Friday 30 September 2022

Airbus Updates No.3814

 

Alaska Airlines schedules A320 phase-out for early 1Q23

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'lPortland Int'lLos 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 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 (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.

Wednesday 28 September 2022

Airbus Updates No.3810

 

Ireland's Aer Lingus launches A320neo operations

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.

Saturday 24 September 2022

Airbus Updates No.3806

 

Airbus Wins Order for 40 A320neos from Xiamen Airlines

 - 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.

Friday 23 September 2022

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

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Airbus Updates No.4247

  Japan Airlines places orders with Airbus and Boeing On 21 March 2024, Japan Airlines announced that its board has approved orders for a to...

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