Friday, 6 June 2025

Airbus Updates No.4498

 

Philippine Airlines to take first A350-1000s in late 2025

Philippine Airlines (PR, Manila Ninoy Aquino International) is due to take delivery of the first of nine A350-1000s in late 2025, according to Lucio Tan, chairman of PAL Holdings Inc, the carrier's controlling entity.

Speaking at a May 30, 2025, shareholders meeting in Manila, Tan said the aircraft would first be used to increase services to North America. He added that the first of thirteen A321-200Ns are due in 2026.

"Philippine Airlines is preparing for a significant fleet update with the planned delivery of nine A350-1000 long-range aircraft and thirteen A321neo regional jets over the next few years," he said. "PAL is likewise moving forward with a comprehensive retrofit programme for its existing A321-200 fleet."

Shareholders were told that Philippine Airlines had spent PHP20.26 billion pesos (USD363 million) on A350-1000 pre-delivery payments and PHP16.54 billion (USD297 million) on pre-delivery payments for the Airbus narrowbodies. The carrier will use these aircraft to expand its nonstop route network, and the carrier also wants to develop more partnerships with other airlines.

Tan noted that Philippine Airlines had just recorded its 14th consecutive quarterly profit, posting a PHP4.33 billion (USD77.6 million) profit in the first quarter of 2025, up around 20% on the comparable 2024 quarter.

"Philippine Airlines delivered solid financial results, expanded its network, and maintained high standards of operational reliability amid global challenges that have continued to impact the airline industry," the chairman said. "As we look ahead, all of us need to remain mindful of the challenges that we continue to face. Staying competitive will require us to manage our costs carefully and adapt to ever-changing circumstances."

Separately, last week's meeting also formalised the appointment of former SriLankan Airlines CEO Richard Nuttall as Philippine Airlines' new president and Carlos Luis Fernandez as executive vice president and COO.

Airbus Updates No.4497

 

IndiGo Orders 60 Airbus A350s To Fuel Long Haul Ambitions


IndiGo will fly the Airbus A350 as of 2027

IndiGo now has a firm order for 60 Airbus A350-900s, in addition to options for an additional 40 of these jets, meaning the airline would eventually fly 100 of Airbus’ flagship wide body aircraft. IndiGo placed the firm order for 30 A350s in April 2024, so the development is that the firm order has just been doubled, from 30 to 60 jets.

The airline expects to take delivery of its first A350s as of 2027, so we’re still a couple of years off from these planes joining IndiGo’s fleet. I find it noteworthy that the airline has exclusively ordered the smaller A350-900 variant, rather than the larger A350-1000 variant, given that the latter has even better unit costs, and Indian airlines don’t exactly struggle to fill seats.

For context, IndiGo is an Indian low cost carrier that was founded in 2006 and is now run by Pieter Elbers, the former CEO of KLM. IndiGo is India’s largest airline in terms of the number of passengers carried.

The airline currently has a fleet of over 400 aircraft, comprised primarily of Airbus A320-family jets. The pace at which IndiGo is growing is almost unheard of. For example, in 2023, IndiGo placed an order for 500 Airbus A320neo family aircraft, the largest single aircraft order in history. The airline has nearly 1,000 aircraft on order.

While IndiGo primarily operates domestic flights, the airline also has an international route network, with select destinations in Africa and Asia. While these A350s are the first wide body aircraft that IndiGo has ordered, the airline has previously ordered the A321XLR, which is Airbus’ new narrow body, long range aircraft.

IndiGo has sort of been dabbling with wide body aircraft for some time. In 2023, the airline started operating a couple of Boeing 777s in partnership with Turkish Airlines, flying primarily between Delhi and Istanbul. Now the airline is wet leasing Boeing 787s from Norse Atlantic, so that it can start to operate some long haul flights.

How will IndiGo’s business model evolve with the A350?

It’s fascinating to see how IndiGo’s business model has evolved over time. Historically, IndiGo has been a low cost carrier, and it goes without saying that the economics of being a low cost carrier are very different on short haul domestic flights than they are on long haul international flights, especially given the competitive landscape.

However, IndiGo has been making changes, slowly but surely. The airline has introduced its IndiGo Stretch product on select Airbus A321neos, which is essentially a regional business class product. IndiGo has also now announced plans to partner with Delta, Air France-KLM, and Virgin Atlantic.

As IndiGo continues to grow and expand, it sure sounds like the airline will become increasingly full service, given that this is where money is to be made on long haul flights. Presumably IndiGo will be going head-to-head against Air India in many international markets, with the wide body aircraft being used for flights to Europe, the United States, etc.

It’s an incredibly exciting time for aviation in India. We’re seeing Air India undergo a full transformation, and now IndiGo is evolving significantly as well. What’s certain is that there’s no shortage of demand for travel to and from India, so there’s room for multiple Indian airlines to succeed.

If anything, these updates are about Indian airlines reclaiming market share from Gulf carriers, rather than anything else. For so many years, Gulf carriers have essentially been the de facto national carriers of India, and that’s slowly changing. I can’t help but wonder if a decade or two down the road, this could also lead to changes in the business model at Gulf airlines.

There’s a lot of change at Indian airlines

Bottom line

IndiGo now has a firm order for 60 Airbus A350-900, in addition to 40 options. These planes will start to join the carrier’s fleet as of 2027.

It’s fascinating to see IndiGo’s evolution. The airline has historically been an all-economy low cost carrier, and it’s increasingly becoming premium, and partnering with global, full service airlines. IndiGo is already starting to dabble with long haul flying, thanks to Norse Atlantic 787 leases, but things will really start to get exciting in 2027

Airbus Updates No.4496

 

Sanctioned Belavia Acquires A330s Smuggled By Fake Gambian Airline

Belarusian national carrier Belavia is expanding its fleet with Airbus A330s, despite sanctions. How did the airline do this? Well, it bought planes from a Jordanian-Syrian businessman, from an airline registered in Gambia, which purchased the planes in a Turkish bankruptcy sale several years ago… as one does.

Belavia expanding fleet with three Airbus A330s

To start, let me explain that Belavia is the national airline of Belarus, and Belarus is Russia’s closest alley. So just as Russia has been subject to sanctions, Belarus has been as well. Currently, Belavia has a fleet of roughly 15 aircraft, consisting primarily of Boeing 737s and Embraer E-jets.

Much like Russian carriers, Belavia has been struggling with its fleet in recent years, given that the airline hasn’t been able to access Airbus and Boeing aircraft or parts. For example, the carrier’s fleet has shrunk by roughly half, as some leasing companies have repossessed their aircraft, in line with sanctions. Belavia has been looking for creative ways to grow its fleet, and it looks like the airline has accomplished exactly that.

Belavia is currently in the process of taking delivery of three Airbus A330-200s. The three frames are an average of 23 years old, and they’ll have the registration codes EW-587PD, EW-588PD, and EW-589PD. The planes all originally flew for Emirates, back in the day.

Two of the planes are expected to start flying later in 2025, while the third is expected to start flying in 2026. The aircraft apparently aren’t in good condition, both in terms of maintenance and passenger experience, so we’ll see how that works out, given the lack of access to parts.

It remains to be seen what exactly Belavia will do with these aircraft. Presumably we’ll only see service to “friendly” countries, like China, Russia, etc. I’m not sure if the airline really needs the range of these A330s, or if it’s just about offering higher capacity aircraft.

Belavia is expanding with three Airbus A330s

Fake Gambian airline Magic Air helped Belavia

The concept of aircraft being smuggled to sanctioned countries is nothing new. Russia, Iran, Syria, etc., have a lot of experience with this. As you’d expect, no reputable leasing company would send planes to a sanctioned country, since it would impact their ability to do business elsewhere.

Unsurprisingly, the story here is quite interesting. Roughly five years ago, a Jordanian businessman of Syrian origin purchased three Airbus A330s from the bankruptcy estate of Onur Air, a Turkish airline that went out of business. He then started Magic Air, an “airline” based in Gambia.

In reality, it wasn’t much of an “airline” at all, and never operated any flights with passengers. There’s very little information about the company online. In August 2024, the Gambian Civil Aviation Authority disclosed that the aircraft were sold to a buyer from the United Arab Emirates, and were taken off the Gambian register.

Despite the claim that the planes were being sold to a buyer from the UAE, in reality the planes were flown to Minsk, Belarus (MSQ), where they’ve been since that time, and have been prepared for entry into service. This wasn’t the guy’s first time assisting airlines with acquiring planes despite sanctions. The same person helped Syria’s Cham Wings acquire aircraft in the past.

Bottom line

Belavia is expanding its fleet with wide body aircraft, as the airline is expected to soon start flying three Airbus A330-200s. These planes were acquired from Gambia’s Magic Air, a suspicious airline based in Gambia, run by a Jordanian businessman. The world of smuggling aircraft to avoid sanctions is hardly new, though the process sure is fascinating.

Airbus Updates No.4495

 

 Airbus A330 -243 491  EW-587PD Belavia seen regd 02jun25 at MSQ (+ 509 EW-588PD, + 525 EW-589PD) tie-ups yet unclear exC5-TAD
 Airbus A330 -243 1038  A7-ACU Qatar Airways ferried 05jun25 DOH-ISL for paint ex A4O-DA
 Airbus A330 -343 1097  CS-WFP World2Fly ferried 29may25 JED-PMI after Garuda Hajj ops ex EC-LXR
 Airbus A330 -202(F) 1202  OE-IIP Air Lease Corp air-test at DRS 04jun25 prior delivery to Awesome Cargo ex EI-EJK
 Airbus A330 -243 1261  4R-ALT SriLankan Airlines delivery / first in svc 03-04jun25 CHR-CDG-CMB ex VP-BNX
 Airbus A330 -343 1358  T7-MMM San Marino Executive Aviation ferried 31may25 JED-ISL after Garuda Hajj ops ex B-LNM
 Airbus A330 -343(F) 1382  N338QT Avianca Cargo Mexico delivery 04-05jun25 HAK-HNL-MDE, to be based at NLU ex VP-CKD
 Airbus A330 -243F 1708  B-LKC Air Hong Kong air-test at HKG 01jun25 after transfer ex D-ALOS
 Airbus A330 -941 2090  N435DX Delta Air Lines delivery 30may25 TLS-NRT ex F-WWYF
 Airbus A350 -941 649  B-32G6 Sichuan Airlines onward delivery 04jun25 TSN-CTU after cabin config ex B-005T
 Airbus A350 -941 704  A6-EXE Emirates delivery 30may25 TLS-DXB ex F-WZGX
 Airbus Canada A220 -100CJ 50069  9H-16800 Comlux Aviation Malta delivery 30may25 IND-ZRH ex C-FOWU
 Airbus Canada A220 -300 55063  N179BZ Breeze Airways delivery 30-31may25 CAI-BRU-KEF-JFK-MCO, regd 03jun25 ex SU-GFB
 Airbus Canada A220 -300 55356  N253BZ Breeze Airways delivery 04jun25 BFM-TPA ex C-GPUV
 Airbus Canada A220 -300 55358  EI-HHW ITA Airways delivery 06jun25 YMX-FCO ex C-FPBQ

Airbus Updates No.4494

 

Airbus A319 -153N 12404  B-32KJ Tibet Airlines delivery 06jun25 TSN-CTU ex B-007E
 Airbus A319 -153N 12517  B-32LD Air China delivery 31may-01jun25 XFW-NQZ-PEK ex D-AVWG
 Airbus A320 -232 1482  G-GATH BA EuroFlyer ferried 30may25LGW-DGX, for part-out & scrap? ex OE-ICN
 Airbus A320 -216 3946  LY-MAD Heston Airlines delivery 04jun25 DGX-NWI, for paint ex EI-DTH
 Airbus A320 -214 5004  A6-AUL Air Arabia Abu Dhabi posn 31may25 SHJ-AUH after transfer (+ 5058 A6-AUM ex A6-AQE) ex A6-AQD
 Airbus A320 -232 5326  SU-NMZ Nesma Airlines delivery 05-06jun25 TSN-CIT-CAI ex B-6950
 Airbus A320 -214 5515  RP-C4262 Cebu Pacific Air ferried 01/´05jun25 MNL-CRK-MNL, paint into hybrid Flyadeal cs ex N361VA
 Airbus A320 -232 5596  TC-LBU Turkish Airlines delivers 29-30may25 KUL-MCT-SAW ex 9V-TRI
 Airbus A320 -232 6093  EC-OKJ Vueling delivery 03jun25 CDT-BCN ex 9H-WBT
 Airbus A320 -214 6458  SU- Air Cairo ferried 01jun25 NWI-BJV after paint, 9K-reg prior delivery ex 9K-AKG
 Airbus A320 -214 6538  9K-AKK Kuwait Airways ferried 06jun 25 BJV-BTS prior delivery to? ex F-WWIB
 Airbus A320 -232 7809  EC-OKJ Vueling delivery 30may25 CDT-BCN ex OE-IOG
 Airbus A321 -231(F) 2290  9H-CGR smartLynx Airlines Malta ferried 02jun25 CDT-DGX, for part-out & scrap? ex N279XS
 Airbus A321 -231(F) 3013  B- Sichuan Airlines delivery ß4jun25 TFU-GMP-CTU, N-reg ex N3013C
 Airbus A321 -251NX 11345  9H-PEC Play Europe posn 31may25 EMA-RMO after paint into all white, for SkyUp Europe ops ex TF-PLC
 Airbus A321 -271NXLR 12452  TF-IAC Icelandair delivery 31may25 XFW-KEF ex D-AZXN
 Airbus A321 -271NX 12513  ZK-NNH Air New Zealand delivery 31May-02jun25 XFW-MCT-KUL-CNS-AKL ex D-AYAJ
 Airbus A321 -252NX 12532  PH-AXH KLM Royal Dutch Airlines delivery 30may25XFW-AMS ex D-AVXE
 Airbus A321 -271NX 12557  HA-LGU Wizz Air delivery 30may25 XFW-BUD ex D-AVYL
 Airbus A321 -271MX 12610  9H-WME Wizz Air Malta delivery 05jun25 XFW-FCO ex D-AVZH

credit: Skyliner Aviation News

Wednesday, 28 May 2025

Airbus Updates No.4493

 

Levu Air Cargo to resume ops with sole Airbus A321F

Levu Air Cargo (LVU) is planning to resume operations after a six-month hiatus. The general director, Lucas Menero, told ch-aviation that its sole A321-200(PCF) PS-LVU (msn 775) is currently undergoing maintenance and should re-enter service soon.

Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows that the aircraft was grounded at Manaus International from December 5, 2024, until May 10, 2025, when it operated a flight to São José dos Campos U.E. Stumpf International. The 1998-vintage aircraft remains on the ground at São José dos Campos, with no confirmed date for its return to service.

Menero revealed that Levu Air Cargo also plans to expand its fleet with one more jet, but did not disclose which specific aircraft type it intends to obtain.

The airline previously told ch-aviation that it wants to add another A321-200(PCF) and was also looking to secure two A330-300(P2F)s for the launch of a Brazil-US service. However, due to the prolonged grounding of its sole aircraft, the airline's future plans remain in limbo.

Levu Air Cargo obtained its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) from Brazil's civil aviation authority (Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil - ANAC) in November 7, 2024. It started the freight operations only a few days later, partnering with DHL Worldwide Express. The airline abruptly stopped operations in December, after PS-LVU conducted a flight from Recife to Manaus.

Airbus Updates No.4492

 

Animawings cuts routes amid Airbus A220 delivery delays

Animawings (A2, Bucharest Henri Coanda) will cut two routes in its network during the 2025 summer season due to delays in the delivery of new A220-300s, the chief commercial officer Diana Dima told ch-aviation.

The Bucharest Henri Coanda-Oradea service will be suspended between June 11 and October 1, while the opening of a Bucharest-Dublin International route, planned for July 21, will be postponed indefinitely.

The airline had initially expected to add aircraft during the summer, but the delivery was postponed to September 2025. ch-aviation Commercial Aviation Aircraft Data data shows that Animawings is set to take two A220-300s under a dry-lease contract with Azorra, but the airline did not disclose whether both aircraft were planned for delivery during the 2025 summer season.

Animawings currently operates two A220-200s and three A320-200s. The company recently announced it would temporarily station one A320-200 at Timisoara and is considering opening more bases across Romania.

Airbus Updates No.4491

 Royal Jordanian takes delivery of 1st Airbus A320neo

On 28 May 2025, Royal Jordanian took delivery of its first Airbus A320neo. The aircraft is leased via Avolon and was handed-over after the delivery ceremony at Toulouse-Blagnac. JY-RAD (12304) later departed to its home at Amman.

The Airbus A320neo is the first of eight A320neo-family aircraft the airline is leasing from Avolon. In total, Royal Jordanian is planning to lease up to 20 A320neo/A321neo aircraft to renew and expand its current fleet of seven A320s and two A321s.

Next to its Airbuses, the airline is also operating a single A321-200P2F, seven B787-8s, two Embraer ERJ175s, one ERJ195, four E190-E2s, and two E195-E2s.

Airbus Updates No.4490

 Air Niugini ups Airbus A220-100 order

Air Niugini has disclosed it has ordered additional Airbus A220s. It did so when it celebrated its first A220 being in final assembly. The deal is for two A220-100s, which were previously booked as undisclosed by Airbus.

The airline selected the A220 in November 2023 and ordered six A220-100s directly with Airbus. It also signed a lease-agreement with Azorra for three A220-300s.

According to Air Niugini, the first A220 is scheduled to be delivered in September 2025. It plans to, initially, use its new aircraft to replace its ageing four Fokker 70s and five Fokker 100s. Later, the airline also plans to replace its three Boeing B737-800s with the type in order to standardise the fleet.

Air Niugini will become the 25th operator of the A220, of which now more than 900 have been ordered.

Airbus Updates No.4489

 VietjetAir doubles Airbus A330neo-order

During the French President's state visit to Vietnam, Airbus was able to sign a new contract with VietjetAir. In the agreement, the airline is doubling its order for A330-900s, taking it from 20 to 40. No delivery timeline has been communicated. The airline announced its first order for the A330-900 during the Singapore Air Show in February 2024.

According to Airbus' press-release, the VietjetAir is planning to utilise its additional widebodies to increase capacity on existing routes but also launch new long-haul flights between Vietnam and Europe.

VietjetAir is Vietnam's largest private carrier and it currently operates a fleet of 29 A320s, 42 A321-200s, 36 A321neos, and seven A330-300s. Next to its order of 40 A330-900s, the airline holds open orders for 96 A320neo-family aircraft as well as 200 B737MAXs with Boeing.

It's part of the VietjetAir Group, which next to the carrier in Vietnam, also consists of Thai VietjetAir, and its recently launched VietjetAir Qazaqstan.

Airbus Updates No.4488

 

Airbus A321 -251NX 12543  VT-NCR IndiGo Airlines delivery 23-24may25 XFW-DWC-DEL ex D-AZYR
 Airbus A321 -251NX 12553  G-HLYL Jet2 delivery 22may25 XFW-MAN ex D-AZYX
 Airbus A321 -271NX 12575  HA-LGV Wizz Air delivery 25may25 XFW-BUD ex D-AVXV
 Airbus A321 -271NX 12590  9H-WMC Wizz Air Malta delivery 22may25 XFW-FCO ex D-AVYK
 Airbus A321 -271NX 12621  SX-NAQ Aegean Airlines delivery 27may25 XFW-ATH ex D-AVZW
 Airbus A330 -343 913  OO-SFQ Brussels Airlines onward delivery 28may25 WOE-BRU ex D-AIKM
 Airbus A330 -343 1060  UK33032 Centrum Air at LPBJ 21may25 in full cs prior delivery ex VP-CRQ
 Airbus A330 -202 1313  N3103S CSDS Asset Management regd 23may25, stored at FCO ex EI-EJN
 Airbus A330 -343 1348  N873CA National Airlines air-test at MCO 23may25 prior svc entry ex D-AAAS
 Airbus A330 -343 1549  HL8561 T´way Air air-test at CHR 26may25, LZ-reg prior delivery ex LZ-DAW
 Airbus A330 -343 1572  A7-AEP Qatar Airways first in svc 19may25 DOH-BEY-DOH ex A4O-DH
 Airbus A330 -941 2094  N436DX Delta Air Lines delivery 21may25 TLS-NRT ex F-WWYZ
 Airbus A350 -941 727  TC-LHE Turkish Airlines delivery 21may25 TLS-IST ex F-WZNG
 Airbus A400 M-180 143  54+49 Luftwaffe delivery 28may25 SVQ-ETNW 

Airbus Updates No.4487

 

Airbus A320 -214 3460  SX-EBL Kapa Jet delivery 24may25 MST-ATH. all white ex C-GJLH
 Airbus A320 -214 4160  AP-BPG Air Sial delivery 23may25 AMM-KHI ex JY-AZB
 Airbus A320 -231 5531  7O-AFF Yemenia destroyed 28may25 at SAH by Israeli airstrike ex PS-ROV
 Airbus A320 -214 5773  D-AAAL Lufthansa Technik ferried 24-26may25 KKKJ-DMK-MCT-SOF ex JA21MC
 Airbus A320 -271N 8209  XA-VVG Volaris onward delivery 28may/25 SNN-BGR-MEX, VP-reg ex VP-CUE
 Airbus A320 -271N 8583  VP-COB ICBC Financial Leasing ferried 27may25 BLR-HYD ex VT-WJA
 Airbus A320 -271N 9218  2-MSLC Minsheng Financial Leasing ferried 21-22may25 COK-DWC-LDE ex VT-WJM
 Airbus A320 -271N 12304  JY-RAD Royal Jordanian Airlines delivery 28may25 TLS-AMM ex F-WWDS
 Airbus A320 -251N 12519  UK32075 Centrum Air delivery 28may25 TLS-TAS ex F-WWDX
 Airbus A320 -251N 12585  EI-SCG SAS Connect delivery 27may25 TLS-ARN ex F-WWIE
 Airbus A321 -231(F) 2303  RP- Royal Air Philippines at HAK 24may25 prior delivery ex 9H-CGI
 Airbus A321 -231 5936  UK32120 Air Samarkand re-delivery 21may25 ISL-SKD ex N692AV
 Airbus A321 -231 6009  TC-LBC Turkish Airlines delivery 21may25 SOF-IST ex OE-IZR
 Airbus A321 -271N 8937  2-FWCD FWCAS ferried 23-26may25 ASP-DRW-SZB-AUH-ISL, for AJet? ex VN-A626
 Airbus A321 -271NY 11058  F-WWBZ Airbus feried20may25 TLS-XFW for paint into Riyadh Air cs, for Paris Air Show demo 
 Airbus A321 -251NX 11345  9H-PEC Play Europe ferried 23may25 KEF-EMA, TF-reg for paint into all white prior transfer ex TF-PLC
 Airbus A321 -271NX 12425  N744NK Spirit Airlines delivery 22may25 BFM-DTW ex F-WZMS
 Airbus A321 -251NX 12447  B-32LT China Eastern delivery 28-29may25 TLS-NQZ-PVG ex F-WWSD
 Airbus A321 -271NX 12457  XA-VXV VivaAerobus delivery 22may25 BFM-MTY ex F-WZML
 Airbus A321 -271NX 12461  B-18121 China Airlines delivery 28-29may25 XFW-DWC_BKK-TPE ex D-AZYP

credit: Skyliner Aviation News

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Airbus Updates No.4498

  Philippine Airlines to take first A350-1000s in late 2025 Philippine Airlines  (PR,  Manila Ninoy Aquino International ) is due to take de...

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