Airbus Updates No.4416

Korean Air increases Airbus A321neo-order

In a filing to the South Korean Stock Exchange, Korean Air has disclosed it has decided to firm-up options on six Airbus A321neos into firm orders.

Last year, in October 2023, the airline also ordered additional A321neos and has now in total ordered 56 of them. Of these, it has taken, so far, delivery of fifteen of them.

Subsidiary Asiana Airlines is also an A321neo-operator and has eleven of them in the fleet. The airline also holds orders on fourteen more.

Photo by Anton Homma.

Airbus Updates No.4415

Animawings welcomes 1st Airbus A220-300

On 13 December 2024, Animawings took delivery of its first Airbus A220. The aircraft, YR-CHR (55316), arrived at Bucharest via Reykjavik a day later. Unfortunately, the aircraft is currently all white.

The Airbus is the first of two A220-300s the airline is planning to take delivery of this year. Both are leased from Azorra. The next fun is going to be YR-FUN (55321).

Earlier this year, Animawings announced a plan to expand the fleet to twelve aircraft by 2027. It plans to do so by adding the A220 as well as A320s. Before the delivery of the A220, the airline was operating a single A320.

Airbus Updates No.4414

Royal Jet orders ACJ320neos

During the MEBAA 2024 air show at Dubai World Central Airport, Royal Jet announced it has signed an order with Airbus for the ACJ320neo. The deal is for nine aircraft, three firm and six purchase rights. No delivery timeline has been communicated.

Royal Jet was established in 2003 and is currently operating a fleet of nine Boeing B737-700BBJs. It also operates three Bombardier Global business jets.

Photo by Airbus.

Airbus Updates No.4413

Unique milestone for Kuwait Airways

Kuwait Airways has reached an unique milestone by becoming the world's first airline to operate both Airbus A330neo-types as it took delivery of its first A330-900. This aircraft, 9K-APJ (2081), arrived at Kuwait on 10 December 2024.

The aircraft is the first of seven A330-900s the airline has on order and joins a fleet of four A330-800s. Furthermore, the fleet of Kuwait Airways is made up of two A320s, nine A320neos, and ten Boeing B777-300ERs.

Photo by Kuwait Airways.

Airbus Updates No.4412

 

Aircalin orders two A350-900s

Aircalin (SB, Nouméa La Tontouta) has disclosed a new order for two A350-900s directly from Airbus. The airline said that the new widebodies will reinforce its capacity on the recently launched Nouméa La Tontouta-Bangkok Suvarnabhumi-Paris CDG route and allow for other network expansions.

The A350s "will open the doors to very long-haul flights and enable Aircalin to pursue its development strategy,” CEO Georges Selefen said.

The airline did not disclose the expected delivery timeline other than saying that the aircraft will join its fleet "in the coming years". Aircalin did not respond to ch-aviation's request for comment.

The airline's widebody fleet currently comprises two A330-900s. Chief Commercial Officer William Le Grand told ch-aviation recently that one of the pair will undergo C-Check in 2025, which will force Aircalin to seek third-party capacity to cover for the downtime. Besides the Bangkok-Paris route, the A330s also connect Nouméa with Auckland International, Brisbane International, Nadi, Papeete, Singapore Changi, and Sydney Kingsford Smith.

The airline also operates two A320-200Ns.

Airbus Updates No.4411

 

Turkish Airlines mulls modified A350-1000s on Australian ops

Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul Airport) will modify up to five A350-1000s to fly non-stop to Australia and beyond, CEO Bilal Eksi recently told Aviation Week. The aircraft could have up to 60 business class seats, reducing overall weight and allowing it to fly further, he said, adding that flights to New Zealand are on the cards, albeit not until at least 2026.

Turkish Airlines commenced flights to Australia this year. Thrice weekly flights to Melbourne Tullamarine use A350-900 stock and fly via Singapore Changi for refuelling, while 4x weekly services to Sydney Kingsford Smith use the same aircraft type and stopover at Kuala Lumpur International, also for refuelling.

Eksi says his existing B787-9s can fly nonstop between Istanbul and Melbourne but doing so requires operating with a suboptimal load. Instead, he says Turkish will maintain the Southeast Asian stopovers while awaiting the A350-1000s. Turkish Airlines has 15 on order, and deliveries are due to start in 2025.

The planned premium-seat-heavy configuration on the A350-1000 subset cuts the aircraft's overall weight while keeping revenues high enough to make the nonstop flights economically viable. The bulk of the -1000 fleet will have fewer business-class seats but be deployed onto shorter routes.

Eksi said that once the nonstop services to Sydney and Melbourne are in place, Auckland could be next. The arrival of the A350-1000 will also open options in South America, he added. Turkish Airlines currently flies to São Paulo Guarulhos and Buenos Aires Ministro Pistarini and is starting services to Santiago de Chile mid-December. However, like the Australian services, the flights to Chile and Argentina require a refuelling stop, in this case São Paulo.

Airbus Updates No.4410

 

Air India orders 10 A350s and 90 A320neo Family aircraft

Air India (AI, Delhi International) has ordered ten incremental A350 Family widebodies and ninety incremental A320neo Family narrowbodies. The newly announced deal has increased the airline's firm order book placed with Airbus since its privatisation to 350 aircraft, of which six - all A350-900s - have already been delivered.

The airline did not disclose the timeline for the deliveries of the newly disclosed aircraft. It also did not detail the variant split in either of the aircraft families (other than saying that the narrowbody order will also include the A321-200N variant). A spokesperson told ch-aviation that the airline was not ready to disclose this information just yet.

Airbus confirmed that the orders were formalised earlier this year and are already logged in the manufacturer's order book for 2024.

The carrier's order book with manufacturers currently comprises seventy A320-200Ns and 140 A321-200NX with CFM International LEAP-1A engines, fourteen A350-900s (with six already in service), twenty A350-1000s, 105 B737-8s, fifty B737-10s, and twenty B787-9s with General Electric GEnx engines, and ten B777-9s. Its in-service fleet already includes 101 A320-200Ns, thirteen A321-200NX, and one A321-200NX(LR) in terms of the A320neo Family.

Airbus Updates No.4409

 

Neptune developing Airbus A319 for aerial firefighting

Neptune Aviation Services plans to convert Airbus A319 aircraft into water bombers to enhance its aerial firefighting capabilities. 

The Montana-based operator has partnered with French company Aerotec & Concept to convert the Airbus A319 into a water bomber, marking the first time the aircraft has been modified for firefighting purposes. The initial conversion is slated for completion by 2027. 

“The Airbus A319’s increased capacity and advanced features make it an ideal choice for wildland firefighting,” Johan Clochet, CEO of Aerotec & Concept, stated. “With our extensive experience in aircraft modification, we are confident this transition will enhance Neptune’s firefighting capabilities.” 

Neptune Aviation currently operates nine BAe 146-200 AT aircraft from its base at Missoula Montana Airport (MSO). 

The move to the A319 will boost retardant capacity to a minimum of 4,500 gallons (17,000 liters), a significant increase compared to the BAe 146’s maximum capacity of 3,000 gallons (11,300 liters). Neptune will conduct rigorous airflow modeling and tank flow evaluations to ensure the aircraft meets the performance needed for firefighting missions.

 The exact number of A319 airframes Neptune will acquire is still uncertain, as is the source for these airframes. Ultimately, it aims to maintain a mixed fleet of 10 to 15 Airbus A319s and BAe 146s, providing flexibility to respond to different wildfire conditions. 

“As the leader in aerial firefighting, we are always focused on continuous improvement,” said Jennifer Draughon, President of Neptune Aviation. “The Airbus A319’s larger size and higher maximum takeoff weight allow for greater fire retardant capacity, improving operational efficiency, and enhancing the safety of our crews, firefighters on the ground, and the communities we protect.” 

The initiative has garnered support from key stakeholders, including the US Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Airbus will also provide ongoing technical support to ensure the modifications meet wildland firefighting requirements. 

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Airbus Updates No.4408

 Swiss increases Airbus A350-900 commitment

On 5 December 2024, Swiss announced it has decided to increase its commitment to the Airbus A350-900s from five to ten. The airline announced its intention to take on A350s in late 2022. All of the ten aircraft will come from the open orders the Lufthansa Group holds for the type with Airbus.

Delivery of the first batch of A350-900s is to begin in summer next year. The second batch is to arrive from 2027 onwards. The airline expects to have all ten in operation by 2031.

Currently, the long-haul fleet of Swiss is made-up of fourteen Airbus A330-300s, four A340-300s, and twelve Boeing B777-300ERs.

Airbus Updates No.4407

 Airbus November 2024 orders & deliveries

In November 2024, Airbus received orders for 30 aircraft. However, all are assigned, unfortunately, to undisclosed customers. Next to that, the manufacturer received eighteen cancellations and was able to deliver 84 new Airbuses.

Ordered were:

• 10 A321neos by an Undisclosed customer
• 15 A330-900s by an Undisclosed customer
• 5 A350-900s by an Undisclosed customer

Cancelled were:

• 3 A320neos by Avolon
• 1 A321neo by Avolon
• 14 A220-300s by Ilyushin Financing Co.

Delivered were:

• 2 A321neos to AirAsia
• 1 A220-300 to AirBaltic
• 1 A320neo to Air Cairo
• 1 A220-300 to Air Canada
• 1 A220-300 to Air France
• 1 A220-300 to Air Lease Corporation
• 2 A321neos to American Airlines
• 1 A321neo to Asiana Airlines
• 1 A320neo to Avianca
• 2 A220-300s to Breeze Airways
• 1 A321neo to China Airlines
• 1 A320neo to China Eastern Airlines
• 1 A320neo to China Southern Airlines
• 2 A321neos to China Southern Airlines
• 1 A320neo to Condor
• 1 A220-300 to Delta Air Lines
• 1 A321neo to Delta Air Lines
• 1 A350-900 to Delta Air Lines
• 1 A350-900 to Emirates
• 1 A350-1000 to Ethiopian Airlines
• 1 A320neo to flyadeal
• 1 A321neo to Frontier Airlines
• 1 A320neo to Hainan Airlines
• 2 A321neos to HK Express
• 1 A320neo to Huaxia Airlines
• 1 A321neo to Icelandair
• 2 A320neos to IndiGo
• 5 A321neos to IndiGo
• 1 A220-100 to ITA Airways
• 1 A321neo to Jet2
• 2 A220-300s to JetBlue
• 1 A320neo to Jetsmart
• 1 A320neo to Jetstar
• 1 A321neo to Korean Air
• 1 A320neo to Loong Air
• 1 A350-900 to Lufthansa
• 1 A330-900 to Malaysia Airlines
• 4 A321neos to Pegasus Airlines
• 1 A220-300 to QantasLink
• 1 A320neo to Royal Jordanian
• 1 A321neo to Saudia
• 2 A320neos to Sichuan Airlines
• 1 A350-900 to Singapore Airlines
• 1 A220-300 to Smartwings
• 2 A321neos to Spirit Airlines
• 2 A320neos to Spring Airlines
• 1 A320neo to Starflyer
• 1 A320neo to Swiss
• 1 A320neo to TAP Air Portugal
• 1 A319neo to Tibet Airlines
• 1 A320neo to Transavia France
• 2 A321neos to Turkish Airlines
• 8 A321neos to United Airlines
• 2 A321neos to VietJet
• 1 A320neo to Volaris
• 1 A321neo to Volaris
• 1 A321neo to Wizz Air

In 2024, the total ordered aircraft stands at 779. If you detract the 37 cancellations, it leaves a net of 742 orders. The number of delivered aircraft stands at 643.

Airbus Updates No.4406

Icelandair welcomes 1st Airbus A321neo

On 3 December 2024, Icelandair welcomed the arrival of its very first Airbus A321neo. A321-200NX TF-IAA (12213) landed safely at Keflavik from Hamburg-Finkenwerder.

The aircraft is planned to enter commercial service on 10 December 2024, with the inaugural flight going to Stockholm. On the same day, it will also fly to Copenhagen. On 5 January 2025, it's scheduled to fly a one-off service to Amsterdam. When more Airbuses arrive, the A321neo will appear at more airports, including destinations in Canada and the US.

Icelandair has orders and leases for 20 A321neos, seven A321-200NXs leased via CDB and SMBC, and thirteen A321-200NYs ordered directly with Airbus. This latter type is scheduled for delivery from 2029 onwards. In the fleet, the A321neos will take the place of the current thirteen Boeing B757s.

Photo by Airbus.

Airbus Updates No.4405

Malaysia Airlines takes delivery of 1st A330neo

On 28 November 2024, Malaysia Airlines took delivery of its first Airbus A330neo. It was handed-over during a special ceremony at Toulouse-Blagnac. The aircraft, A330-941 9M-MNG (2020), flew non-stop to Kuala Lumpur. Here, it was welcomed by a Sukhoi Su-30 escort of the air force and together they conducted a fly-pass over the airport before landing.

Malaysia Airlines has orders for twenty A330-900s. Ten of these, including this one, are leased via Avolon. The other ten have been ordered directly with Airbus. The airline is planning to utilize its new widebody-aircraft as a replacement of its current fleet of A330s and will deploy them to destinations in Asia and Australia.

The fleet of Malaysia Airlines is now made-up of nine A330-200s, fifteen A330-300s, a single A330-900, seven A350-900s, 42 Boeing B737-800s, and four B737-8s.

Photo by Airbus.

Airbus Updates No.4404

 

Airbus A321	-271NX	12204		N44522	United Airlines	delivery 06dec24 BFN-TPA	ex F-WZMF
Airbus A321	-271NX	12206		XA-VUM	Volaris	delivery 06dec24 BFM-MEX	ex F-WZMJ
Airbus A321	-271NX	12208		N54525	United Airlines	delivery 02dec24 BFM-TPA	ex F-WZMK
Airbus A321	-271NX	12213		TF-IAA	Icelandair	delivery 03dec24 XFW-KEF	ex D-AZXZ
Airbus A321	-271NX	12219		HA-LGR	Wizz Air	delivery 03dec24 XFW-BUD	ex D-AZXA
Airbus A321	-251NX	12225		9M-VAG	AirAsia	delivery 07-08dec24 XFW-DWC-KUL	ex D-AZWN
Airbus A321	-2353NX	12270		B-32JZ	China Southern	delivery 03dec24 TSN-CAN	ex B-000S
Airbus A321	-271NX	12274		N2193J	jetBlue Airways	delivery 07dec24 XFW-JFK	ex D-AZXB
Airbus A321	-271NX	12276		N657FR	Frontier Airlines	delivery 04dec24 BFM-TPA	ex F-WZMR
Airbus A321	-251NX	12318		B-32KD	China Eastern	delivery 05-06dec24 XFW-NQZ-PVG	ex D-AZYB
Airbus A321	-271NX	12335		N741NK	Spirit Airlines	delivery 03dec24 BFM-DTW	ex F-WZMW
Airbus A330	-243	494		PR-AIU	Azul Linhas Aéreas	ferried 01-02dec24 VCP-FLL-P08, for part-out & scrap	ex EI-EYO
Airbus A330	-203	503		F-GZCJ	Air France	ferried 05dec24 LDE-CDT, for part-out & scrap
Airbus A330	-243	926		5A-BRG	Berniq Airways	delivery 04dec24 WOE-BEN	ex VP-CKK
Airbus A330	-202	1218		XA-LRL	Awesome Cargo	ferried 01dec24 NLU-DRS, for P2F-conversion	ex EI-EJI
Airbus A330	-343	1832		9M-LFH	Batik Air Malaysia	first in svc 06-07dec24 KUL-DMK-KUL after transfer	ex PK-LEM
Airbus A340	-313	528		A7-AAH	Qatar Executive	ferried 03-04dec24 DOH-SNN-CWF for onward storage	ex B-18851
Airbus A350	-1041	683		JA08WJ	Japan Airlines	delivery 06dec24 TLS-HND	ex F-WZFZ
Airbus A350	-1041	702		ET-BAX	Ethiopian Airlines	delivery 06dec24 TLS-ADD	ex F-WZFL
Airbus A400M	-180	139		21 /red)	Kazakhstan Air Force	delivery 05dec24 SVQ-ALA

Airbus Updates No.4403

 

Airbus A319	-112	2913		OE-IOM	Celestial Aviation	ferried 01-02dec24 AMM-BGO-KEF:BGR-GWO, for partäour & scrap	ex JY-AYY
Airbus A319	-131	1380		G-EUPT	British Airways	ferried 03dec24 LHR-DGX, for part-out & scrap	ex D-AVWH
Airbus A319	-133CJ	2192		TU-VAS	Force Aérienne de Côte d´Ivoire	ferried 30nov-01dec24 BSL-SNN-DTW-TUS	ex F-WBGX
Airbus A319	-112	3727		F-HDSJ	Amelia	posn 28-29nov24 CDG-CHQ-MCT-BKK for wet-lease to Bangkok Airways	ex OE-IRC
Airbus A320	-214	2665		UK32073	Centrum Air	delivery 05dec24 ATH-TAS	ex 5B-DDL
Airbus A320	-214	4335		F-HBNA	Amelia	posn 27-28nov24 CDG-CHQ-MCT-BKK for wet-lease to Bangkok Airways	ex EI-HHF
Airbus A320	-232	4804		B-LPS	Hong Kong Airlines	delivery 06dec24 HAK-HKG, VP-reg	ex VP-CHG
Airbus A320	-271N	7507		VP-CJF	Jackson Square Aviation	ferried 04dec24 CNN-HYD	ex VT-WGF
Airbus A320	-251N	12167		B-32H5	Hainan Airlines	delivery 04-05dec24 TLS-MCT-HAK	ex F-WWTS
Airbus A320	-251N	12249		B-32KG	China Eastern	delivery 04dec24 TSN-PVG	ex B-000R
Airbus A320	-251N	12263		B-32H6	Hainan Airlines	delivery 07-08dec24 TLS-MCT-HAK	ex F-WWDK
Airbus A320	-272N	12298		VN-A515	Vietnam Airlines	delivery 06-07dec24 TLS-DXB-HAN	ex F-WWDU
Airbus A320	-251N	12299		B-32J6	China Southern	delivery 03-04dec24 TLS-NQZ-CAN	ex F-WWDM
Airbus A320	-271N	12303		D-ANCY	Condor	delivery 02dec24 XFW-DUS	ex F-WWIY
Airbus A320	-251N	12434		B-32JT	Spring Airlines	delivery 07dec24 TSN-PVG	ex B-000K
Airbus A321	-231	6294		TC-LBD	Turkish Airlines	delivery 04dec24 SNN-IST	ex OE-IZX
Airbus A321	-231	6399		YI-BBA	Global Aviation	first in svc 01dec24 CAI-ISL	ex N729AV
Airbus A321	-271NX	11107		VN-A545	Vietjet Air	delivery 03-04dec24 XFW-DXB-SGN	ex D-AVXC
Airbus A321	-251NX	12127		G-SUNM	Jet2	delivery 06dec24 XFW-MAN	ex D-AZWQ
Airbus A321	-251NX	12165		VT-ICZ	IndiGo Airlines	delivery 06dec24 XFW-DEL	ex D-AVXI

credit: Aviation News

Airbus Updates No.4402

 

 

Emirates takes delivery of its first A350

Dubai, Toulouse – 25 November 2024: Emirates marks an important fleet milestone today with the delivery of its first Airbus A350 aircraft.  A6-EXA is the first of 65 A350 aircraft to be delivered to the airline over the course of the next few years. The delivery also marks the first new aircraft type to join the Emirates fleet since 2008.

The aircraft was officially handed over this morning to Emirates and will soon embark on its ferry flight from Toulouse (TLS) to Dubai today at 1600hrs local time.

Aviation enthusiasts and Airbus A350 fans can track the flight’s journey in real time on Flight Radar 24. Once the Emirates A350 lands in Dubai, the aircraft will receive its finishing touches at Emirates Engineering before being officially unveiled at a special event later this week. 

The delivery flight for the newest member of the Emirates fleet was powered by a blend of jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The aircraft will officially enter commercial service in January when it makes its debut flight to its first destination, Edinburgh, followed by 8 other destinations across the Middle East, West Asia and Europe.

Airbus Updates No.4401

Smartwings welcomes 1st Airbus A220-300

On 21 November 2024, Smartwings took delivery of its first Airbus A220. The aircraft, A220-300 OK-EYA (55311) arrived at Prague after a delivery flight from Mirabel via Reykjavik.

It wears the full livery of Czech Airlines, the brand Smartwings will operate the aircraft under. On 26 October 2024, Czech Airlines officially ceased to exist as a separate airline, ending a 101-year history. As of then, the flights are consolidated on the Smartwings Air Operator's Certificate but still use the CSA-branding.

The A220 is the first of four leased and is expected to enter commercial service on 25 November 2024, operating from Prague to Paris-Charles de Gaulle.

Photo by PRG Airside

Airbus Updates No.4400

 Etihad Airways increases Airbus A350F-order

Etihad has announced it has decided to exercise Airbus A350F-options and convert these into firm orders. In total, the airline is expanding its A350F-orderbook with three aircraft, bringing it to a total of ten.

The airline ordered its first seven A350Fs in 2022. Delivery of its first one is expected to take place late 2026 or early 2027. Etihad will use its new freighters to replace its current fleet of five Boeing B777Fs, of which the first was delivered in 2013.

Next to the freighter-version of the A350, Etihad is also operating five A350-1000s and has fifteen more of these on order.

Airbus Updates No.4399

 

Airbus A330	-302	1278		N812CM	Cargo Aircraft Management	ferried 20-23nov24 GYR-SNN-ISL, for P2F-conversion	ex 2-MATY
Airbus A330	-202	1283		9H-	HiFly Malta	at FCO 17nov24, EI-reg after paint at AUH prior delivery	ex EI-EJL
Airbus A330	-343	1666		HS-XTQ	Thai AirAsia	delivery 22nov24 LETL-DMK	ex 2-VISS
Airbus A350	-941	687		N525DN	Delta Air Lines	delivery 23nov24 TLS-ATL	ex F-WWIW
Airbus Camada A220	-300	55311		OK-EYA	CSA Czech Airlines	delivey21nov24 YMX-KEF-PRG	ex C-FOVP
Airbus Canada A220	-300	55313		N234BZ	Breeze Airways	delivery21nov24 BFM-TPA	ex C-GPWC