Airbus Updates No.3752

 

JetSMART Has Its First Airbus A321neo

Yesterday South American ultra-low-cost-carrier JetSMART took delivery of its first Airbus A321neo.

The handover took place in Hamburg, Germany and marks the first delivery of the 47 Airbus A321neo JetSMART has on order. Data from Flightradar24.com shows the new aircraft, registered initially as D-AZYK, has operated two flights, both departing from and returning to Hamburg-Finkenwerder Airport (XFW). The first on July 14 was for 2:41 hours, while the second on Monday, July 25, possibly the handover flight, was in the air for 1:21 hours. The A321neo, now registered as CC-AWT, has not yet left Hamburg for the ferry flight home.

CEO Estuardo Ortiz said delivery of the A321neo marks the beginning of a new era for JetSMART and will support its vision to serve 100 million passengers by 2028.

"It is also an important step in becoming the leading ULCC in South America. We worked with Airbus to configure our A321neo as the most competitive aircraft in the market, while maintaining our focus on sustainability and ultra low fares."

JetSMART has ambitious plans to grow its fleet, with ch-aviation.com data showing it has 110 Airbus narrowbodies on order. JetSMART currently has nine aircraft based in Chile, six in Argentina and two in Peru. The fleet comprises eleven Airbus A320-200s and six A320-200neos. Its orders are for A320neo, A321neo, A321NX and A321XLR aircraft. The new A321neo is leased from Aviation Capital Management, and last week JetSMART announced it would lease six A320neos from another lessor, BOC Aviation.

Like almost all airlines, JetSMART has its own sustainability goals, and it believes the A321neo will be crucial to their achievement. The A321neo is powered by new generation Pratt & Whitney geared-turbofan engines, which, combined with the wing Sharklets, deliver more than 20% fuel and CO2 savings, plus a 50% noise reduction. Arturo Barreira, president of Airbus Latin America and the Caribbean, said, "The A321neo's performance and efficiency will allow JetSMART to continue offering low fares while reducing its carbon footprint."

JetSMART is adding more capacity to its existing A320neo fleet.

As a ULCC, JetSMART needs to maximize capacity, and the A321neo is configured for up to 240 passengers, a 30% lift from the A320neo. The airplane has the latest Airspace cabin, which features the widest single-aisle cabin, unique lighting displays and the extra large Airspace XL overhead luggage bins. Airbus says these XL bins can store 60% more luggage than previous generation narrowbodies.

JetSMART and its subsidiaries in Peru and Argentina have an extensive network of destinations across South America. From Chile, it operates to six countries, 25 destinations and 43 routes, while the Argentinian airline serves 17 destinations and 33 routes in three countries. JetSMART Peru launched domestic services in June, operating to 10 destinations on 13 routes. At the launch, Ortiz said JetSMART Peru would "offer point-to-point flights, shorter flights to destinations that today are not connected, allowing greater transfer opportunities for passengers who from now on will pay only for what they need and use for their trip."

Airbus Updates No.3640

 

US's Indigo Partners orders 255 A321neo Family jets

Volaris Airbus A321-200N© Volaris

14.11.2021 - 14:06 UTC

US-based private equity firm Indigo Partners has placed an order with Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) for 255 additional A321-200neo Family aircraft.

Announced during the ongoing Dubai Air Show, the order will be distributed across the budget airline specialist firm's various AOCs as follows:

• Wizz Air (W6, Budapest): 102 aircraft (seventy-five A321neo and twenty-sevenA321-200NX(XLR)s);
• Frontier Airlines (F9, Denver Int'l): 91 aircraft (all A321neo).
• Volaris (Y4, México City Int'l): 39 aircraft (all A321neo).
• JetSMART (JA, Santiago de Chile Int'l): 23 aircraft (twenty-one A321neo and two A321XLR).

In addition to this order, Volaris and JetSMART will convert thirty-eight existing A320neo orders to A321neo.

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, Wizz Air's current inventory and order backlog consist of fifty-eight A320-200s, six A320-200Ns (with 34 on order), thirty-four A321-200s, and twenty-nine A321-200NXs (with 179 on order). Its Wizz Air Abu Dhabi (5W, Abu Dhabi Int'l) subsidiary operates four A321neo while Wizz Air UK (W9, London Luton) operates three A320ceo, seven A321ceo, and four A321neo.

US-based Frontier operates nineteen A320ceo, seventy-three A320neo (with 58 on order), and twenty-one A321ceo. It also has sixty-seven A321neo and eighteen A321neo(XLR)s on order.

Mexican LCC Volaris operates four A319-100s, forty A320ceo, thirty-four A320neo (with 54 due), ten A321ceo, and six A321neo (with 39 due). Volaris Costa Rica (Q6, San José Juan Santamaría) operates two A319s and Volaris El Salvador (N3, San Salvador Int'l) one A320neo.

Chile-based JetSMART operates six A320ceo and eight A320neo (with 56 due) with orders for seven A321neo and twelve A321neo(XLR)s. JetSMART Argentina (WJ, Buenos Aires Ezeiza) operates five A320ceo.

Airbus Updates No.3639

 Indigo Partners portfolio airlines order 2.55 A321neo Family aircraft

Dubai, 14 November 2021 – Wizz Air (Hungary), Frontier (United States), Volaris (Mexico) and JetSMART (Chile, Argentina), Indigo Partners portfolio airlines, have announced an order for 255 additional A321neo Family aircraft under a joint Indigo Partners agreement. The firm order was signed at the Dubai Airshow.

This order brings the total number of aircraft ordered by the Indigo Partners’ airlines to 1,145 A320 Family aircraft. The aircraft ordered today are a mix of A321neos and A321XLRs, which will be delivered to the individual airlines as follows:

• Wizz Air: 102 aircraft (75 A321neo + 27 A321XLR)
• Frontier: 91 aircraft (A321neo)
• Volaris: 39 aircraft (A321neo)
• JetSMART: 23 aircraft (21 A321neo + 2 A321XLR)

In addition to this order, Volaris and JetSMART will upconvert 38 A320neo to A321neo from their existing aircraft backlogs.

“This order reaffirms our portfolio airlines’ commitment to consistent growth through the next decade. The Airbus A321neo and A321XLR have industry-leading efficiency, low unit costs and a substantially reduced carbon footprint relative to prior models. With these aircraft, Wizz, Frontier, Volaris and JetSMART will continue to offer low fares, stimulate the markets they serve and improve their industry-leading sustainability profile,” said Bill Franke, Managing Partner of Indigo Partners.

“We are happy to further expand our relationship with our great Indigo Partners’ airlines Wizz, Frontier, Volaris and JetSMART who have acted fast and decisively over the last few months to position themselves for this landmark order as the effect of the pandemic recedes and the world wants more sustainable flying,” said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International.

The A321neo incorporates new generation engines and Sharklets, which together deliver more than 25 percent fuel and CO2 savings, as well as a 50 percent noise reduction. The A321XLR version provides a further range extension to 4,700nm. This gives the A321XLR a flight time of up to 11 hours, with passengers benefitting throughout the trip from Airbus’ award-winning Airspace interior, which brings the latest cabin technology to the A320 Family.

By the end of October 2021, the A320neo Family had totalled more than 7,550 orders from 122 customers since its launch in 2010. Since its Entry into Service five years ago, Airbus has delivered over 1,950 A320neo Family aircraft contributing to 10 million tons of CO2 saving.

Indigo Partners LLC, based in Phoenix, Arizona, is a private equity fund focused on worldwide investments in air transportation

Airbus Updates No.2285

Chile's JetSMART adds first A320neo

JetSMART Airbus A320-200N © Airbus

09.10.2019 - 06:49 UTC

JetSMART (JA, Santiago de Chile Int'l) took delivery of its first A320-200neo during a ceremony at Toulouse Blagnac airport on October 5, lessor SMBC Aviation Capital and engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney said in press releases.

CC-AWJ (msn 9194) was subsequently ferried via Natal Aluizio Alves to Santiago de Chile Int'l but has yet to be deployed in revenue service, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows. The LCC has not yet scheduled A320neo flights. It said it will use the new aircraft on international services to Argentina, Peru, and Brazil.

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, the airline currently operates eight A320-200s on dry-lease from CDB Aviation (three), Aviation Capital Group, CALC (two each), and Wings Capital Partners (one). Its Argentinian subsidiary JetSMART Argentina operates a further three A320-200s, all dry-leased from Aviation Capital Group. JetSMART has a total of fifty-six A320neo and fourteen A321-200neo on firm order from Airbus. It plans to operate a total of seventeen aircraft by the end of the first quarter of 2020, including eleven existing A320s and six newly delivered aircraft (including CC-AWJ).

Airbus Updates No.2194

Indigo Partners to add 50 A321XLRs to its airline fleets

Indigo Partners and three of its airlines will acquire 50 of the new Airbus A321XLR long-range, single-aisle jetliners. The Memorandum of Understanding includes new orders for 32 A321XLRs and the conversion of 18 existing A320neo family orders.

Indigo Partners LLC, based in Phoenix, Arizona, is a private equity fund focused on worldwide investments in air transportation. Indigo has major ownership stakes in four low-cost airlines, including Frontier Airlines (U.S.), JetSMART (Chile), Volaris (Mexico) and Wizz Air (Hungary). The four carriers now operate a combined 295 Airbus planes and, with the new commitments, have 636 on order.

Twenty of the A321XLRs will be allocated to Wizz Air, 18 to Frontier, and 12 to JetSMART.

Airbus announced the launch of the A321XLR at the Paris Air Show. Derived from the A321neo, the A321XLR is the longest-range single-aisle commercial jetliner ever, capable of flying routes up to 4,700nm with unbeatable fuel efficiency. With a range previously found only in twin-aisle aircraft, A321XLR will enable airlines to exploit new route opportunities with low operating costs, reduced environmental impact, and provide passengers with a comfortable travel experience.