Faroes' Atlantic Airways orders two more A320neo aircraft
Atlantic Airways (RC, Faroe Islands Vágar) has placed a firm order with Airbus to purchase two additional A320-200N aircraft, in line with the Faroese national carrier's plans to transition to an all-A320neo fleet, the parties announced in a joint statement on October 27, 2026.
The airline currently operates four A320 family aircraft, comprising two A320-200N (one owned and one dry leased from Avolon), plus two A320-200s dry-leased from Air Lease Corporation, according to ch-aviation data.
The additional aircraft will support fleet renewal and simplify maintenance and operations, the airline said.
"Our ambition is to operate an exclusively A320neo aircraft fleet in the near future, and this agreement marks a significant step towards achieving that goal," commented chairman Niels Mortensen. "This investment will help ensure the continuous renewal of our fleet while supporting efficient operations."
The airline did not disclose a delivery schedule for the two aircraft.
CEO Jóhanna á Bergi previously told ch-aviation that Atlantic Airways plans to operate six A320-200Ns by the end of the decade. She said the airline ruled out converting its A320neo orders to the larger A321-200N as Faroe Islands Vágar's 1,800-metre runway and winter operating conditions would limit the aircraft's performance despite its lower cost per seat.
Spirit Aviation Holdings, parent entity of Spirit Airlines, has petitioned the US Bankruptcy Court for an authorisation to reject 87 aircraft leases, including nineteen A320-200s, sixty-five A320-200Ns, and three A321-200NXs. The batch amounts to more than a third of the LCC's current fleet.
These lease rejections are on top of the recent agreement Spirit secured with its biggest lessor, AerCap, which included authorisation to reject the lease agreements of 27 aircraft (nineteen A320-200Ns and eight A321-200NXs). In total, the carrier is proposing to trim its fleet by more than a half from the current 214 aircraft to 100.
All 87 aircraft listed for rejection in the new filing are to be surrendered on October 27, 2025 at Goodyear. The impacted lessors are:
Many of the aircraft to be rejected are already out of service, the airline said. ch-aviation data shows Spirit’s fleet currently comprises sixty-two A320-200s, ninety-one A320-200s, twenty-nine A321-200s, and thirty-two A321-200NXs. Of this total, only 149 are currently active.
“As a key component of the chapter 11 process, Spirit has identified cost savings to be achieved through a significant reduction in its fleet by eliminating aircraft and other related equipment that currently are not, or soon will not be, used to generate revenue in Spirit’s businesses. This reduction and rationalisation of Spirit’s fleet will create a surplus of aircraft and other related equipment,” the company said.
Fred Cromer, the company's chief financial officer, added that the carrier "is committed to redesigning its network to focus its flying on key markets to provide more destinations, frequencies and enhanced connectivity in certain of its focus cities, while simultaneously reducing its presence in certain other cities. To do so, Spirit must right-size its fleet to match capacity with profitable demand."
Spirit Airlines' previous Chapter 11 process, which began in late 2024 and ended in March 2025, did not include the renegotiation of aircraft lease terms. Instead, the LCC focused on other cost-saving measures, which ultimately proved not to be enough to put the low-cost carrier in a secure financial position.
In its initial Chapter 11 filing, early in the year, Spirit Airlines did not renegotiate the terms of its fleet, focusing on other cost-saving measures. This ultimately proved not to be enough to put the low-cost carrier in a secure financial position.
OY-VKO (msn 1981) was registered by the Danish leisure specialist in September and ferried in an all-white livery from Toulouse Blagnac to Shannon on September 16, 2022, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows. The 1.7-year-old aircraft is on lease from Air Lease Corporation, and has yet to operate a single commercial flight. It was previously assigned to but not taken up by XL Airways France (Paris CDG) and Starlux Airlines (JX, Taipei Taoyuan).
Sunclass Airlines was rebranded from Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia following its acquisition by Norwegian and Swedish investors in 2019. The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows it operates nine A321-200s, one A330-200, and one A330-300 (which has been in maintenance at Abu Dhabi Int'l since mid-August 2022). The carrier previously told ch-aviation that the A330-900 was for fleet growth rather than the replacement of any of the A330ceo. During the summer seasons, it will use all three widebodies on high-density short- and medium-haul European routes, while during the winters, the -200 and the -900 will also be used for long-haul flights to intercontinental destinations. The shorter-range -300 will serve as a backup for long-haul flights and be used on European routes.
Air Lease Corporation Announces Lease Placement of Airbus A330-200 with Sentra Airways
LOS ANGELES, California, April 7, 2022 – Today Air Lease Corporation (NYSE: AL) announced a long-term lease placement for one used Airbus A330-200 aircraft with Sentra Airways (United Kingdom). Scheduled to deliver this summer, the A330-200 will be the first aircraft in the fleet of the UK startup airline.
“ALC is pleased to announce this lease placement for one A330-200 with Sentra Airways,” said Lauren Kervick, Assistant Vice President of Marketing of Air Lease Corporation. “Sentra has an exciting growth and business plan operating from the UK to West Africa, and we look forward to growing our relationship over the coming years.”
“Sentra Airways is delighted to have finally reached this significant milestone,” said Ishmael Musah, Chairman and Accountable Manager of Sentra Airways. Bruce Fenton, Executive Director of Sentra Airways also commented: “We would like to express our thanks to ALC for being our lease partner for the first Sentra Airways A330-200. We look forward to further collaborations with ALC and completing the regulatory approvals to gain our UK AOC certification later this year.”
Forward-Looking Statements
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About Air Lease Corporation (NYSE: AL)
ALC is a leading aircraft leasing company based in Los Angeles, California that has airline customers throughout the world. ALC and its team of dedicated and experienced professionals are principally engaged in purchasing commercial aircraft and leasing them to its airline customers worldwide through customized aircraft leasing and financing solutions. ALC routinely posts information that may be important to investors in the “Investors” section of ALC’s website at www.airleasecorp.com. Investors and potential investors are encouraged to consult the ALC website regularly for important information about ALC. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, ALC’s website is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this press release.
About Sentra Airways
With its Head Office based on the southern outskirts of Bradford UK, Sentra Airways HQ is just 50 miles from its operating home base Manchester Airport UK. Sentra Airways is a new UK based start - up airline, focused on niche point-to-point scheduled destinations. The launch destination in Q3/4 2022 is Accra, Ghana, with more routes to follow including further African destinations and the USA. Sentra Airways is positioning itself as an Airline of Choice for the operational routes served, future alliances, and a focus on regional partnership for the beyond traffic. “Sentra Airways, Your Best Value Airline.”
Air Canada Announces the Acquisition of 26 Airbus A321neo Extra-Long Range Aircraft
MONTREAL, March 22, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada today announced it is acquiring 26 extra-long range (XLR) versions of the Airbus A321neo aircraft. The aircraft has sufficient range to serve all North American and select transatlantic markets, while offering customers added comfort and improving the carrier's fuel efficiency to advance its environmental programs.
Deliveries are to begin in the first quarter of 2024 with the final aircraft to arrive in the first quarter of 2027. Fifteen of the aircraft will be leased from Air Lease Corporation, five will be leased from AerCap and six are being acquired under a purchase agreement with Airbus S.A.S. that includes purchase rights to acquire an additional 14 of the aircraft between 2027 and 2030.
"Air Canada is committed to further strengthen its market-leading position, especially through investments in new technology. The acquisition of the state-of-the-art Airbus A321XLR is an important element of this strategy and will drive our core priorities of elevating the customer experience, advancing our environmental goals, network expansion and increasing our overall cost efficiency. This order also shows that Air Canada is emerging strongly from the pandemic and is ideally positioned to grow, compete and thrive in a reshaped global aviation industry," said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada.
Air Canada's A321XLRs will accommodate 182 passengers in a configuration of 14 lie flat Air Canada Signature Class seats and 168 Economy Class seats. Among the aircraft's amenities, customers will enjoy next generation seatback entertainment, access to inflight Wifi and a spacious cabin design featuring generous overhead baggage storage bins. With a range of approximately 8,700 kilometres and an ability to fly up to 11 hours, the A321XLR can operate non-stop anywhere across North America and, pending Transport Canada approval for overseas operations, also fly transatlantic missions, bolstering the carrier's hubs and network. Air Canada is in the process of selecting an engine manufacturer for its A321XLR aircraft.
GHG reductions
The A321XLR will be used both for incremental growth of Air Canada's fleet and to replace older, less-efficient aircraft expected to exit the fleet. As a result, the new aircraft will yield significant operational cost savings and environmental benefits. Air Canada projects it will have up to 17 per cent lower fuel burn per seat than the previous generation narrow-body on a typical transcontinental flight and a projected reduction of up to 23 per cent versus previous generation wide-body aircraft on a transatlantic flight. This will reduce greenhouse gas emissions to help Air Canada fulfill its environmental commitments, which include the achievement of net carbon neutrality by 2050. The A321XLR is also expected to be quieter for passengers and airports than the aircraft being replaced with the A321XLR.
As of December 31, 2021, Air Canada had a combined 214 aircraft in its mainline and Air Canada Rouge fleets, including 136 single-aisle, narrow-body aircraft.
CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
Air Canada's public communications may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements may involve, but are not limited to, comments relating to preliminary results, guidance, strategies, expectations, planned operations or future actions. Forward-looking statements, by their nature, are based on assumptions, are subject to important risks and uncertainties and cannot be relied upon due to, amongst other things, changing external events and general uncertainties of the business. Actual results may differ materially from results indicated in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including the factors identified in this news release and in Air Canada's public disclosure file available at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release represent Air Canada's expectations as of the date of this news release and are subject to change after such date. However, Air Canada disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities regulations.
ANA Holdings has tweaked its Airbus order book, dropping the A321-200NX(LR) in favour of the standard A321-200N version, and simultaneously deferring their deliveries.
The Japanese holding said in a stock market filing that the total number of A320neo Family aircraft it has on order remains unchanged at eighteen. However, instead of sixteen A320-200Ns due for delivery between 2022 and 2025, the airline is now planning to take 15 units of the type in the same time frame. Two A321-200NX(LR)s have also been dropped in favour of three A321-200Ns. While the extended-range units were scheduled to deliver between 2022 and 2023, the three standard A321neo are supposed to enter ANA's fleet between 2025 and 2026.
The holding said the motivation was spurred by changes in its business environment..
Despite the order's reconfiguration, Peach Aviation has not entirely abandoned plans to operate the A321-200NX(LR). It still has two units on order from Air Lease Corporation and recently inducted the first. The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows the LCC also has an independent order directly from Airbus for five A320-200Ns and a single A321-200NX(LR).
Peach Aviation (MM, Osaka Kansai) took delivery of its first A321-200NX(LR) on December 9, 2021, which was then ferried to Japan on December 19, and inducted into it revenue service out of Osaka Kansai on December 28, 2021.
JA902P (msn 10628) is the first of four A321-200NX(LR)s due for delivery to the budget airline. Two of the four units will be owned by Air Lease Corporation and two by the airline. All will be outfitted with 218 seats in a single-class configuration.
The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that Peach Aviation, a subsidiary of ANA Holdings, currently operates twenty-eight A320-200s and six A320-200Ns. Besides the other A321-200NX(LR)s on order, the LCC has another unit of the same type and five more A320-200Ns on order from Airbus.
Allegiant Secures 10 More Airbus A320s As It Sheds Pandemic Impact
As the air travel recovery continues in the United States, Allegiant Air is priming for the recovery. Reporting a profit of $95 million – higher than its second quarter of 2019 results – the carrier is firmly turning to growth as it comes out of the crisis. The carrier has secured leases for 10 more Airbus A320ceo aircraft for induction through 2022 to support the airline’s growth trajectory.
Allegiant Air has secured 10 mid-life, used A320s on lease from Air Lease Corporation. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Allegiant Air secures 10 A320s
Allegiant Air has announced it has entered into an agreement with Air Lease Corporation for long-term leases on ten used Airbus A320-200 aircraft. The jets are scheduled to be delivered to the airline beginning in the fall of 2021 and through summer 2022.
Robert Neal, Allegiant’s Senior Vice President for Corporate Finance and Treasurer, spoke of the following on the acquisition:
“Bringing these ten aircraft into Allegiant’s fleet provides a number of advantages aligned with our unique business model and goals. As young, sharklet-equipped sister ships, they will not only afford efficient induction into our all-Airbus fleet, but will also provide years of utilization beyond the typical life of previously-operated aircraft. This transaction will be a valuable component of our fleet plan for 2022 and beyond.”
The ten A320s will all come in as 186-seat jets, which are the highest capacity aircraft Allegiant flies. This higher capacity comes in at a lower cost, allowing Allegiant to pass on lower fares to customers.
Allegiant Air operates an all-Airbus fleet. Photo: Getty Images
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Capitalizing on attractive deals
Speaking on the airline’s second-quarter earnings call, the carrier’s executives discussed their growth plans for the fleet. Gregory Anderson, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Principal Accounting Officer at Allegiant, stated the following on the acquisition:
“Turning to fleet, during the second quarter we placed into service three aircraft bringing our total in service aircraft at June’s end to 103, and we expect to have 108 aircraft in service by year’s end. Since the onset of the pandemic, our fleet team has now signed up 24 A320 series aircraft – 21 of them since the beginning of this year – all at an average price discounted by 30% when compared to pre pandemic levels.”
Aircraft prices have gone down during the pandemic, and many airlines are now starting to take advantage of strategic growth. Allegiant, which prioritizes taking on mid-life, used Airbus A320 jets at a lower cost than acquiring new jets and flying them until the end of their lives.
Allegiant will be adding a fair number of A320s over the next year. Photo: Airbus
Many airlines have made aircraft retirements or returned jets off of lease early, which has left lessors with more mid-life used aircraft, which can be a little tougher for lessors to find new homes for. This leads to some attractive pricing for airlines like Allegiant and makes them strategic investments.
Allegiant has not yet outlined its capacity increases for 2022, but it will be sitting on 127 aircraft next year, 19 more than it will have at the end of 2021. This will set the airline up for a fair bit of growth, though it is not immediately clear where Allegiant will distribute those aircraft.
Coming out of the crisis
Exiting the crisis, Allegiant Air has reported a $95 million profit for the second quarter of 2021. This is a stark turnaround from the $93 million loss it posted in the same quarter last year and is higher than the $70.5 million the carrier made in the second quarter of 2019. Of course, the airline also benefited from the $61.2 million it received under the Payroll Support Program (PSP), buoying its financial performance. Nevertheless, Allegiant was still one of the first carriers to report a profit in 2021.
Allegiant has a lot of room for growth next year. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Allegiant Air was the first airline in the US carrier to announce it will be increasing capacity north of 2019 levels in January. Since then, it has aggressively targeted growth opportunities and added more airports and routes to its network.
The added aircraft will certainly do Allegiant a lot of good in growing its fleet. This could be good news for secondary airports in the US looking to gain more nonstop service from an ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC). Keep an eye on Allegiant, as it is in its time to thrive and is showing no signs of slowing down.
The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows the Chilean budget carrier currently has seven of the type due from lessors. They will feature 238 seats in an all-economy layout.
SKY currently has six more A321neo due from lessors and ten A321-200NX(XLR)s due directly from Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac). The latter, however, are only slated to start arriving from late 2023 and, as per SKY's current model, will likely be sold and leased back.
Virgin Atlantic To Delay Airbus Aircraft Deliveries
Virgin Atlantic will be delaying the delivery of some aircraft from Airbus. According to major leasing company Air Lease Corporation, the leased aircraft will arrive at Virgin before the ones it is buying from the manufacturer, although those too are likely to be pushed back slightly.
Airbus deliveries delayed
During the recent earnings call from Air Lease Corporation (ALC), it was revealed that UK long-haul airline Virgin Atlantic is planning to delay some deliveries of aircraft, particularly those coming directly from Airbus. The major lessor has no aircraft placed with Virgin at the present time but has a number of widebodies scheduled in for delivery in the future.
With a vested interest in the future of Virgin, ALC has been closely involved in the current restructuring at the airline. Virgin Atlantic filed under Chapter 15 at the beginning of the month, and has been undergoing a pre-packaged stay and reorganization since then. Speaking at the earnings call presentation, CEO and president John Plueger explained,
“We have no aircraft at that airline today. However, we do have widebody aircraft scheduled for future delivery through 2024. As such, ALC is fully participated in the restructuring, and we do expect those aircraft to deliver as planned as the airline deems our new aircraft integral to their recovery and environmental sustainability goals.”
Although Plueger stated that deliveries would proceed as planned, he also noted that some requests for deferrals had filtered through. Being pressed on the point, executive chairman of the board, Steve Udvar-Hazy clarified that some of the deliveries had been delayed. He said,
“…some of our deliveries have been rescheduled. But most importantly, their direct buys were rescheduled to later time frames, which means the airline has to pay less in fee delivery deposits to Airbus, and therefore, they can protect their cash liquidity position.”
Virgin has orders in for 14 Airbus A330neo aircraft, with a further six options. Deliveries were proposed to begin in 2021, but this will likely now be pushed back. At the same time, the airline has eight more A350-1000s on order from Air Lease. While they may be taken later than originally planned, they will still arrive ahead of the A330neos.
Good news for Virgin
While delaying delivery is never good news, for Virgin Atlantic it is a solid strategy to preserve cash. Leased aircraft will allow it to maintain capacity on key routes, using newer, more efficient models, without the large payments to Airbus for aircraft it plans to own outright.
Having ended A320ceo operations back in 2013, Vietnam Airlines' mainline narrowbody fleet currently consists of fifty-three A321ceo and eleven A321neo.
As previously reported, it is currently in the process of finalising its investment plan for up to 100 more narrowbody aircraft for delivery in 2021-2025.
The proposal, which includes 50 firm aircraft and ten spare engines, is currently before the State Capital Management Committee awaiting consent. No mention of whether the order will focus on the A320neo family or B737 MAX has yet been made.
Air Macau (NX, Macau Int'l) has expanded its A320neo Family order book with the signing of a long-term lease agreement with Air Lease Corporation for two new A321neo.
The US lessor said in a statement the aircraft are sourced from its Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) order book and would deliver in November 2019 and the first quarter of 2020. Both will be powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1133G motors.
The Air China subsidiary has already committed to leasing three A320neo from BOC Aviation with deliveries due in the first half of 2019.
Air Macau will use the incoming neo aircraft to gradually replace its existing ceo fleet of four A319-100s, four A320-200s, and ten A321-200s.
The deliveries of the six A321neo are scheduled between the first quarter of 2020 and the end of 2021. The nine A320neo will deliver from the first quarter of 2021 through 2022. All fifteen narrowbodies will come from the Air Lease Corporation's order book with Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac).
Air Lease Corporation currently has eleven A320neo, sixty-three A321neo, and sixty-six A321neo(LR) ordered directly with Airbus.
Currently, the Indian full-service carrier, a 51/49 joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi), operates thirteen A320-200s and nine A320neo. It also has six B787-9s on order directly with Boeing. Earlier this year, Vistara announced a letter of intent for an order of 13 A320neo directly from Airbus during Farnborough Air Show. At the time, Airbus said Vistara would add an additional 37 A320neo from lessors. Of these, Avolon has recently announced it would deliver 15 between June 2019 and August 2021.
So far, Vistara operates exclusively domestically in India. Its international debut was initially planned for October 2018 and has now been delayed to at least December 2018 due to red tape.
