The aircraft are scheduled for delivery in 2026 and 2027, and will come from the lessor's existing orderbook with Airbus. The lessor has unfilled orders for twenty-two A321-200NX(LR)s and thirty A321-200NY(XLR)s.
Qanot Sharq, Uzbekistan's second-largest airline, currently operates two A320-200s, two A321-200NX, and two A330-200s. All six aircraft are dry-leased from Air Lease Corporation. The carrier also wet-leases one more A330-200 from Southwind Airlines. The airline did not disclose any specific plans for the newly contracted extended-range A321neo.
Cyprus Airways drops A220 plans as GTF headaches grow
Cyprus Airways (CY, Larnaca) has dropped plans to buy six A220s, CEO Tasos Michael told Aviation Week, saying problems with their Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbo Fan engines had significantly impacted the carrier and were the primary reason for the decision.
“If it hadn’t been for Pratt & Whitney, we would have been profitable this year," he said. "All aircraft have teething problems, but in a small airline you need to manage within your means and we may take more A320s until the A220s have a final fix, which will be in 2027.”
Cyprus Airways presently operates two A220-300s, both leased from Air Lease Corporation until mid-2035. One is currently out of service with two more to arrive over the current Northern Hemisphere summer and a final two in early 2025. Cyprus Airways also operates a pair of A320-200s. However, twelve months ago, Michael disclosed plans to double the number of A220s to 12 and was planning a direct order with Airbus to cover the difference. But the CEO says the ongoing problems with the A220s' powerplants had led him to rethink that idea. Delivery delays for the two A220s due this summer have also forced Cyprus Airways to adjust its schedule in recent weeks, being a reduction in flight frequencies rather than outright route cancellations.
"Despite our proactive efforts to mitigate the impact of this delay, including seeking alternative solutions with ACMI and closely collaborating with travel agents, the current situation has compelled us to adjust our schedule," reads a July 4 statement from the carrier.
Despite this, Michael says the A220 remains an important part of the Cyprus Airways fleet, particularly during the winter season when it becomes harder to fill an A320 or A321. As the fleet expands, the intention is to fly at least daily to all major destinations within the network, which currently includes cities across the Mediterranean, in particular Greece, and around half a dozen airports in Western Europe as well as Dubai International.
On 20 December 2023, Airbus announced that Sunclass Airlines from Denmark took delivery of its first A321neo. The aircraft, A321-251NX OY-VKA (11690) is leased from Air Lease Corporation and was already ferried to Copenhagen from Hamburg-Finkenwerder on 13 December 2023.
Sunclass is planning to renew its current fleet of nine A321s with A321neos in the coming years. Next to this, the airline also has one A330-200, one A330-300, and two A330-900s in the fleet. The airline has two more A330-900s on order via Air Lease Corporation, which will be used to replace the older ones in the fleet.
HiSky from Romania announced on 19 September 2023 that it will expand the fleet with its first widebody-aircraft. The airline has signed a lease-agreement with Air Lease Corporation for the lease of a first Airbus A330-200. The aircraft is expected for delivery later this year. It's currently unclear which airframe is involved and which route(s) it will serve.
HiSky was launched as a low-cost airline in 2021 and is flying regular and charter passenger flights. It has a fleet of four A320s, and two A321-200NXs. It also has a subsidiary in Moldova which operates a single A319.
The Turkish low-cost carrier has thus increased its order book for A320neo Family to 150 aircraft, including 108 A321neo. So far, the airline has taken deliveries of forty-six A320-200Ns (including four sourced from lessors - three from Avolon and one from CALC) and thirty-three A321-200NX (including one from Air Lease Corporation). Deliveries of the remaining aircraft will allow the airline to replace its remaining six A320-200s and fifteen B737-800s, and then grow the fleet.
CEO Güliz Öztürk said recently that the A321neo would be Pegasus's variant of choice for future growth. The jets are configured in a single-class layout seating up to 239 passengers.
"This efficiency makes a significant contribution to reducing fuel consumption and emissions. In addition, we are actively pursuing many more initiatives on the road to net zero. In addition to our fleet transformation with new generation aircraft, we are moving towards this goal through our operational efficiency efforts, increasing our use of sustainable aviation fuel and our focus on alternative energy sources," Öztürk said.
In May 2023, Airbus noted down 17 orders but at the same time also received 17 cancellations. The manufacturer also delivered 63 aircraft to its happy customers. The details, as usual, can be found below.
Ordered were:
7 A320neos by BOC Aviation
1 A330-900 by Delta Air Lines
9 A320neos by an Undisclosed customer
Cancelled were:
16 A320neos by GoFirst
1 A330-900 by Virgin Atlantic
Delivered were:
2 A320neos to Aegean Airlines (1 leased from SMBC Aviation Capital)
1 A220-300 to AirBaltic
2 A350-900s to Air China
1 A220-300 to Air France
1 A321neo to Air India (leased from NAS Aviation Services)
1 A320neo to Avianca (leased from CDB Aviation)
1 A320neo to Azul
1 A320neo to BOC Aviation
1 A220-300 to Breeze Airways
1 A320neo to Cebu Pacific (leased from Avolon)
2 A320neos to Chengdu Airlines
3 A320neos to China Eastern Airlines (2 leased from BOCOMM Leasing and CALC)
1 A330-900 to Condor
3 A321neos to Delta Air Lines
1 A330-900 to Delta Air Lines
2 A321neos to Frontier Airlines (1 leased from CALC)
1 A320neo to IndiGo
4 A321neos to IndiGo
1 A320neo to ITA Airways (leased from Avolon)
1 A330-900 to ITA Airways (leased from Air Lease Corporation)
1 A321neo to JetBlue
1 A321neo to Jetstar Airways
1 A321neo to Juneyao Airlines
1 A320neo to Kuwait Airways
1 A320neo to Lufthansa CityLine
3 A321neos to Pegasus Airlines (1 leased from Air Lease Corporation)
1 A321neo to Play (leased from NAS Aviation Services)
1 A350-1000 to Qatar Airways
1 A320neo to SAS
1 A320neo to Spirit Airlines
2 A321neos to Spirit Airlines (leased from AerCap and Aviation Capital Group)
1 A321neo to Swiss
1 A320neo to Tianjin Airlines (leased from AerCap)
1 A330-200MRTT to United Arab Emirates Air Force
3 A321neos to VietJet
1 A350-1000 to Virgin Atlantic (leased from Air Lease Corporation)
2 A321neos to Vistara (leased from Air Lease Corporation)
1 A321neo to Viva Aerobus
1 A320neo to Volaris
1 A321neo to Volaris (leased from CDB Aviation)
1 A321neo to Vueling
3 A321neos to Wizz Air
1 A350-900 to World2Fly (leased from Air Lease Corporation)
1 A321neo to Xiamen Airlines (leased CMB Financial Leasing)
The total tally for Airbus for 2023 now stands at 178 orders and 34 cancellations, leaving a net of 144 orders. The total number of deliveries so far is 244 aircraft.
On 1 June 2023, lessor Air Lease Corporation announced it has signed a lease-agreement with Czech Airlines for the Airbus A220-300. In total, the airline will be leasing four aircraft from ALC, which will be delivered in 2024. The A220s will be coming from the lessor's existing orderbook it has with Airbus for the type.
CSA, which succesfully completed a total restructuring last year, is currently operating two A320s. It's serving just two destinations from Prague, which are Paris and Vienna. With the A220s, the airline, which will turn 100 years this October, is planning to expand its network.
This is not the first time Czech Airlines secured a deal for the A220-300, as the airline had ordered four of them directly with Airbus in 2019. Because of financial difficulties this order, along with an order for three A321XLRs, was cancelled by CSA in August 2021.
AF-KLM secures more aircraft via Air Lease Corporation
On 6 March 2023, Air Lease Corporation announced it has reached an agreement with Air France-KLM for the lease of additional aircraft.
Three new Airbus A350-900s will be placed with Air France. The three jets are coming from ALC's existing order book for the A350 with Airbus and will be delivered in 2024. It's currently unclear if these three jets are on top of the three AF-KLM announced in January 2023.
AF-KLM has also signed leases for nine A321neos, which will be delivered between 2023 and 2026 to KLM and Transavia. These aircraft are on top of the already ordered 100 A320/A321neos for KLM and Transavia.
Transavia will become the first airline to take delivery of the new aircraft and is planning to have seven A320/A321neos in the fleet by the summer season of 2024.
YR-WOW (msn 10928), leased from Air Lease Corporation, operated its customer acceptance flight on February 28, 2023. According to BoardingPass.ro, a local aviation news website, the aircraft will soon be ferried to Ostrava for painting before heading to Romania later this month. HiSky Europe said it would enter into service "very soon".
The aircraft is configured for up to 201 passengers, including eight business class seats in a 2-2 configuration and 193 economy class seats.
The A321-200NX(LR) will join HiSky Europe's fleet of four A320-200s. Moldovan sister carrier HiSky (H7, Chisinau) operates one A319-100. The group has another A321-200NX(LR) due from the same lessor with delivery scheduled for April 2023.
In October 2022, Scramble reported that Croatia Airlines has selected the Airbus A220 as its aircraft to renew its fleet with. Since then, the airline has signed a firm order in November 2022 for six A220-300s with Airbus, but also said it would look to lease an additional nine A220s in order to replace the whole fleet and standardize on a single aircraft-type.
On 16 January 2023, Air Lease Corporation announced it has reached a lease-agreement with Croatia Airlines for the lease of six A220s, which will be two A220-100s and four A220-300s. ALC said the A220s would be delivered in 2024 and 2025. It's unclear if the airline is seeking leases for three more A220s or that this is it for now.
With this latest lease-deal, the airline has now secured orders and leases for a total of twelve Airbus A220s, of which two are the smallest version. Currently, Croatia Airlines is operating a fleet of thirteen aircraft consisting of five Airbus A319s, two A320s and six DHC-8-400s.
HiSky to lease A321neos from Air Lease Corporation
HiSky has signed a lease-agreement wtih Air Lease Corporation in which it secures the leases of two Airbus A321neoLRs (A321-200NX). The duo is planned for delivery in March 2023 and are coming from ALC's existing orders for the A321neo it has with Airbus. The airline will use the new type as of April 2023 to serve new, longer-range, destinations which it will announce in the coming months.
HiSky is a Moldavian carrier but also has significant presence in Romania. It launched operations last year and currently flies with one Airbus A319 and four A320s, which are also leased from ALC. The airline operates charter as well as scheduled services.
TAAG Angola Airlines (DT, Luanda) has agreed to lease six A220-300s from Air Lease Corporation, an announcement made during the 2022 Farnborough Air Show has revealed. Deliveries will run from 2023 to 2024 and will replace the state-owned carrier's existing fleet of six B737-700s (which includes one B737-700(QC)).
“Today, we start our relationship with ALC incorporating six new Airbus A220-300 into our fleet. It’s indeed a significant announcement for us as we are celebrating a new era and a new vision for TAAG. We are alive, back in business, breaching with the past to achieve greater results and becoming a reference for Africa. This partnership emphasizes our commitment to grow and further improve our credibility among international stakeholders while creating a new value proposition for our passengers,” said Eduardo Fairen, Chief Executive of TAAG.
Fairen has since told ch-aviation the A220s will start arriving during the second half of 2023 while the entire B737 fleet will exit after 2025.
The move also marks the first time a major lessor has agreed to deal directly with the Angolan airline which, until now, has acquired all of its aircraft directly from the manufacturers themselves. TAAG also operates six DHC-8-Q400s alongside three B777-200(ER)s and five B777-300(ER)s, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows.
Air Lease Corporation has announced it has signed an agreement with Virgin Atlantic for two additional A350-1000s. The two aircraft are coming from ALC's existing orderbook for the type it has with Airbus and are expected to be delivered in 2022 and 2023.
Currently, the airline operates eight A350-1000s. With these latest two additions, the fleet will grow to fourteen A350-1000s. Next to the Airbuses, Virgin also operates two A330-200s, ten A330-300s and seventeen B787-9s. It also has an outstanding order for fourteen A330-900s, of which the first is expected for delivery at the end of next year.
China Airlines Takes Delivery Of Its First Airbus A321neo
China Airlines has joined the ranks of Airbus A321neo operators, taking its delivery of its inaugural A321neo on Wednesday. The jet is the first of 25 A321neos the Taipei-based airline has on order. The sparkling new plane departed Hamburg on Wednesday and is now in Dubai enroute to Taipei.
China Airlines has just taken delivery Of its first Airbus A321neo. Photo: Airbus
The China Airlines A321neo a replacement for Boeing 737-800s
After arriving at its new home, the Airbus will undergo preparation and certification before flying its first passengers. China Airlines says the A321neo will progressively replace older Boeing 737-800 aircraft on routes throughout Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and cross-strait flights. The new jets will be able to fly on routes of up to seven hours from Taipei.
China Airlines has a mixed fleet of 85 aircraft, however, that includes quite a few Boeing 747-400s dedicated to freight operations. Ferrying around passengers are 23 Airbus A330-300s, 14 Airbus A350-900s, and 17 Boeing 737-800s.
China Airlines’ A321neo under construction in Hamburg earlier this year. Photo: Airbus
The Boeing 737s only have an average age of 8.1 years (only two 737s have hit double figures – B-18615 at 19.4 years and B-18612 at 21.1 years) but China Airlines is phasing the narrowbodied Boeings out. The new kid on the block, the A321neo will form the “core” of China Airlines’ narrowbody fleet and benefit from cockpit commonality with the airline’s existing A330 and A350 aircraft.
The ferry flight to Taipei is using 10% sustainable aviation fuel which China Airlines says will see a 8% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to traditional jet fuel.
.First A321neo comes via Air Lease Corporation
China Airlines’ first A321neo, B-18101, arrives on lease from Air Lease Corporation. Fourteen of the A321neos will land under lease packages while 11 will come straight from Airbus. Air Lease Coporation is handling the leasing of six of the jets.
“ALC is honored to be the first to introduce the A321neo to our long-time customer China Airlines,” said John Plueger, Chief Executive Officer and President of Air Lease Corporation.
“The A321neo will become the backbone of China Airlines’ single-aisle fleet, providing fleet expansion and modernization, and elevation of their passenger experience to new levels. The greater fuel efficiency and operating flexibility of the A321neo will also maximize profitability and further China Airlines environmental sustainability goals.”
The main cabin inside China Airlines’ new Airbus A321neo aircraft. Photo: China Airlines
China Airlines upgrades its narrowbody inflight experience
China Airlines’ newest plane is powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines and seats 180 passengers in a two-class layout. Those 180 passengers will enjoy a significant upgrade in the cabin experience compared to the older generation Boeing 737s.
Upgrades include Premium Business Class with fully-flat seats, control of the personalized entertainment system via a passenger’s mobile phone, high-speed in-flight Wi-Fi and a mobile App with free text messaging via choice of Line, WeChat, Facebook Messenger, Apple iMessage, WhatsApp, Viber and Line2.
Fully-flat premium business class seats developed for widebody passenger aircraft remain relatively uncommon on narrowbody aircraft but that’s what China Airlines is installing on their A321neos. There will be 12 business class seats that convert to a lie-flat bed – albeit in a 2-2 configuration rather than the industry-leading 1-1 layout.
In the main cabin, things are a little more business as usual, with 168 passengers seated in the standard 3-3 configuration. Still, there are some consolations, such as a 13.3” 4K high-resolution seatback inflight entertainment screen, factory fresh seats, and a crisp clean cabin.
The new China Airlines Airbus A321neo is due to land in Taipei on Friday, December 2.
Spirit Airlines Inks Deal With ALC For 15 Airbus A320neo Family Jets
Spirit Airlines has signed leasing agreements to finance 15 of its upcoming Airbus A320neo family aircraft deliveries with Air Lease Corporation (ALC). Split between ten new Airbus A321neo and five Airbus A320neo aircraft, the secured financial acquisition method for these aircraft helps the airline get on track for its planned capacity increases through the end of 2021 and into 2022.
Spirit Airlines has inked a deal with Air Lease Corporation to fuel upcoming deliveries of A320neo family aircraft. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Spirit Airlines to take A320neo family jets from Air Lease Corporation
ALC announced on Wednesday the new agreements for long-term leases with Spirit Airlines. The airline will be taking ten new Airbus A321neo aircraft and has signed sale and leaseback agreements for five new Airbus A320neo aircraft. The five A320neos will be delivered to Spirit Airlines in 2021 and 2022. The jets will be owned by one of ALC’s managed aircraft ventures.
The ten Airbus A321neos will be delivered to Spirit starting in 2023 and running through 2024. These aircraft will be delivered to Spirit Airlines from ALC’s order book with Airbus. The agreement today is not for new order book increases but is accounted for within the carrier’s fleet plans.
Spirit plans for growth
By the end of 2021, Spirit Airlines expects to have taken 16 new Airbus A320neo aircraft. In 2022, per the airline’s latest fleet plan, it expects to take delivery of 24 new A320neos. The first A321neos are not expected to arrive at Spirit Airlines until 2023.
In the third quarter of 2021, Spirit Airlines expects its available seat miles to be up 4.2% compared to 2019. This marks the first quarter since the crisis started when the airline will be operating more capacity than it did in 2019.
The Airbus A320neo is a huge part of Spirit’s growth strategy. In large part, this is because of the increased efficiency this aircraft provides. Compared to its predecessors, the aircraft type offers strong performance enhancements. This includes improved fuel efficiency, greater range, and lower costs for the airline, which makes more routes economically viable.
The Airbus A320neo is a key part of Spirit’s growth strategy. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
From February through July, Spirit Airlines has been announcing new routes and new destinations. This includes expansion touching Louisville, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Tegucigalpa, Atlantic City, a planned huge expansion at Miami, and more. The carrier announced this growth just as travelers were getting back onboard aircraft at growing rates, summer travel was ramping up, and an improving health situation was working in favor of growth in air travel.
The backdrop of early August
In late July and early August, Spirit Airlines suffered a massive operational meltdown that lasted several days. On some days, the airline operated fewer than half of its scheduled flights as it worked through a myriad of issues and got the airline back up and running.
Spirit’s operations have significantly improved over the last few years. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Spirit Airlines has made significant strides in the last few years in its operations. This includes bringing up its on-time performance and improving general operational reliability. This came as the airline continued to steadily grow its domestic and international network.
The airline is certain to recover from the hit it took from its operational meltdown. It is far from the only airline to face a high-profile meltdown in its history, and it still has a lot of room for growth. In the future, the airline will need to learn from the lessons of early August and scale-up operations without getting ahead of its skis and facing another meltdown.
Air Lease Corporation Delivers New Airbus A320neo To Japan’s Peach
Air Lease Corporation has delivered a new Airbus A320neo to Japanese budget carrier Peach this week. The plane is the first of four on order with the lessor, including one more A320neo and two A321LRs. Peach is an all-Airbus A320 airline and only began taking delivery of the newer A320neo this year.
Peach took delivery of its first A320neo in September. Photo: Airbus
Modernizing the fleet
The delivery from Air Lease Corporation (ALC) comes as Peach adds the newer A320neo aircraft to its fleet. Until September, Peach only operated a fleet of A320-200s, which while new, are less efficient than the A320neo. The airline now has two of the type in its fleet.
Peach is also looking to take delivery of another popular Airbus aircraft: the A321LR. In 2018, the airline converted a previous A320neo order for two of the long-range (LR) variant, allowing it to access new international markets and carry more passengers. The A321LRs will also come from ALC, with deliveries scheduled for 2021 and 2022.
In a statement, ALC Executive Chairman Steven F. Udvar-Házy said,
“This most recent transaction by ALC in the Japanese market demonstrates our commitment to environmental sustainability with the most modern, fuel-efficient aircraft. ALC is honored to contribute to Peach’s growing all-Airbus A320 fleet and we are confident that our A320-200neo and A321neo LR aircraft will greatly enhance the airline’s operations in its domestic and international market.”
Budget roots
Peach Aviation is a budget carrier owned by ANA, Japan’s largest airline. The airline operates out of Osaka Kansai International Airport, with bases in Tokyo Narita, Naha Airport, and others. Peach currently flies to 28 destinations within Japan and 17 international routes. All of its international routes are currently in East Asia, including Shanghai, Seoul, Bangkok, and more.
Peach currently flies to several domestic and medium-haul routes in Asia. Photo: Getty Images
The addition of the A321LR could open up more doors for Peach, including routes to South and Central Asia. However, 2020 has been a difficult year for Japanese budget carriers as demand fell sharply.
Tough year
Japan usually has a bustling domestic market, only third in size to the US and China. But this year’s events have seen demand fall by nearly 70%, forcing airlines to scale back their operations significantly. With international demand nascent and domestic demand falling, Peach has been looking for new sources of revenue.
The carrier recently began offering sightseeing and learning trips to school children in Japan, hoping to see an improvement in its finances. These flights will be “flights to nowhere,” simply allowing children to enjoy flying on a school trip.
This year has been particularly harsh for budget airlines, which also have less capacity to carry cargo. The lack of long-range freighter aircraft restricts the airline’s ability to increase revenue through cargo (prices of which have jumped recently).
However, with a vaccine rollout around the corner and the Tokyo Olympics scheduled for July 2021 could be a rebound year for Peach and other Japanese carriers.
