Airbus releases December orders and year-end tally
Airbus has released its monthly figures regarding orders and deliveries for December 2021, which also rounds up the year for the European manufacturer. In December, Airbus was able to note down 161 orders, 22 cancellations and delivered 93 aircraft.
Ordered were:
25 A220-300s by Air Lease Corporation
79 A321neos by Air Lease Corporation
5 A330-900s by Air Lease Corporation
7 A350Fs by Air Lease Corporation
15 A320neos by Aviation Capital Group
25 A321neos by Aviation Capital Group
1 A220-300 by Carlyle Aviation Partners
4 A350Fs by CMA CGM
In 2021, Airbus was able to note down a total of 771 orders, which breaks down as:
14 A220-100s
50 A220-300s
2 A319neos
78 A320neos
581 A321neos
3 A330-200s
5 A330-300s
22 A330-900s
11 A350Fs
5 A350-900s
Cancelled were:
2 A350-900s by Air Lease Corporation
2 A350-1000s by Air Lease Corporation
8 A220-300s by Air Senegal
3 A350-900s by Turkish Airlines
7 A320s by Ural Airlines
During 2021, a total of 264 aircraft were cancelled, which breaks down as:
10 A220-100s
16 A220-300s
7 A320s
162 A320neos
55 A321neos
10 A350-900s
4 A350-1000s
And delivered were:
2 A350-900s to Aeroflot
1 A321neo to Air Astana (leased via Air Lease Corporation)
1 A320neo to Air Cairo (leased via ICBC)
1 A220-300 to Air Canada
1 A350-1000 to Air Caraibes (leased via Air Lease Corporation)
1 A320neo to Air China (leased via BOCOMM Leasing)
2 A321neo to Air China (1 leased via NAS Aviation Services)
1 A350-900 to Air China
2 A220-300s to Air France
2 A350-900s to Air France
1 A321neo to All Nippon Airways
2 A321neos to American Airlines
1 A321neo to Asiana Airlines
2 A321neos to Azul (leased via BOC Aviation)
1 A220-300 to Breeze Airways
1 A321neo to China Airlines (leased via Air Lease Corporation)
3 A320neos to China Eastern Airlines (1 leased via CALC, 1 via CMB Financial Leasing)
2 A350-900s to China Southern Airlines
1 A330-900 to Cebu Pacific
1 A320neo to Colorful Guizhou Airlines (leased via NAS Aviation Services)
1 A220-300 to Delta Air Lines
1 A320neo to easyJet
2 A380s to Emirates
2 A350-900s to Ethiopian Airlines
1 A350-900 to Finnair
2 A320neos to flyadeal
1 A350-1000 to French Bee (leased via Air Lease Corporation)
3 A320neos to Indigo
3 A321neos to Indigo
1 A220-300 to Iraqi Airways
1 A350-900 to Japan Airlines
2 A320neos to Juneyao Airlines (1 leased via SMBC Aviation Capital)
1 ACJ330-300 to K5-Aviation
1 A321neo to Loong Air (leased via AerCap)
2 A321neos to Lufthansa Technik (for Luftwaffe)
1 A321neo to Peach (leased via Air Lease Corporation)
2 A320neos to Pegasus Airlines
1 ACJ320neo to a Private customer
1 A320neo to Qingdao Airlines
1 A321neo to Qingdao Airlines
2 A320neos to S7 Airlines (1 leased via AerCap)
2 A321neos to Scoot (leased via SMBC Aviation Capital)
1 A220-300 to Senegal Airlines (leased via Carlyle Aviation)
2 A320neos to Shenzhen Airlines
3 A321neos to Sichuan Airlines (2 leased via Air Lease Corporation)
1 A350-900 to Sichuan Airlines
1 A350-900 to Singapore Airlines
1 A321neo to SKY Airline (leased via Air Lease Corporation)
1 A320neo to Sky Express
3 A320neos to Spirit Airlines (1 leased via AerCap)
2 A320neos to Spring Airlines
1 A321neo to Starlux Airlines (leased via Aviation Capital Group)
2 A320neos to Swiss
1 A320neo to Tunisair
1 A321neo to Ural Airlines (leased via SMBC Aviation Capital)
1 A350-1000 to Virgin Atlantic (leased via Air Lease Corporation)
1 A321neo to Viva Aerobus
1 A320neo to Viva Air
1 A320neo to Volaris (leased via Aviation Capital Group)
5 A321neos to WizzAir
Throughout 2021, Airbus managed to deliver 611 aircraft, which break down as:
After the hoopla surrounding the reactivation of the first Qantas A380, the return of the second A380 was a far quieter affair. Over the weekend, VH-OQD Fergus McMaster made the journey from storage in California to Sydney, landing back home on Monday morning local time.
Qantas has just flown its second Airbus A380 back to Sydney. Photo: Qantas
VH-OQD departed Los Angeles mid-evening on Saturday for the 14 hour plus flight down to Sydney. The Airbus A380 touched down in wet and overcast conditions just after 06:00 on Monday. The superjumbo had covered 7,641 miles (12,297 kilometers) on this flight.
Eagle-eyed planespotters were anticipating the return to service of the second Qantas A380. They’d spotted this plane doing some laps over Los Angeles in the runup to Saturday’s transpacific flight.
Youtube channel LA Flights has some nice footage of the jet pushing back in Los Angeles on Saturday evening. The A380 takes off right at the end of the footage. That plane is followed by a Qantas Dreamliner – both bound for Sydney.
Weekend A380 laps over Sydney
Qantas resumes scheduled A380 flights between Sydney and Los Angeles on Tuesday, January 11. The thrice-weekly flights are a stop-gap measure to solve a problem caused by out-of-action 787-9 Dreamliner crews.
Qantas reactivated another A380 in early November. VH-OQB Hudson Fysh made a splashy return home and has been busy operating familiarization flights over Sydney for out-of-practice A380 crews.
VH-OQB will depart Sydney and operate QF11 to Los Angeles on Tuesday evening. It will be the first Qantas A380 carrying fare-paying passengers since March 2020. Since the middle of last week, that plane has made multiple take-off and landings from Sydney Airport.
Over Wednesday and Thursday, VH-OQB operated four flights over Sydney, each of approximately one hour’s duration. The flights put crews and the aircraft through it their paces. By the weekend, the tempo of flying was really picking up.
On Saturday and Sunday, VH-OQB operated ten flights around Sydney. By breakfast time on Monday, the superjumbo was up in the air again. The flights typically comprise a loop out southwest towards the Wingecarribee area before turning back towards Sydney, running out over the Royal National Park, and going out to sea before heading back into the airport.
Qantas plans to reactivate 10 of 12 Airbus A380s
The decision to reactivate the Qantas A380s with VH-OQB and VH-OQD is a slightly odd one. Whereas VH-OQD is refurbished with the latest top-notch Qantas cabin product, VH-OQB is not. From a passenger’s point of view, it’s a lucky dip as to what plane you get.
Qantas plans to reactivate 10 of its 12 Airbus A380s. The airline has already refurbished six; VH-OQD, VH-OQG, VH-OQH, VH-OQI, VH-OQJ, and QH-OQK. Six still sport previous generation cabins. It’s not known which two A380s will not return to service. However, you might assume the two would come from the half dozen older yet-to-be refurbished planes.
The oldest Qantas A380 is VH-OQA Nancy Bird Walton, which arrived at Qantas in September 2008. The next two oldest A380s are Hudson Fysh and VH-OQC Paul McGinness, both of which landed at Qantas in December 2008. All three remain unrefurbished. However, the return of Hudson Fysh suggests at least one of the oldest Qantas A380s has a future at the airline.
Toulouse, 10 January 2022 – Airbus has signed a purchase agreement with Azorra for twenty-two A220 Family aircraft including twenty A220-300s and two ACJ TwoTwenty aircraft. Azorra is a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, based aircraft lessor focused on executive, regional and mid-size (“crossover”) aircraft.
Azorra’s purchase is the latest endorsement for the A220 Family aircraft and reaffirms the strong market demand for Airbus’ newest single-aisle aircraft.
“The A220 is ideally suited for Azorra’s growing portfolio. We are excited to partner with Airbus on this popular, next generation aircraft. We look forward to offering its superior economics and environmental efficiency to our customers,” said John Evans, CEO of Azorra. “We are also thrilled with the opportunity to expand Azorra’s executive jet leasing business with the new ACJ TwoTwenty. Azorra’s new partnership with Airbus and unique ability to offer fleet transition solutions for airlines and executive jet leases to business aviation customers are key differentiators that bring significant value to our customers. ”
“We warmly welcome Azorra as a new Airbus partner and salute this decision by a renowned player in the regional aviation space. We have seen a significant market appetite for the A220 Family from a growing and diverse customer base. The addition of Azorra’s capabilities in the regional airline segment is a welcome endorsement for the A220 versatility,” said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International. “This agreement will enhance Azorra’s portfolio strategy of investing in the most comfortable and modern technology aircraft in this segment while it will also enable us to offer A220 Family solutions to an increasingly wider spectrum of airlines”, he added.
The A220 is the only aircraft purpose-built for the 100-150 seat market and brings together state-of-the-art aerodynamics, advanced materials and Pratt & Whitney’s latest-generation PW1500G geared turbofan engines. Featuring a 50% reduced noise footprint and up to 25% lower fuel burn per seat compared to previous generation aircraft, as well as around 50% lower NOx emissions than industry standards, the A220 is a great aircraft for regional as well as long distance routes.
The ACJ TwoTwenty is a new and unique value proposition to business aviation buyers. This game changing aircraft combines intercontinental range to fly over 12 flight hours with unmatched personal space (73m2/785 ft2 of floor space) providing unprecedented comfort for passengers. Equipped with a signature flexible cabin, this fully completed aircraft is ideal for private and business jet users.
As of the end of December 2021, the A220 had accumulated 668 orders from 25 customers. To date, 13 airlines are operating around 190 aircraft on four continents.
About Azorra
Azorra is a relationship-driven aircraft lessor providing lease, financing, and asset management solutions with a focus on executive, regional, crossover and small narrowbody aircraft. Azorra’s team is led by industry veterans with a shared history of success and has the financial backing of funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management L.P. The company is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and has an office in Dublin, Ireland. For additional information, please visit www.azorra.com
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).
On 6 January, Comlux took delivery of the world's first ACJ220, or ACJ TwoTwenty as Airbus calls it fashionably. The aircraft, 9H-FIVE (50062) will now undergo cabin installation at the company's facility at Indianapolis (IN) and will be ready for use in 2023. Comlux has announced it will operate the aircraft for the FIVE Hotel in Dubai.
Comlux is the launch customer of Airbus' newest corporate jet and has announced an order for two aircraft. The company also signed an agreement with Airbus that it will be the exclusive cabin outfitter for the first fifteen ACJ220s.
The ACJ TwoTwenty is based on the A220-100 and will be able to fly up to eighteen passengers very comfortably over a maximum distance of 10,500 km, which is just over twelve flying hours. This means the jet can connect cities as London with Los Angeles (CA) or Dubai with Tokyo.
Iraqi Airways Takes Delivery Of Its First Airbus A220
The first A220 for Iraqi Airways has left Montreal and is en route to Baghdad. The aircraft has made a stop in Manchester, UK, this morning, and will continue its journey later tonight. This is the first of five A220s for the airline, which will be complemented by new 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliners as part of a major fleet renewal endeavor.
Iraqi Airways’ first A220 is on its way to its new home. Photo: Airbus
Iraqi Airways first A220 is on its way
Iraqi Airways is preparing to welcome its first Airbus A220 to its fleet, as the aircraft has left Montreal and is on route to its new home in the Middle East. This is the first of five A220s headed for the airline, making it one of the more exotic operators of the popular regional jet.
Registered YI-ARE and flying under the apt flight number of IA2220, the new A220 took off from Montreal at 16:00 EST yesterday. Flying overnight, it was in the air for just shy of seven hours before landing at Manchester Airport in the UK. It touched down at just before 06:00 this morning.
According to schedules, it will take off again later today, bound for Baghdad. Departure is scheduled for around 18:00 this afternoon. It will join the airline’s 32-strong fleet of aircraft, with A320 family and 737s providing short to mid-haul services, two 747s and a 777-200LR for long-haul and six CRJ900s running regional routes.
As well as the additional four A220s, Iraqi Airways is expecting delivery of 16 Boeing 737 MAX 8 and a fleet of 10 787-8 Dreamliners. The carrier is working hard to be removed from its current ban on flying within the EU, which has been in place since 2020 over issues regarding safety.
Iraqi Airways longstanding A220 order
The Iraqi Airways A220 deal was signed while the aircraft was still the Bombardier CSeries, back in January 2014. It was announced as a letter of intent at the Dubai Airshow the year before, and firmed up for five CS300s with options for a further 11.
At the time, AIN reported that Iraqi Airways CEO and director-general Saad Al-Khafaji said the airline intended to use the type on services to secondary airports, including Basra and Najaf. Al-Khafaji is quoted as saying,
“In Baghdad we use big aircraft, but in the other airports we’ll use aircraft that for us are normal size–150 seats or less.”
The A220 is the first of five to arrive with the airline. Photo: Iraqi Airways
The order called for the cabins to be outfitted with 12 first class seats and 120 economy seats. At the time of the firm order, deliveries were expected to start in 2016. Now, finally, we can enjoy seeing an A220 in Iraqi Airways livery arriving in Baghdad.
The airline has already picked an IFEC supplier for the planes, having announced the selection of Panasonic Avionics in November last year. The company will be providing both inflight entertainment and WiFi onboard not only the A220s but the entire new fleet. `Panasonic will add its X Series IFE solutions to the A220s, 787s and 737 MAX, alongside its eXW WiFi product.
