		HZ-FAK	Flyadeal	ferried 28may26 DGX-JED after mx	ex F-WWBG
Airbus A320	-251N	12110		EI-SCI	SAS Connect	first in svc 30may26 ARN-CDG-ARN after ztansfer	ex SE-RJD
Airbus A320	-271N	12957		B-32Q3	Sichuan Airlines	delivery 29-30may26 TLS-SKD-CTU	ex F-WWII
Airbus A320	-251N	12964		VQ-CCO	Castlelake	feried 29-30may26 SAL-SBD-HNL-GUM	ex N909AV
Airbus A320	-251N	13182		B-32RV	Spring Airlines	delivey29-30may26 TLS-NQZ-PVG	ex F-WWDX
Airbus A320	-251N	13194		B-32R7	China Eastern	delivery 26may26 TSN-NKG	ex B-000Q
Airbus A320	-251N	13209		B-32RE	Xiamen Airlines	deliverv 28may26 TSN-XMN	ex B-000S
Airbus A320	-271N	13231		PS-LHO	Latam Airlines Brasil	delivery 31may26 TLS-FOR-QQSC	ex F-WWDR
Airbus A321	-211	1932		LZ-FSH	Fly2Sky	ferried 25may26 MIA-BGR.KEF-SOF after wet-lease ops for World Atlantic	ex OY-VKG
Airbus A321	-231	2234		HC-	AeroRegional	delivery 26may26 OPF-UIO, N-reg	ex N321AV
Airbus A321	-271NX	12142		N554DT	Delta Air Lines	onward delivery 27-28may256 LFBF-KEF-ATL	ex D-AXXY
Airbus A321	-253NX	12348		N301NY	American Airlines	delivery 28may26 OSR-DFW	ex D-AVYG
Airbus A321	-271NY	12809		9H-XLF	Wizz Air Malta	delivery 29may26 XFW-FCO	ex D-AVZQ
Airbus A321	-251NX	12898		B-32Q9	Hainan Airlines	delivery 27-28may26 XFW-TAS-HAK	ex D-AZAK
Airbus A321	-251NX	12967		HZ-ASAQ	Saudi Arabian Airlines	delivery 30may26 XFW-JED	ex D-AYAJ

Airbus Updates No.4653

 

Airbus flags further Airbus A350 delievery delays

Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) has notified select customers of further delivery delays affecting the A350 jets in the latter part of the 2020s. The delays originate from production problems at the former Spirit AeroSystems plant in the United States. Airbus acquired the facility in 2025, though staffing shortages have hindered the transition.

According to ch-aviation data, Turkish Airlines, Emirates, and Air India hold the largest number of direct A350 orders, with 76, 53, and 43 units, respectively.

Separately, supply disruptions impact Spanish production of cargo doors for the A350F. The OEM still aims to complete the freighter's first flight in 2026 and achieve its initial delivery in 2027.

Airbus Updates No.4652

 

easyJet to accelerate Airbus A319 exit to 2029

easyJet (London Luton) will accelerate the phase-out of its remaining A319-100s by one year, and plans to exit the type's operations by the end of September 2029, the carrier divulged in its half-yearly results.

The airline said that the hastened exit, made possible by accelerated deliveries of A320neo family aircraft, would generate approximately GBP250 million pounds (USD336 million) of incremental annual cost efficiencies in the financial years 2027 (October 2026-September 2027) and 2028. easyJet previously planned to exit the A319 type by 2030.

The A319 was once the mainstay of easyJet's fleet, comprising more than three-quarters of all aircraft at its peak in 2010-2011 (155 units in 2011). easyJet began taking A319s in 2004 to gradually replace first the legacy B737-300s and then its B737-700s. ch-aviation data shows the LCC currently operates forty-four A319s via the easyJet UK AOC, and another thirty-five via easyJet Europe.

The aircraft are being gradually replaced by A320-200Ns and A321-200NX, allowing the airline to upgauge its fleet.

"By replacing our A319 sub-fleet with more efficient A320neo family aircraft, we are structurally improving returns across the business," chief financial officer Jan De Raeymaeker said during an earnings call. "An A320neo delivers a 24% reduction in fuel burn per seat compared to an A319, increasing to around 30% for an A321neo."

The airline's new-generation fleet currently comprises seventy-six A320-200Ns and twenty-four A321-200NX across the British, Austrian, and easyJet Switzerland AOCs. It also operates 180 A320-200s. The airline has 284 unfilled orders for A320neo family aircraft, which it plans to take by 2034. It expects another 14 new aircraft by September 2026, 30 in the following 12 months, and 43 in the 12 months after that. Including deliveries, the airline's fleet will grow by 11 aircraft in financial year 2027, and by another eight in the next one.

Airbus Updates No.4651

 

Wizz Air to deploy XLRs as standard A321neo

Wizz Air (W6, Budapest) will integrate its eleven A321-200NY(XLR)s into the fleet as standard-range A321-200NX aircraft, and will not even demark them as a specific type, chief commercial officer Ian Malin said during Routes World 2026. Confirming what CEO József Váradi previously told ch-aviation, Malin said the aircraft no longer fit into the low-cost carrier's business model following the closure of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi. The group currently operates six XLRs, and will take the remaining five on order later this year. Plans to transfer the outstanding orders to another operator did not pan out, Malin confirmed.

Airbus Updates No.4650

1st KLM Airbus A350-900 painted

The first Airbus A350-900 for KLM has emerged from the paintshop at Toulouse-Blagnac. The aircraft, currently registered F-WZNM (809), will now be readied for its first flight. Delivery as PH-ZNA is planned to happen at the end of this summer, with two more A350s to follow before the end of the year.

KLM has orders for 22 A350-900s which will be used by the airline to replace the A330 and Boeing B777-200ER in the fleet. The first destinations announced are Dar es Salaam and Toronto.

Today, KLM's fleet is made-up of fifteen A321neos, six A330-200s, five A330-300s, seven B737-700s, 27 B737-800s, five B737-900s, fifteen B777-200ERs, sixteen B777-300ERs, thirteen B787-9s, and fifteen B787-10s.

Photo by Eurospot.

Airbus Updates No.4649

 

Airbus A320	-251N	13216		B-32RW	Hainan Airlines	delivery 14-15may26 TLS-TAS-HAK	ex F-WWIA
Airbus A320	-251N	13234		JA220P	Peach Aviation	delivery 15-16may26 TLS-TAS-KIX	ex F-WWTR
Airbus A320	-251N	13242		OE-LUH	easyJet Europe	delivery 13may26 TLS-BER	ex F-WWDS
Airbus A320	-251N	13301		B-32RP	China Eastern	delivery 16may26 TSN-PVG	ex B-007G
Airbus A321	-251NX	13010		B-32R2	China Southern	delivery 16-17may26 XFW-NQZ-CAN	ex D-AZXN
Airbus A321	-251NX	13087		HS-TOF	Thai International	delivery 15-16may26 XFW-ASB-BKK	ex D-AZYO
Airbus A321	-271NX	13128		TC-LRF	Turkish Airlines	delivery 15may26 XFW-ISL	ex D-AVYI
Airbus A321	-251NX	13156		VT-NOB	IndiGo Airlines	delivery 15may26 XFW-JED-DEL	ex D-AVXK
Airbus A321	-251NX	13177		B-32R3	China Southern	delivery 16may25 TSN-CAN	ex B-000P
Airbus A321	-271NXLR	13179		N611DN	Delta Air Lines	delivery 20-21may27 TLS-KEF-MSP-MCI	ex F-WWSJ
Airbus A321	-271NX	13187		XA-VXX	Volaris	delivery 19may26 BFM-MEX	ex F-WZKP
Airbus A330	-243(F)	666		SU-GCG	EgyptAir	re-delivery 14may26 DRS-CAI	ex F-WWKQ
Airbus A330	-941	2124		B-58308	StarLux Airlines	delivery 15may26 TLS-TPE	ex F-WWCI
Airbus A330	-941	2127		OY-VKR	Sunclass Airlines	delivery 15may26 TLS-CPH	ex F-WWCO
Airbus A340	-642	897		D-AIHV	Universal Sky Carrier	delivery 15-16may26 LETL-PMI-MNL, for mx & paint, to be re-regd	ex F-WWTI
Airbus A350	-941	783		N532DZ	Delta Air Lines	delivery 16may26 TLS-NRT	ex F-WZNB
Airbus Canada A220	-300	55429		N339DU	Delta Air Lines	delivery 14may26 BFM-MSP	ex C-GPSW
Airbus Canada A220	-300	55431		N265BZ	Breeze Airways	delivery 20may26 BFM-TPA	ex C-GPZX
Airbus Canada A220	-300	55432		N3304J	jetBlue Airways	delivery 20may26 BFM-YMX	ex C-GIXY

Airbus Updates No.4648

 

Airbus A319	-153N	13141		B-32QP	Air China	delivery 19may26 TSN-CTU	ex B-000L
Airbus A320	-212	360		N338NW	Delta Air Lines	ferried 12may26 ATL-BHM, for part-out & scrap	ex F-WWBY
Airbus A320	-214	2178		LZ-EAO	Electra Airways	ferried 20may26 VAR-OSR for paint	ex 9H-ANP
Airbus A320	-214	2743		OE-IHO	Andromeda Leasing	regd 12may26, parked at LDE	ex F-HDRE
Airbus A320	-214	2828		LY-MLF	Avion Express	posn 18may26 CDT-LOS for Air Peace wet-lease ops	ex SX-DGN
Airbus A320	-214	2899		F-HDRF	Amelia	ferried 18may26 JED-LDE after Flynas wet-lease ops	ex B-6287
Airbus A320	-232	3033		YU-APU	Air Serbia	for delivery may26 ex WOE (+ 3392 YU-APV)	ex 9H-ANQ
Airbus A320	-214	3215		5B-	Tus Airways	delivery 20may26 MME-LCA, OE-reg	ex OE-IEK
Airbus A320	-232	4094		9H-ANW	Arena Aviation Capital	ferried 15may26DUS-CDT, LY-reg	ex LY-NVF
Airbus A320	-214	4223		9H-MLQ	Avion Express Malta	ferried 14may26 RJKPRG on return to lessor	ex HA-LWA
Airbus A320	-214	4448		LY-NVN	Avion Express	posn 17-18may26 VNO-CDT-LOS for Air Peace wet-lease ops	ex N835VA
Airbus A320	-232	4934		RA-73899	North-West Air Company	delivery 14apr/15may26 ISL-MCT-URA, regd at MCT	ex VQ-CEK
Airbus A320	-232	5367		JY-AYW	Royal Jordanian	ferried 19may26 AMM-NOC after storage	ex F-WWDU
Airbus A320	-214	8060		UK32077	Centrum Air	delivery 14may26 TNA-TAS “Alisher Navoiy”	ex B-1023
Airbus A320	-214	8673		HZ-FAK	Flyadeal	ferried 16-17may26 RUH-JED-DGX after storage	ex F-WWBG
Airbus A320	-251N	12880		D-AIID	Lufthansa City Airlines	delivery 20may26 XFW-ATH	ex D-AUAV
Airbus A320	-251N	12919		B-32PC	Shenzhen Airlines	delivery 19-20may26 TLS-NQZ-SZX	ex F-WWIS
Airbus A320	-251N	13078		B-32Q7	Shenzhen Airlines	delivery 14may26 TSN-SZX	ex B-000C
Airbus A320	-251N	13174		B-32RH	Hainan Airlines	delivery 20-21may26 TLS-TAS-HAK	ex F-WWBV
Airbus A320	-251N	13205		A9C-TI	Gulf Air	delivery 21may26 TLS-BAH	ex F-WWBY

credit: Skyliner Aviation News

Airbus Updates No.4647

 Lufthansa Group orders new widebodies

On 11 May 2026, the Lufthansa Group's Supervisory Board approved orders for additional widebodies at both Airbus and Boeing. Both manufacturers will receive an order for ten aircraft; Airbus for ten A350-900s and Boeing for ten B787-9s.

Delivery of the additional aircraft is scheduled to take place between 2032 and 2034. Which airline in the group will receive the aircraft will be decided on a later stage.

Before this order, the Lufthansa Group held open orders with Airbus for 40 A220-300s, 24 A320neos, fifteen A321neos, 21 A350-900s, and fifteen A350-1000s. With Boeing, the airline Group has unfilled orders for 40 B737MAXs, 27 B777-9s, and 23 B787-9s.

 

Airbus Updates No.4646

 Ethiopian Airlines in talks for new Airbus-order

Bloomberg is reporting that Ethiopian Airlines is in talks with Airbus about a potential new order. According to the article, the talks are for six additional A350s but also for up to 20 A220s.

It's also said that the discussions are still in an early stage and that no final decisions have been made on the order and its potential size.

The order would be part of the country's aviation expansion plan. Not only is it growing state-owned carrier Ethiopian Airlines but it's also building a new airport near Bishoftu, 45 kilometers from Addis Ababa. The airport is planned to open in 2030 and will initially have a capacity to handle 60 million passengers per year, growing to 110 million passengers by 2036.

Last month, Ethiopian Airlines also announced an order for additional Boeing B787-9s.

Airbus Updates No.4645

 

Airbus A330	-941	1901		PR-ANB	Azul Linhas Aéreas	ferried 07may26 VCP-LETL, for Gol Linhas Aéreas, reg PS-WGG res	ex VP-CUJ
Airbus A350	-941	52		B-18920	China Airlines	first in svc 09may26 TPE-BKK-TPE	ex 2-AADE
Airbus A350	-941	782		SE-RSH	SAS	delivery 30apr26 TLS-CPH	ex F-WZN
Airbus A350	-941	787		SU-GGI	EgyptAir	delivery 03may26 TLS-CAI	ex F-WZNG
Airbus Canada A220	-300	55433		N266BZ	Breeze Airways	delivery 08may26 BFM-TPA	ex C-GPQZ
Airbus Canada A220	-300	55439		N341DU	Delta Air Lines	delivery 01may26 YMX-MSP	ex C-FOUY