Airbus Updates No.4652

 

easyJet to accelerate Airbus A319 exit to 2029

easyJet (London Luton) will accelerate the phase-out of its remaining A319-100s by one year, and plans to exit the type's operations by the end of September 2029, the carrier divulged in its half-yearly results.

The airline said that the hastened exit, made possible by accelerated deliveries of A320neo family aircraft, would generate approximately GBP250 million pounds (USD336 million) of incremental annual cost efficiencies in the financial years 2027 (October 2026-September 2027) and 2028. easyJet previously planned to exit the A319 type by 2030.

The A319 was once the mainstay of easyJet's fleet, comprising more than three-quarters of all aircraft at its peak in 2010-2011 (155 units in 2011). easyJet began taking A319s in 2004 to gradually replace first the legacy B737-300s and then its B737-700s. ch-aviation data shows the LCC currently operates forty-four A319s via the easyJet UK AOC, and another thirty-five via easyJet Europe.

The aircraft are being gradually replaced by A320-200Ns and A321-200NX, allowing the airline to upgauge its fleet.

"By replacing our A319 sub-fleet with more efficient A320neo family aircraft, we are structurally improving returns across the business," chief financial officer Jan De Raeymaeker said during an earnings call. "An A320neo delivers a 24% reduction in fuel burn per seat compared to an A319, increasing to around 30% for an A321neo."

The airline's new-generation fleet currently comprises seventy-six A320-200Ns and twenty-four A321-200NX across the British, Austrian, and easyJet Switzerland AOCs. It also operates 180 A320-200s. The airline has 284 unfilled orders for A320neo family aircraft, which it plans to take by 2034. It expects another 14 new aircraft by September 2026, 30 in the following 12 months, and 43 in the 12 months after that. Including deliveries, the airline's fleet will grow by 11 aircraft in financial year 2027, and by another eight in the next one.

Airbus Updates No.4526

GlobalX adds more Airbus A320ceo aircraft

Global Crossing Airlines Group, better known as GlobalX Airlines, is America's fastest-growing charter airline, recently announced the completion of its first aircraft acquisition, along with the signing of lease agreements for four additional Airbus aircraft.

GlobalX acquired Airbus A320-214 N630VA (3101), currently operating in its fleet as N630VA. The aircraft was purchased from the leasing company and will soon receive a registration in the N...GX-range.

At the same time, GlobalX signed definitive lease agreements for four Airbus A319s to meet increasing demand across its expanding charter and passenger service business. They are MSN 2477 (currently flying for Allegiant as N317NV), 2481 (also Allegiant as N316NV, arrived at Phoenix Goodyear Airport (AZ) on 16 July), 2492 (Allegiant as N318NV) and 2503 (Allegiant, N319NV).

The first A319 is expected to be delivered on 31 August, with entry into service approximately thirty days later. The remaining aircraft will be delivered sequentially, with planned arrivals on 30 September, 31 October and 30 November.

Photo Scramble Archive: Airbus A320 N628VA is seen here at Paramaribo Zanderij International Airport by Goenai Soerinderkoemar, on 12 October 2022. Registration N284GX has been reserved for a little while now.

Airbus Updates No.4385

 

airBaltic resumes all Airbus A220 in-house ops

airBaltic (BT, Riga) has ended the wet-leasing in of all aircraft and will operate all of its in-house flights using its own A220-300s during the Winter 2024/25 season.

"Our adaptability this past summer allowed us to maintain all planned operations despite external challenges. Our first priority is always to deliver the best customer experience through focusing solely on our A220-300 fleet, while we have sufficient aircraft availability, and we're committed to expanding and strengthening our fleet to support the growing demand for air travel from our passengers," President and CEO Martin Gauss said.

The Latvian carrier operates forty-eight A220-300s and has 42 more on firm order from Airbus. One delivery is expected "soon." The airline had been forced to resort to multiple wet leases during the summer season largely due to Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engine issues. The ch-aviation fleets module shows that ten A220s are currently inactive.

Gauss told ch-aviation before the peak season that while the situation had improved compared to 2023 (when airBaltic had to wet-lease in up to 14 aircraft), it was not good enough to avoid the use of supplemental ACMI. As of October 2024, the airline contracted six aircraft: three A319-100s (two from Carpatair and one from Avion Express) and three A320-200s (two from Heston Airlines and one from Avion Express). All of them ended operations for airBaltic on October 26, 2024.

airBaltic continues to pursue opportunities to wet-lease its own A220s out to other carriers. Sixteen of its A220s are currently operating for Lufthansa Group carriers: seven for Swiss, five for Eurowings, and four for Lufthansa.

Airbus Updates No.4355

 

Maldives' BeOnd takes first Airbus A321-200

BeOnd (B4, Malé) has taken delivery of its first A321-200 to support its network expansion and increase its operational readiness.

8Q-FBB (msn 1711) was ferried from Hyderabad International to Malé on September 3, 2024, and operated via Kuwait to Oslo Gardermoen the next day. The 22.5-year-old aircraft formerly operated by Fly2Sky underwent total cabin refurbishment and is currently configured for up to 68 passengers in an all-business class layout with lie-flat seats only. The aircraft is on lease from Aerovista.

The aircraft joined BeOnd's hitherto only aircraft, A319-100 8Q-FBA (msn 2119), which seats up to 44 passengers.

The scheduled premium leisure carrier currently connects Malé with Riyadh, Dubai World Central, Zurich, and Milan Malpensa. The two European destinations are served via Dubai. BeOnd recently secured fifth-freedom rights to sell tickets for the Zurich-Dubai leg only. It said that the A321 will be used to expand its network to Europe, Dubai, and Bangkok.

Airbus Updates No.4202

 

Lufthansa City welcomes 1st aircraft

On 9 January 2024, the newest subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group, City Airlines, took delivery of its first aircraft. Former Eurowings Airbus A319 D-ABGH (3245) arrived at Munich on this date. The aircraft is sporting the Lufthansa City-livery.

Operations are due to begin at the beginning of the 2024 summer season, which starts at the end of March. The airline will act as a feeder airline for Lufthansa and will fly out of Frankfurt and Munich. Initially, Lufthansa City launches with a fleet of transferred A319s but will later switch to the newly ordered A220-300s.

Airbus Updates No.4159

 

Sri Lanka's FitsAir eyes A319 for Jaffna operations

FitsAir A320-200© FitsAir

22.11.2023 - 00:18 UTC

FitsAir (8D, Colombo International) is looking for an A319-100 to launch its first domestic route from Colombo International to Jaffna, and then onwards from the latter to destinations in southern India, its vice-president (passengers) Peter Hill has told Times Aerospace.

Hill stressed that the hybrid carrier would be an attractive alternative to lengthy overland journeys from the commercial hub of Sri Lanka to the largest city in the north of the island. Its target customer segment includes low-budget travellers, given FitsAir's no-frills pricing structure.

Currently, Jaffna sees very limited connectivity by Alliance Air (India) to Chennai (daily) and by Cinnamon Air to Sigiriya (4x weekly). The latter is the only carrier operating scheduled domestic operations within Sri Lanka, but it operates exclusively Cessna (single turboprop) C208 Grand Caravans. As such, FitsAir would be the first large aircraft operator plying domestic services in the country.

Earlier this year, Hill told ch-aviation that the airline was evaluating ATR72s for the domestic and southern India routes. He did not respond to a question about whether the turboprops are still under discussion in parallel to the A319.

The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that the Sri Lankan carrier currently operates three A320-200s on scheduled routes to Chennai, Dubai International, and Malé. It plans to add new routes to Dhaka and Tiruchirapally soon, the latter as early as January 2024.

Hill added that the carrier was evaluating the business case for adding new-generation narrowbodies. The A320s allow it to operate routes of up to five hours but some important destinations - notably Jeddah - remain out of range. An A320neo or B737 MAX would facilitate such network expansion. Likewise, the airline does not exclude adding widebody aircraft at some point.

"We either have to get ourselves the new narrowbodies or we have to look for a widebody. But I would say that's a couple of years down the line," Hill said.

Airbus Updates No.4135

 

US's Spirit Airlines grounds 25 A320 Family aircraft

Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-200N© Airbus

26.10.2023 - 13:32 UTC

Spirit Airlines (NK, Fort Lauderdale International) pulled 25 planes from service late last week to perform inspections, which the low-cost carrier said was happening "out of an abundance of caution." The all-Airbus operator operates 207 narrowbody aircraft.

Spirit said the checks were "necessary" and would impact its flight schedules. “While this action is being taken out of an abundance of caution, the impact to our network is expected to last several days as we complete the inspections and work to return to normal operations,” the airline's statement reads.

ADS-b data reveals that the airline cancelled 11% of its flights on October 20, 9% on October 21, and 8% on October 22. By October 23, the start of the current working week, the cancellation rate fell to 1% and was less than that the following day. While scores of Spirit's aircraft are impacted by the recall of certain Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines, FlightGlobal reports that these aircraft went out of service to facilitate inspection of airframe brackets for possible fatigue cracks. A 2018 airworthiness directive details the issue that affects first-generation A320 Family jets but not newer A320neo types.

Spirit operates sixty-two A320-200s and thirty A321-200s among its broader fleet, which also includes twenty-three A319-100s, eight-two A320-200Ns, and eight A321-200NX. It says it will deal with any problems before returning any aircraft to service. However, the airline did not say how long it would take to complete the inspections of the 25 planes. Spirit Airlines did not respond to a request from ch-aviation for further details.

Airbus Updates No.4134

 

Germany's City Airlines confirms Summer 2024 launch

Lufthansa Airbus A319-100© Lufthansa Group

27.10.2023 - 07:02 UTC

City Airlines (VL, Munich) will commence flight operations with A319-100s in the summer of 2024, with recruitment for cockpit and cabin crews beginning in November 2023, the airline group announced.

The Lufthansa Group subsidiary, which received its air operator certificate (AOC) in June, will operate from Munich and Frankfurt International, flying alongside Lufthansa CityLine (CL, Munich) in providing short-haul feeder flights to sister carrier Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International). The Group said the strategy was for City Airlines to strengthen the two hubs, expand the short-haul network, and support the growth of Lufthansa's long-haul operations. "The competitive strengthening of the short-haul network is essential for the market position of Lufthansa Group and for the planned growth of the long-haul segment in the German market," the holding said in a statement.

Operations will start with A319s (presumably from Lufthansa) while considering using other similar-sized aircraft, such as A220s or Embraers. The new airline took over a single A319-100, D-AILX (msn 860), from Lufthansa CityLine to fulfil its AOC requirements.

"With City Airlines, we want to create prospects for the coming decades and secure sustainable jobs in Germany. This is the only way for us to grow and sustainably strengthen the hubs in Munich and Frankfurt," commented City Airlines Managing Director Jens Fehlinger.

Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr previously disclosed the Group ultimately looks to equip City Airlines with 40 narrowbodies of 120 to 140-seater Embraer E-jets or A220s. He said a decision would probably be made during this IATA winter.

City Airlines is to accommodate pilots from former subsidiary germanwings (4U, Cologne/Bonn), which shuttered flight operations in 2021. An initially expected launch in mid-2023 was delayed by 18 months of labour talks with trade unions over a long-term collective bargaining agreement in the Group, to avoid previous disparate pilot incomes resulting from separate labour negotiations within the respective airlines in the Group. This resulted in the Lufthansa Group Collective Bargaining Commission, which centralises collective labour negotiations.

Airbus Updates No.3913

 

US's Spirit Airlines to retire A319s by the end of 2025

Spirit Airlines Airbus A319-100© Spirit Airlines

23.01.2023 - 22:56 UTC

Spirit Airlines (NK, Fort Lauderdale International) has announced that it will retire all thirty-one of its A319-100s by the end of 2025, having signed an agreement to sell 29 owned aircraft to Gryphon Trading Company, a subsidiary of Gryphon Aviation Leasing.

The ultra-low-cost carrier said in a stock market filing that the sale to Gryphon would net between USD152 million and USD201 million, depending on price adjustments specified in the agreement but not disclosed publicly. Redeliveries to the lessor will begin in the first quarter of 2023 and will conclude in the third quarter of 2024. Spirit Airlines said it would retire fourteen A319s in 2023 and fifteen in 2024. The aircraft will be financed by Aviator Capital Management through Aviator Capital Fund V.

The final two aircraft, which are leased from Carlyle Aviation Partners, will be returned at the end of their leases in 2025.

The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that Spirit's fleet of A319s is 16.4 years old on average. The two leased aircraft are the youngest ones, at 12.5 years of age each. The vast majority of the aircraft have been operated by Spirit since new, except for three owned aircraft bought second-hand from Windjet and the two leased units, which were previously operated by Volaris.

Spirit Airlines has a firm order with Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) for thirty-one A319-100Ns but has not disclosed their expected delivery timeline. The ULCC is one of just four confirmed customers for the type, and the only one outside of China. The ULCC's fleet also comprises sixty-four A320-200s, sixty-nine A320-200Ns (with fifty more on order), and thirty A321-200s. It has a firm order for forty-one A321-200Ns.

"We are excited to add these twenty-nine A319s to our fleet, which will help us meet the increasing demand for International Aero Engines V2500 overhauls and A320 family parts support," Chief Executive of Gryphon Steven Patch said.

Airbus Updates No.3894

 

Atlantic Airways retires last Airbus A319

Atlantic Airways Airbus A319-100© Airbus Industrie

27.12.2022 - 10:36 UTC

Atlantic Airways (RC, Vágar) retired its only A319-100 on December 10, 2022, thus completing its transition to an all-A320 fleet.

At just 10.8 years old, OY-RCG (msn 5079) operated its last revenue flight on the carrier's core route from Copenhagen Kastrup to Vágar. After short maintenance in the Faroese capital, it was ferried via Bangor to Greenwood, MS on December 15, 2022, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows. The aircraft is owned by the airline and had been operated by Atlantic Airways since its delivery in 2012 when it became the airline's first narrowbody aircraft. Between July 2021 and June 2022, it was dry-leased to Spain's One Airways (OEW, Madrid Barajas) to operate under the Lattitude Hub (Tenerife Sur) brand, the ch-aviation fleets history module shows. While the dry lease was initially signed for four years, Lattitude Hub folded after just a week of operations in 2021.

Atlantic Airways transitioned fully from its legacy fleet of ARJ-85s and ARJ-100s to A319s by 2014. At that time, infrastructure at Vágar, the only airport in the Faroe Islands, could not accommodate larger aircraft types. Atlantic Airways operated up to three A319s at the same time. In 2016, following runway extension works, it added its first A320-200, which was joined by a first A320-200N in 2019 followed by a second in 2020. The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows the Faroese carrier continues to operate one owned A320ceo and two A320neo leased from Air Lease Corporation. Atlantic Airways has a further two A320-200Ns on a direct order from Airbus and are currently expected to deliver in 2027-2028.

Airbus Updates No.3841

 

Cyprus Airways rebuilds around A320s, retires A319

Cyprus Airways Airbus A320-200© Cyprus Airways

27.10.2022 - 09:32 UTC

Cyprus Airways (CY, Larnaca) retired its only A319-100 on October 20, 2022, and unveiled a new livery on the two A320-200s that will form the backbone of its new strategy.

5B-DCX (msn 1091) operated its last revenue flight as CY427 from Thessaloniki to Larnaca before being ferried to St. Athan on October 21, 2022. The aircraft was owned by Cyprus Airways and had been operated by the airline since 2018, until 2021, alongside sistership 5B-DCW (msn 1129), which has also been scrapped.

Following the A319's phase-out, Cyprus Airways' fleet comprises two A320-200s with two more expected to deliver in early 2023. All will be painted in the airline's new livery, reflecting its strategic repositioning after an ownership change.

Airbus Updates No.3827

 

South African Airways to exit A340, A319 fleet

South African Airways Airbus A340-300© Star Alliance

14.10.2022 - 02:29 UTC

South African Airways (SA, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) is replacing its only remaining A340-300 with a similar capacity aircraft and will exit its A319-100 fleet in 2023, says Chief Commercial Officer Tebogo Tsimane.

"As we increase fleet size to match the needs of the growing network schedule, we are encouraged that our strategy to cautiously re-enter markets abandoned due to the Covid pandemic has served us very well during the past 12 months, and we will continue to follow that cautious risk-adjusted trajectory," he said in a statement. The A340-300 is currently used as a spare to support the schedule during required fleet maintenance or when capacity demand requires the deployment of a larger aircraft.

SAA is also leasing three more A320-200s, bringing the total number of A320s in its fleet to five to support expected high-capacity demand as South Africa's peak summer holiday season approaches in December. As reported, the first of these - ZS-SZD (msn 6007) - was delivered on September 25, 2022, and is currently in maintenance in Johannesburg. The rest will be delivered monthly thereafter.

Over the last two weeks, SAA has also switched on some days from a narrowbody A320-200 to a larger widebody A330-300 on two of its busiest routes to Harare Int'l (Zimbabwe) from Johannesburg O.R. Tambo and Cape Town.

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, SAA's currently operates seven Airbus aircraft, including;

• three A319-100s leased from Castlelake;
• two A320-200s leased from GECAS and Goshawk;
• one A330-300 leased from Aergo Capital; and
• one in-house A340-300.

"SAA's current business plan is to ramp up operations aggressively and to implement a fleet strategy that will continue to gain momentum of growing our regional-continental services and introduce international-long haul services," Tsimane added.

SAA Executive Chairman John Lamola said the additional seat capacity would help to restore the balance between supply and demand in the market. Airfares in the domestic and regional sectors have sky-rocketed following the exit of Comair (South Africa) (which held 40% domestic market share), SAA's budget subsidiary Mango Airlines, and regional feeder South African Express.

Despite ongoing delays with the implementation of the capital restructuring transaction involving the Takatso Consortium, the government's preferred strategic equity (SEP) partner for the semi-privatisation of SAA, the airline insists it "is on course to deliver a commercially sustainable and world-class air passenger and cargo services in South Africa, regionally and soon globally".

"There is a clear demarcation of focus between the SAA management that is driving a plan for competitive airline operations and the oversight of matters relating to the SEP, which are being managed by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE). SAA management is relentlessly implementing the expansion of the airline to match market dynamics in both the domestic and international scene," it stated.

Airbus Updates No.3770

 

Sweden's BRA proceeds with RFP for five A319s

Airbus A319-100© Airbus

16.08.2022 - 11:18 UTC

BRA - Braathens Regional Airlines (TF, Stockholm Bromma) issued a Request for Proposals for the dry-lease of five A319-100s in early July 2022 and is currently shortlisting lessors with the commitment expected to be signed by early October.

"The RFP has been met with significant interest from the lessor community," the Swedish carrier said in a statement.

BRA announced plans to enter the narrowbody market in late June after signing a three-year SEK2 billion kronor (USD197 million) agreement with tour operator Ving. The five A319s are expected to "predominantly" operate leisure charters to Mediterranean destinations.

The airline also announced it had agreed to lease a further two ATR72-600s from Nordic Aviation Capital. One new-build aircraft will deliver this month with another, a 2019 build, due in October 2022. They will increase the airline's fleet of the type to 14, all of which are operated by technical subsidiary BRA - Braathens Regional Airways (TF, Trollhättan). The ch-aviation fleets ownership module shows BRA owns 10 of the aircraft via its Braganza, Bramora, and Hurricane Leasing entities, while the other two are dry-leased from Avation.

Airbus Updates No.3788

 easyJet Agrees Airbus A319 Sale And Leaseback With Aergo

Low-cost giant easyJet has entered into a deal with Dublin-based leasing company Aergo Capital Limited to sell and lease back some of its A319 airplanes. The agreement, announced a few days back, is a first between the LCC and the Irish lessor. easyJet has previously made similar deals with other lessors, raising the much-needed cash to stay afloat during the pandemic.

A319s sold and leased back

Ten of easyJet’s Airbus A319s have gone to Aergo in a successful sale and leaseback agreement, as officially announced by the lessor a few days ago. All ten A319-100 planes entered service in 2008, and the deal was closed within 12 weeks of entering into an LOI.

This is the first time Aergo has made a business deal with easyJet. Fred Browne, the company’s CEO said,

“We are delighted to have completed this first transaction with easyJet. We found the easyJet team a pleasure to deal with, both in the early stages of the transaction, and throughout the impressively efficient closing logistics. We very much look forward to further strengthening our relationship with the team at easyJet.”

 

Fleet

At 62 aircraft, according to ch-aviation, the A319-100 make up the majority of airplanes in easyJet UK’s fleet, although currently, less than half are in active service. They’re also the oldest, with an average age of 13.8 years.

easyJet Europe and easyJet Switzerland also have several A319-100s, all averaging between 10 and 14 years of age. The airline is phasing out these older airplanes with newer neo versions of the A320 and A321. Currently, easyJet UK has more than 30 A320N and 10 A321N, all between 2 and 3.5 years old.

Last year, easyJet CEO Johan Lundgren discussed the carrier’s fleet strategy for the coming years. The airline has more than 100 airplanes on order, with the option for an additional 78. The bulk of those orders is the A320neo, with several larger A321neo also on the way.

Previous leaseback agreements

easyJet is not new to the sale and leaseback strategy. Over the course of the pandemic, the airline included this method, among other things, to raise capital. By August last year, the carrier had reduced its fleet ownership from around 70% to 50%.

In October, it signed two deals – one with Wilmington Trust SP Services for five Airbus 320 aircraft for more than $190 million, and the other with Sky High 112 Leasing Company for four A320s, raising more than $205 million.

Lundgren has said that easyJet maintains a good relationship with all its lessors, and it has served the airline well in favorable sale and leaseback deals. While speaking with Simple Flying last year, he said,

"The very good reputation with the lessor is because they know we take care of our aircraft. We have a great maintenance program.”

The airline will be hoping that the latest relationship with Aergo will also turn out just as successful as the previous ones.

 

Airbus Updates No.3740

 

Amelia adds first A319

On 19 January, Amelia has taken delivery of its first Airbus A319. The aircraft, F-HDSJ (3727), was handed over at Paris-Le Bourget and was previously in use as PR-MYB with LATAM Brazil.

The Airbus is a big step-up for the airline, which flies two domestic routes from Paris-Orly and offers ACMI- and charter flights, with a fleet of one ATR42-500, two ATR72-600s, two ERJ135s and eight ERJ145s.

Airbus Updates No.3725

 

Austrian Airlines ends A319 operations

Austrian Airlines Airbus A319-100© Austrian Airlines Group / Huber

06.01.2022 - 13:35 UTC

Austrian Airlines (OS, Vienna) ended A319-100 operations on January 1, 2022, with all seven of the type now set to be sold to sister carrier Lufthansa CityLine (CL, Munich).

OE-LDE (msn 2494) was the last A319 to fly for Austrian Airlines. On January 1, it from Tirana to Vienna and has remained parked at the Austrian gateway since then. The penultimate unit, OE-LDD (msn 2416), was phased out at the end of November 2021 and has been undergoing pre-redelivery maintenance at Bratislava airport since December 21, 2021. The remaining five A319s were retired during the course of 2021 and have already been registered by Lufthansa CityLine, although they have yet to enter into service.

Austrian said it would retire the A319s by 2022 in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic as it sought means to reduce fleet expenses. The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that other A320ceo Family aircraft continue to form the backbone of Austrian Airlines' fleet including twenty-nine A320-200s, three A321-100s, and three A321-200s. Its regional fleet comprises seventeen E190s, while on the widebody front, Austrian operates three B767-300(ER)s and six B777-200(ER)s. The airline has yet to confirm that it will take any new-generation aircraft from the pool ordered by parent Lufthansa Group or from other sources.

For its part, Lufthansa CityLine operates eleven A319-100s, including five already acquired from Austrian Airlines and another six transferred from Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt Int'l). The airline deploys the smallest A320 Family jets on behalf of its parent company (which operates a further twenty-three A319s under its own AOC).

Airbus Updates No.3650

 

Brussels Airlines unveils new livery

At a ceremony at Brussels Airport on 18 November, Brussels Airlines unveiled its new corporate identity. The first aircraft in the new livery, and present at the ceremony, is Airbus A319 OO-SSO (2287), which was ferried in darkness on 17 November to Brussels after being painted at East Midlands. The Airbus is set to make its first commercial flight on 19 November.

During the presentation, the airline's CEO said "we want to clearly mark the start of the New Brussels Airlines. For our customers, who deserve the best, but also for our employees, who are committed to the transformation that we’re pushing forward and to which they contribute every day. That is why today, we present the visual translation of our new start. With this new brand identity, we are ready to show our customers, our employees, our partners and all other stakeholders that we are turning a page. As one of the four Lufthansa Group network airlines, we are building the way towards a promising future.  We see this new brand identity as a symbol of confidence in our company, re-emphasising our identity as Belgium’s home carrier".

According to the airline, the new logo, the nine dots on the tail, are all of different size, reflecting the diversity in the airline's customers, people and destinations. The blue in the livery became a bit darker "for a more quality and contemporary feel" and the red a bit warmer "to show our passion for people".

Repainting of the fleet will take, according to Brussels Airlines' Head of Customer Experience, Product and Marketing, several years as the airline will only repaint the aircraft when they are due for a new lick of paint in order not to waste resources.

Airbus Updates No.3624

 

Carpatair secures 1st A319

Carpatair is set to introduce its first A319. The aircraft, currently registered LZ-DBH (3041) is set to enter service in December and will become YR-ABA. It's now at Ostrava where it's been painted. This airframe was previously in use with easyJet as G-EZBK and will be leased via DAE Capital.

The A319 will join the airline's fleet of two Fokker 100s. Previously, Carpatair was planning to replace the two Fokkers with two ERJ190s but these plans have been abandoned during the Corona-pandemic. If the A319 is a new alternative replacement or an expansion of the fleet is currently unknown. Both Fokkers are almost 30 years old.

Carpatair was founded in December 1999 and nowadays offers charter- and ACMI-flights. Over the years, next to the Fokker 100s, it operated two ATR72s, two B737-300s, a single BAe146-200, three Fokker 70s, six Saab 340s and twelve Saab 2000s.

Airbus Updates No.3550

 Frontier Airlines Retires Its Smallest Aircraft Type: The A319

The Airbus A319 has reached the end of the line at Frontier Airlines. On Wednesday, the airline officially retired its last Airbus A319 with a special send-off from Nashville. The end of Airbus A319 operations comes as Frontier focuses on the Airbus A320neo family of aircraft that offers improved fuel efficiencies and better economics.

Frontier Airlines has officially retired its Airbus A319s. Photo: Frontier Airlines

Frontier Airlines retires its final Airbus A319

Frontier flight 391 from Nashville International Airport (BNA) to Denver International Airport (DEN) was a special one. This was the final flight ever of an Airbus A319 in Frontier’s fleet. According to data from RadarBox.com, the flight on Wednesday took two hours and 22 minutes.

Daniel Shurz, senior vice president of commercial at Frontier Airlines, stated the following:

“The retirement of Frontier’s last Airbus A319 aircraft is a proud and symbolic moment for our team as we look ahead towards a greener future. Our ultra-modern fleet is already the most fuel-efficient in the U.S. skies and, as we continue the transition to A320neo (New Engine Option) and A321neo aircraft, our fuel savings and operational efficiencies continue to evolve.”

The final flight was a memorable one for passengers and crew. Photo: Frontier Airlines

Passengers on the final flight were made aware of the special occasion via an onboard announcement. There were also giveaway items, including a frameable certificate commemorating the occasion. Denver-based Frontier crew members were also invited to greet the aircraft on arrival at a gate celebration in Denver.

The final Airbus A319 in Frontier’s fleet bore the registration N949FR. It was originally delivered to the airline in 2006, making it 15 years old. Frontier’s aircraft are known for featuring animals on the tail. This aircraft featured Erma the Ermine.

Erma the Ermine was Frontier’s final A319. Photo: Frontier Airlines

Moving to the A320neo

The Airbus A320neo family of aircraft is powering Frontier’s push toward a greener airline. Part of that strategy has included Airbus A319 retirements. In March, Frontier revealed it would retire all A319s by the end of 2021. By May, the airline accelerated that plan to retire all A319s by the third quarter, and that day has finally come.

The Airbus A319s were the smallest aircraft in Frontier’s fleet in 2021. The jets had room for 150 passengers. Now, the airline is moving to the Airbus A320neo family of jets, which seat 180 passengers at the lower end in Frontier’s fleet. At the upper end are the Airbus A321s.

With this upgauging, Frontier Airlines is not worried about having too large aircraft for its markets. On the airline’s first-quarter earnings call, Mr. Shurz was asked about the carrier’s retirement of the A319s and whether it would limit its ability to fly to smaller destinations. He stated the following:

“As we go to a lot higher gauge, we get lower costs, and we already have a strategy of applying the right frequency to the right market … We fly our smaller markets, in general, today on the A320neo which is the bulk of our fleet today – the majority of our fleet today, and we found that works.

“We fly some small markets at low frequency on the A321 and find that works. We have the lowest cost, we are going to be a low cost leader, and that enables us to fly as many markets as we can, and I think that’s the right strategy to maximize our opportunity.”

Frontier Airlines is betting on the Airbus A320neo. Photo: Airbus

Frontier Airlines has no plans to fly the next generation of the A319, the A319neo. The carrier has instead placed its bets on the A320neo, A321neo, and the A321XLR. With these higher-gauge aircraft, Frontier gets lower unit costs, which can make them incredibly economical. Plus, given the carrier’s dense layout, the A321XLR will enable the airline to bring its services to more destinations.

Not the smallest Airbus jet ever in Frontier’s fleet

Before the Airbus A319, Frontier’s smallest aircraft was the Airbus A318. The smallest variant of the A320ceo family, these aircraft did not garner huge orders, but Frontier Airlines flew 11 of the type, according to data from ch-aviation.com.

Frontier’s smallest Airbus aircraft was the A318, which was retired in 2013. Photo: Konstantin von Wedelstaedt via Wikimedia Commons

The aircraft was officially retired from Frontier’s fleet in 2013. The carrier took its first A318 in 2003, but deliveries continued until 2007. Since then, A318s have become harder to find in the sky. Now, Frontier Airlines has put its name down as the next airline retiring smaller aircraft in favor of upgauging the network and leveraging lower-cost, newer, fuel-efficient aircraft to support its low fares.