Airbus Updates No.3756

 

SAS Begins Long Haul A321LR Flights

SAS begins using the A321LR on regular services from today, February 4th, nearly two months earlier than previously expected

The A321LR will operate from Copenhagen to Washington Dulles. SK925 will depart Denmark at 11:45 and arrive in the US at 15:15 local time, Returning, SK926 will leave Dulles at 17:15 and arrive home at 07:15 the next day.

It follows the carrier's long-haul trial of the aircraft on the same route on December 22nd. The first regular service comes nearly two months earlier than previously expected. It was bookable from March 27th, with the schedule change to February 4th being made in mid-January.

The flight to Washington has a block time of nine hours and 30 minutes. That's 35 minutes longer than the A330-300 it replaces, as smaller aircraft cruise at slower speeds. The impact of wind is such that on the way back it's only five minutes longer.

SAS currently has two A321LRs

The two examples are registered SE-DMO (delivered in October 2020) and SE-DMR (September 2021), with a third (SE-DMS) to be delivered. With only 157 seats, they're relatively premium-heavy – exactly what is needed for long-haul narrowbody service to offset higher seat-mile costs.

SAS will have three A321LRs. Photo: Airbus

SAS A321LRs to the US

SAS currently serves Copenhagen-Dulles three-weekly. In February, the A321LR will operate two of these three (on Fridays and Sundays but not on Wednesdays) for just eight return trips this month. Things will soon change, with the introduction of Copenhagen to Newark and Boston on March 27th. That's the first day of the aviation summer season.

In the first week of summer (March 27th-April 2nd), SAS has 40 A321LR round-trips bookable: a once-daily service to Dulles and Newark, and six-weekly to Boston. Boston and Dulles will be almost exclusively by the narrowbody, although the A330-300 reappears in October. It's so far away that much could change. Newark, meanwhile, will double to twice-daily from March 27th. The A330 will operate the peak-time midday service, with the A321LR deployed on the early evening departure.

1. Copenhagen to Dulles: SK925, 12:00-15:00; returning: SK926, 17:15-07:35+1
2. Copenhagen to Boston: SK927, 12:30-14:55; returning: SK928, 17:15-06:45+1
3. Copenhagen to Newark: SK901, 18:15-21:05; returning: SK902, 23:30-13:20+1

The economics of long-haul A321s

In 2020, anna.aero and RDC Aviation looked at Aer Lingus' A321neos versus A330-300s. It found that the narrowbody should boost the carrier's long-haul performance, with deployment especially sensible on thinner or less competitive routes, or at less demanded times of the day.

It showed that the A321 requires 41% fewer passengers to breakeven (at 85% seat load factor). Because the A321 is obviously much smaller, it would have a 15% higher seat-mile cost, necessitating a 15% higher average fare to breakeven. However, the unit cost increase would be offset by an approximately 50% lower fixed/variable cost per sector.

Photo: SAS.

The A321LR will operate from Copenhagen to Washington Dulles. SK925 will depart Denmark at 11:45 and arrive in the US at 15:15 local time, Returning, SK926 will leave Dulles at 17:15 and arrive home at 07:15 the next day.

It follows the carrier's long-haul trial of the aircraft on the same route on December 22nd. The first regular service comes nearly two months earlier than previously expected. It was bookable from March 27th, with the schedule change to February 4th being made in mid-January.

The flight to Washington has a block time of nine hours and 30 minutes. That's 35 minutes longer than the A330-300 it replaces, as smaller aircraft cruise at slower speeds. The impact of wind is such that on the way back it's only five minutes longer.

Airbus Updates No.3702

 New SAS Airbus A321LR Completes First Long Range Flight

SAS’ brand-new A321LR will complete its first-ever long-haul flight today, flying from Copenhagen to Washington. The journey comes ahead of the type’s rollout on US routes in March 2022. Here’s a look at the new aircraft.

Scandanavian Airlines plans to fly the A321LR to three destinations on the US east coast next spring. Photo: SAS

Across the pond

Later today, SAS’ A321LR will make its first long-haul journey to the United States. The aircraft is scheduled to fly from Copenhagen to Washington Dulles later today, a test flight for an eventual rollout next March. On Monday, the plane made a rotation between Oslo and Copenhagen as well.

The A321LR, a derivative of the A321neo, brings a host of benefits to carriers like SAS. In addition to the extra range, the plane offers 15-18% lesser carbon emissions and will allow the carrier to fill the cabin. The LR will take over from the A330-300 on several routes, bringing huge efficiency gains.

In a statement about the addition of the A321LR to the fleet, SAS EVP and CCO Karl Sandlund said,

“This is an entirely new aircraft type for SAS, which is incredibly well suited to the Scandinavian market and emerging travel patterns to and from the region. It gives SAS an opportunity to offer travelers more intercontinental routes, fewer stopovers, and shorter travel times to and from Scandinavia.”

Interesting

For those curious to know what the inside of the A321LR looks like, you won’t be disappointed. SAS has gone for a true three-class layout on the narrowbody jet, featuring business, premium economy, and economy class over 157 seats.

Economy comes in a standard 3-3 layout with 123 seats, featuring a large IFE screen and USB power outlets. While no details on pitch and width are available, expect to see just a little bit more than your standard A321s.

The most exciting part of SAS’ A321LR is the addition of a real premium economy class cabin. 12 seats are laid out in a 2-2 configuration, featuring a wide, recliner-style seat. This is similar to products seen in widebody aircraft flown by Virgin Atlantic or domestic first class in the US.

Economy class comes in a standard 3-3 layout with most widebody aircraft amenities. Photo: SAS

Lastly, SAS has added a lie-flat business class cabin with 22 seats. This cabin alternates between a 1-1 and 2-2 layout for seats, a layout which is quickly becoming a norm for A321LRs in Europe. The cabin offers SAS’ darker color palate and looks stunning in available photos.

Where is it going?

SAS plans to deploy the A321LR to three destinations in the US starting on 27th March 2022. These are Copenhagen to Washington, Boston, and New York. With flight times of 8+ hours, the aircraft has been optimized to be as comfortable as the A330, a staple on these routes, with Sandlund saying,

“The new aircraft [A321LR] is equipped with a service concept at par with the rest of SAS’ long-haul fleet, offering passengers all the benefits, level of comfort, and choices of our traveling classes.”

Airbus Updates No.2994

 Azores Airlines Beats Air Transat For Longest Airbus A321LR Flight

Azores Airlines has beat out Air Transat for the longest commercial Airbus A321LR flight recorded. On January 3rd, the carrier flew a nonstop flight between Lisbon and Bogota, taking just under 10 hours. Air Transat’s flight clocked in at under nine hours. According to the airline, the flight highlights the versatility of the Airbus A321LR.

Azores Airlines flew the longest commercial Airbus A321LR flight. Photo: Airbus

Azores Airlines flies the longest commercial Airbus A321LR flight

The longest recorded commercial Airbus A321LR flight distinction now goes to Azores Airlines for a flight between Lisbon, Portugal, and Bogota, Colombia. On January 3rd, S46865 took off from Lisbon and flew nonstop for nine hours and 49 minutes to Bogota.

The longest commercial Airbus A321LR flight from Lisbon to Bogota. Photo: Flightradar24

According to data from Flightradar24, the aircraft that operated the flight is registered as CS-TSI. A brand new aircraft only delivered a few months ago, this aircraft is in the Azores Airlines “Inspire” livery, which was fitting for this service. The return flight from Bogota to Lisbon took about nine hours and 20 minutes.

A new route for Azores Airlines?

This flight does not appear to be a regularly scheduled commercial flight. Azores Airlines flew the aircraft on a one-off, and Bogota does not appear on the airline’s website as a bookable flight.

There are no regularly scheduled nonstop flights between Bogota and Lisbon. TAP Portugal does not operate the route, and nor does its Star Alliance partner Avianca. With new Airbus A330-900neo aircraft, TAP could jump in on the route or be beaten by Azores Airlines.

Azores Airlines is based out of Ponta Delgada’s João Paulo II Airport (PDL). The airline regularly flies to Lisbon but prefers to fly passengers with a stopover in the Azores Islands.

It is unclear why Azores Airlines flew this route. However, the airline does have room for expansion. The carrier’s Airbus A321LRs can do a lot out of PDL. Seating 190 passengers, these planes are primarily configured for leisure passengers. Azores Airlines could also get some connecting traffic for passengers heading to cities like Lisbon via a stop in the Azores. The airline is adding a not-quite-transatlantic route this summer.

The route from Lisbon to Bogota is about 4,200 nautical miles, which means the aircraft was likely lightly loaded and operating a special mission. So, if Azores Airlines planned to fill its 190-seater Airbus A321LRs flying to Colombia, it would likely operate the route with a stopover in Ponta Delgada on a Lisbon-Ponta Delgada-Bogota routing. The route from Ponta Delgada to Bogota would be about 3,300 nautical miles.

The Airbus A321LR

Since the Airbus A321LR took its maiden flight almost three years ago, the airline industry has savored over the next generation of long-haul narrowbody aircraft. The A321LR has a maximum range of 4,000 nautical miles out of the Azores, according to Airbus. The plane was marketed for transatlantic operations and has been popular there.

Some notable airlines that have taken the Airbus A321LR or have some on order include JetBlue (which plans to use them for flights to London), Aer Lingus, which is expanding its transatlantic operations using the jet, and TAP Portugal, among others.

The Airbus A321LR is not the longest-range narrowbody in Airbus’ portfolio. That distinction goes to the A321XLR, which is set to come out in 2023. Photo: Airbus

Canada’s Air Transat previously held the record for the world’s longest commercial Airbus A321LR flight. Back in October, the airline flew a one-time Air Transat flight, which made it the longest commercial flight at the time of an Airbus A321LR.

The longest Airbus A321LR flight actually happened in April of 2018. The plane flew from Mahé in Seychelles to Toulouse, France, on an Airbus test flight. This distance of 4,750 nautical miles took 11 hours to cover. The aircraft could easily make this flight because it was not filled with paying customers. Once you add customers, crew, baggage, and cargo, the aircraft’s range clocks in at 4,000 nautical miles or less, depending on how loaded the aircraft is.

The Airbus A321LR’s longest flight clocked in at around 11 hours. Photo: Airbus

Nevertheless, the Airbus A321LR is one versatile aircraft. With the Airbus A321XLR expected to come out in 2023, the aircraft, which has a range of 4,700 nautical miles, will likely do some incredible things. For now, the Airbus A321LR is one exciting aircraft for the future of long-haul narrowbody travel. Whether most people like flying long-haul in a narrowbody, however, is still being debated.

credit : simpleflying

Airbus Updates No.2918

 

Aer Lingus Reportedly Planning A321LR Manchester To US Flights

IAG’s Irish airline Aer Lingus has reportedly moved on somewhat in its mission to begin flying to the US from the UK. The carrier is noted to have filed requests to base four aircraft at Manchester for the summer 2021 season, with a view to operating routes into North America.

Aer Lingus has reportedly applied for permission to base its A321neo at Manchester. Photo: Getty Images

Aer Lingus applies for a base in Manchester

Irish carrier Aer Lingus has been reported by multiple sources to be in the process of applying to open a base at Manchester for the purposes of transatlantic flights. Previously, it was noted that the airline had held talks with senior British officials on just this subject, and now it appears it has moved on.

The airline is reported to have applied for a base of four aircraft initially. These are thought to be A321neos as well as one A330 widebody. That could well change in the future, and as yet, nothing is confirmed by the airline.

Nevertheless, it’s an interesting prospect and would replace some of the transatlantic capacity lost at MAN due to the demise of Thomas Cook. According to Anna.aero, the Manchester to US market had less than two million seats in 2019, down from 2.2 million in 2017. Thomas Cook was responsible for just under half a million seats.

Where will Aer Lingus fly?

There’s a wealth of routes that are currently underserved from Manchester. SPD Travels on Twitter pegs this as likely to be Chicago, New York JFK, Boston and Orlando, although nothing is confirmed as yet. Anna.aero has undertaken a comparison of eight potential destinations, each with their pros and cons.

JFK and Orlando are already served by Virgin Atlantic, but capacity has reduced with the loss of Thomas Cook. Boston is not currently served by any airline from Manchester, despite having strong demand when it was. Almost 45,000 passengers traveled this route in 2019.

Other unserved routes include Las Vegas, Miami and Seattle, all of which had seen relatively strong traffic previously, according to Anna.aero analysis. The publication suggests that these are likely candidates for Aer Lingus, although only time will tell what its choice will be.

Putting the squeeze on Virgin Atlantic

Without Thomas Cook in the picture, Virgin is by far the largest airline in Manchester for transatlantic services. In 2019, it commanded 53% of the market, and was readying to welcome joint venture partner Delta to its ‘home in the north’. For Virgin, having an IAG airline move in on its territory is going to be an unwelcome event.

Manchester is Virgin’s ‘home in the north’. Photo: Getty Images

Speaking at CAPA Live this week, CEO of Virgin Atlantic, Shai Weiss, commented on Virgin’s commitment to Manchester, saying,

“Manchester is our home in the north. And we think there’s a great opportunity to serve the northern powerhouse out of Manchester. We have a deep bet on Manchester … there is a great opportunity to serve 20 million people within the vicinity and so much more.”

During his interview, Weiss commented on the developments at the northern English airport. He stated that, in addition to previously announced routes to India and Pakistan due to start in December, Virgin would be looking to restart Manchester properly in January.

As well as resuming existing services more thoroughly, Weiss is eyeing additional connectivity from the airport. He mentioned adding routes to the Caribbean, which would certainly be a boon for sun-hungry Brits fed up with being locked down at home.

Airbus Updates No.2875

 

Airbus Delivers SAS’ First Airbus A321LR With Sustainable Fuel

SAS has taken delivery of its first A321LR. The aircraft was flown from Airbus’ Hamburg plant on a blend of sustainable aviation fuel, in line with SAS’ ambitious carbon reduction goals. It’s the first of three to arrive at the airline, all of which will be deployed on transatlantic routes in a premium-heavy layout.

The A321LR has arrived in Copenhagen. Photo: Airbus

The A321LR has arrived at SAS

Scandinavian airline SAS has today taken delivery of its first A321LR from Airbus. The aircraft, on lease from Air Lease Corporation, is the first of three due to arrive at the airline. Delivered from Airbus’ Hamburg plane to SAS’ home at Copenhagen, the aircraft arrived flying on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Airbus stated that the A321LR flew with a 10% sustainable jet fuel blend, which is all part of the SAS commitment to reducing its carbon footprint. It follows a trend from the European plane manufacturer, which began delivering aircraft from Hamburg with sustainable fuel in the tank in July this year.

The first airline to receive a sustainable jet fuel delivery was Air Transat, whose A321LR fleet to Montreal on a 10% eco fuel blend.  At the time, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer commented,

“Sustainability and efficiency are essential for our customers and for Airbus. Sustainable aviation fuel developments will play a key role in reducing the environmental footprint of the aviation industry.

“By using sustainable aviation fuels on delivery flights with partners like AerCap and Air Transat, who are flying the aircraft from Hamburg to their Canadian homebase nonstop, we take concrete action to contribute to a more sustainable aviation future.”

It’s the first of three to arrive with the airline. Photo: SAS

Although Hamburg deliveries have only started using sustainable aviation fuel since July, Airbus states that a SAF blend delivery flight has been an option for its customers since 2016. To date, it is the only aircraft manufacturer to offer this service.

What should we expect from the new A321LR?

SAS was supposed to have its A321LR in September but had flagged a delay to this timeline back in March. While it didn’t have to wait too long for this first arrival, the next two are unlikely to be delivered before 2021.

It’s an exciting move for SAS, which is looking to deploy these narrowbodies on long routes. The first route to see service had been planned was Copenhagen to Boston, and tickets for the route were on sale as early as last November. It’s unclear when or if this route will now start, given the current challenges with operating transatlantic.

Wherever SAS chooses to fly the A321LR first, passengers can be assured of a comfortable ride. The aircraft has a modern, three-class layout, with 22 seats in business, 12 in premium economy and 123 economy seats.

Up in business, seats alternate between a 2-2 and a 1-1 configuration. The seats for the cabin are believed to t be the Thompson Vantage, a fully flat seat with all the mod cons. It’s the same seat found on the Aer Lingus A321LR, although SAS is going much more premium-heavy, with 22 seats versus Aer Lingus’ 16.

The layout will give some passengers the joy of a ‘throne’ seat. Photo: Thompson Aero

With a range of up to 4,000 nmi, the A321LR is a highly capable narrowbody aircraft. Other airlines, including Aer Lingus and TAP Portugal, also operate it on transatlantic routes, and more airlines are set to join them. When JetBlue launches its London service, its aircraft of choice will also be the A321LR. While the current climate makes these services tricky to operate, we’ll undoubtedly see SAS deploying its new plane transatlantic as soon as it’s possible to do so.

credit : simpleflying.com

Airbus Updates No.2550

SAS expects its last Airbus A321LR one year later than initially planned

Copenhagen, Denmark - According to Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer Torbjørn Wist, SAS Scandinavian Airlines will be able to receive its last A321LR on order one year later than expected.

The announcement came during the quarterly earnings call of the airline. Wist explained that it is a manufacturer-induced delay. The Scandinavian carrier will take the delivery of three long-range A320neo variants through the American lessor Air Lease Corporation.

The first aircraft will enter into service this year in September service on Copenhagen Kastrup - Boston route. One of the two jets, which were initially set for delivery in November 2021, will be delivered in October 2022.

Three A321LR is relatively a small order for an airline in SAS' scale. The Scandinavian carrier is planning to operate its A321LRs on seasonal routes with limited frequency, or on routes where deploying widebody jets is not feasible.

Airbus Updates No.2495

All Nippon Airways converts two Airbus A320neo orders into A321LR

Tokyo, Japan - Japan's largest carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA) is adjusting its Airbus A320neo order book. The airline converted two A320neo to A321LR.

The Japanese operator has also pushed back the deliveries of Airbus A320neo remaining in this order from 2021 to 2022. The last A320neo aircraft is now expected to join the fleet of ANA in March 2023. The two converted A321LRs will arrive in the 2022-2023 fiscal year.

Besides ten Airbus A320neo and 11 A321neo, All Nippon Airways also operates three A320-200s and four A321-200s.