Airbus Updates No.2343

Saudi Arabia's flynas firms A321neo(XLR) order

Illustration of flynas Airbus A321-200NXLR © Airbus

19.11.2019 - 15:08 UTC

flynas (XY, Riyadh) has firmed up a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) covering the purchase of ten A321neo(XLR)s. The tentative agreement was first announced during the 2019 Paris Air Show at Paris Le Bourget in June. Deliveries of the XLRs are due to start from 2025 onwards, flynas said in a statement.

Overall, the Saudi carrier's Airbus order backlog now spans 120 aircraft including 90 firm and 30 optioned jets. The commitment includes the full spread of A320neo Family aircraft including the A320-200neo itself, the A321-200neo, the A321neo(LR), and now the A321neo(XLR).

"These 10 XLRs will expand the reach of flynas network to much farther destinations with support of significantly longer flying range compared to the existing A320neo order, and therefore would help to add further support to the Vision 2030 of Saudi Arabia in increasing the number of religious pilgrims to 4 times the current level," Bandar Almohanna, flynas Chief Executive Officer, said.

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, flynas currently operates two A319-100s, twenty-five A320-200s, and four A320neo.

Airbus Updates No.2342

Air Sénégal signs MoU for 8 A220-300s

Illustration of Air Sénégal Airbus A220-300 © Airbus

19.11.2019 - 14:24 UTC

Air Sénégal (HC, Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus for eight A220-300s during the ongoing Dubai Airshow 2019.

The airline hopes to strengthen its regional feeder network into Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l using the Airbus Canada jets.

"These new A220 aircraft will contribute to developing our long-haul network to Europe and our regional network in Africa. Combined with our recent A330-900 aircraft, this new Airbus fleet reveals Air Senegal's ambition to offer the best travel experience for our passengers," Chief Executive Ibrahima Kane said.

The airline currently operates two A319-100s and two ATR72-600s. It also has one A330-900, which is operated on its behalf by Hi Fly Malta (HFM, Malta Int'l) due to the fact that the Senegalese carrier did not hold an EU Third Country Operator (TCO) certificate when taking delivery of the aircraft. Air Sénégal has another A330-900 on order from Airbus and plans to operate it in-house given it now possesses said TCO approval.

Commercial & Marketing Director Assane Sambe recently told ch-aviation that Air Sénégal was hoping to build a hub at Dakar emulating Ethiopian Airlines and Royal Air Maroc's success stories at Addis Ababa and Casablanca Int'l, respectively. It plans to cooperate with regional Senegalese carriers, such as Transair (Senegal) (R2, Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l), to feed the hub.

Sambe also revealed that the carrier was evaluating creating a regional unit tentatively dubbed Air Sénégal Express.

Airbus Updates No.2341

easyJet firms 12 A320neo options, defers 2021 deliveries

easyJet Airbus A320-200N © Airbus

19.11.2019 - 13:52 UTC

easyJet (U2, London Luton) has firmed options for twelve incremental A320-200neo, increasing the total number of aircraft of the type order from Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) to 129.

According to the UK-headquartered LCC, the 12 jets will deliver in 2024 under an existing 2013 agreement. In tandem with this move, easyJet deferred nine A320neo and three A321neo from 2021 to 2023 and beyond. Overall, its 2021 deliveries will reduce by 12 aircraft.

"The agreement secures valuable delivery slots in 2024 at a list price of USD1.3684bn for the 12 new firm orders of A320neo aircraft. Under the terms of the 2013 agreement between easyJet and Airbus, the actual cost of the aircraft is subject to a substantial discount from the list price. Following this agreement, easyJet has 13 purchase options and 58 purchase rights remaining," it said.

"The agreement also allows the fleet to meet the planned fleet size for 2021 and is a key demonstration of easyJet's fleet flexibility which means the airline is able to either increase or decrease the fleet growth programme as well as increase or decrease deployed capital."

easyJet currently operates thirty-three A320neo. Prior to the firming of the options, it had a further 84 aircraft on order. In addition, easyJet also operates six A321-200neo with a further 24 on order. The carrier is Airbus' largest European customer for the A320neo.

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, the airline also operates 124 A319-100s and 169 A320-200s. The entire fleet is operated by three subsidiaries: easyJet UK (U2, London Luton) (seventy-two A319s, fifty-four A320s, all thirty-three A320neo, and all six A321neo), easyJet Switzerland (DS, Geneva) (seven A319s and twenty-three A320s), and easyJet Europe (EC, Vienna) (forty-five A319s and ninety-two A320s).

Airbus Updates No.2340

Oman's SalamAir to add two Airbus A321neo aircraft

Illustration of SalamAir Airbus A321-200N © GECAS

18.11.2019 - 22:57 UTC

SalamAir (OV, Muscat) will dry-lease two A321-200neo from GECAS, the lessor said in a press release.

"Our expanding network and growing operations rely on the fuel-efficient neo, and as an airline, we appreciate the environmental performance and appreciably improved carbon footprint the neo afford," Chief Executive Mohammed Ahmed said.

The delivery timeline was not disclosed. The A321neo will complement SalamAir's fleet of smaller Airbus narrowbodies, consisting of three A320-200s and four A320-200neo. The LCC expects deliveries of a further two A320neo by the end of 2019.

In May 2019, Ahmed revealed that SalamAir was looking at adding up to 12 Airbus aircraft, with both A321neo and A220 aircraft under consideration. The carrier is tentatively planning an IPO in 2024 and expects to operate at least 20 aircraft by that time.

SalamAir does not currently lease aircraft from GECAS. The lessor has eighty-six A321neo on firm order from Airbus in addition to fourteen it already took and placed with customers.

Airbus Updates No.2335

Air Arabia orders 120 Airbus A320neo Family aircraft, including XLRs

Air Arabia, the Middle East and North Africa’s first and largest low cost carrier, has signed a firm order for 120 Airbus aircraft comprising 73 A320neos, 27 A321neos and 20 A321XLRs. The agreement was signed at the 2019 Dubai Airshow in the presence of Air Arabia’s Chairman Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Thani, Adel Al Ali, Chief Executive Officer Air Arabia and Guillaume Faury, Airbus Chief Executive Officer.

Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia, said: “Air Arabia’s fleet growth strategy has always been driven by commercial demand and we are glad to announce today one of the region’s largest single-aisle orders with Airbus to support our growth plans. This new milestone underpins not only our solid financial fundamentals but also the strength of our multi-hub growth strategy that we have adopted over the years while remaining focused on efficiency, performance and passenger experience.” He added: “The addition of the A320neo, A321neo and A321XLR complements our existing fleet and allows us to expand our service to farther and newer destinations while remaining loyal to our low-cost business model. We look forward to working with Airbus and receiving the first delivery.”

Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer said: “We are delighted to expand our partnership with Air Arabia, this is a great endorsement for the A320neo Family which will allow the airline to tap into new markets. We are committed to supporting the fast expansion of Air Arabia and the region”

Air Arabia is an all Airbus operator with a total fleet of 54 A320 Family aircraft including the A321LR. All aircraft will feature a comfortable single-class cabin with one of the most generous seat pitches today.

The A321XLR is the next evolutionary step from the A321LR which responds to market needs for even more range and payload, creating more value for the airlines. From 2023, it will deliver an unprecedented Xtra Long Range of up to 4,700nm – 15% more than the A321LR and with 30% lower fuel burn per seat compared with previous generation competitor aircraft.

Featuring the widest single-aisle cabin in the sky, the best-selling A320neo Family, comprising the A319neo, A320neo, and A321neo, deliver at least 20% reduced fuel burn as well as 50% less noise compared to previous generation aircraft, thanks to incorporating the very latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklets. At the end of October 2019, the A320neo Family had received more than 7,000 firm orders from over 110 customers worldwide.