Airbus Updates No.3882

 

Armenian Airlines takes first A321-200

© Tis Meyer (PlanePics.org)

13.12.2022 - 10:45 UTC

Armenian Airlines (Yerevan) took delivery of its first aircraft, an A321-200, on December 7, 2022, although it has yet to secure its Air Operator's Certificate.

OE-ISO (msn 5382), a 10-year-old aircraft formerly operated by Asiana Airlines and owned by Air Lease Corporation, was ferried from maintenance at Ljubljana to Tbilisi. Despite sporting Armenian Airlines' livery, it remains registered in Austria and flew using a generic callsign as Armenian Airlines has yet to obtain its own code.

Armenian Airlines plans to take three A321s and operate a network of scheduled flights, targeting Russia as its main market. Its initial plan was to launch in October 2022.

The carrier is backed by businessman Ararat Sargsyan and is unrelated to former state-owned flag carrier Armenian Airlines (1991), although it uses a nearly identical logo. Sargsyan was also among the founders of Armavia, which went bankrupt; Alliance Air (Armenia), which never launched (and was linked to Russia's Nordwind Airlines); and FlyArmenia Airways, which has rebranded as Hayways following an investigation concerning its only aircraft landing at Tehran Imam Khomeini and is currently recertifying.

Airbus Updates No.3881

 

Swiss confirms selection of Airbus A350

Following-up on our post of 5 December 2022, Swiss has now officially confirmed it has selected the Airbus A350-900 to replace the A340-300 in its fleet. The airline will not place a new order with Airbus but has been allocated five aircraft from the existing order book the Lufthansa Group has for the type with the manufacturer.

Swiss has chosen the A350 due to its wider cabin and longer fuselage, enabling the airline to offer a superior first class cabin, compared to the more limited possibilities it would have by selecting the Boeing B787.

The airline currently operates a fleet of five A340-300s, next to fourteen A330-300s and twelve Boeing B777-300ERs for its longhaul-operations. The A340s are almost twenty years old and in total the airline flew with fifteen of them.

Airbus Updates No.3880

 

Airbus A321	-231	5382		OE-ISO	Air Lease Corp	posn 07dec22 LJU-EVN, Armenia Airways titl & decals	ex HL8267
Airbus A321	-271NX	10272		TC-LUB	Turkish Airlines	delivery 07dec22 XFWSAW, VietJet Air ntu, for paint into AnadoluJet cs	ex D-AVXO
Airbus A321	-271NX	10331		TC-LUE	Turkish Airlines	delivery 06dec22 XFW-SAW, VietJet Air ntu, for paint into AnadoluJet cs	ex D-AYAB
Airbus A321	-251NX	10961		VT-IBF	IndiGo Airlines	delivery 08dec22 XFW-DEL	ex D-AXXO
Airbus A321	-251NX	10987		TC-RDA	Pegasus Airlines	delivery 08dec22 XFW-SAW	ex D-AVXX
Airbus A321	-251NX	11010		VT-IBE	IndiGo Airlines	delivery 07dec22 XFW-DEL	ex D-AYAR
Airbus A321	-251NX	11012		B-58212	Starlux Airlines	delivery 08-09dec22 XFW-DWC-TPE	ex D-AVYL
Airbus A321	-251NX	11051		CS-TXK	TAP Air Portugal	delivery 07dec22 XFW-LIS	ex D-AVZN
Airbus A321	-271NX	11121		A6-WZH	Wizz Air Abu Dhabi	delivery 08dec22 XFW-AUH	ex D-AVYO
Airbus A330	-343	1559		EI-HAJ	DCAL Leasing	ferried 09dec22 CHR-CQM for onward storage	ex RP?C8765
Airbus A330	-243F	1708		F-HMRH	CMA CGM Air Cargo	posn 09dec22 FNI-CDG after transfer	ex OO-AIR
Airbus A330	-343	1745		HZ-NE22	Flynas	delivery 07dec22 AMM-JED	ex 9H-SXI
Airbus A330	-841	2020		OY-GKN	Air Greenland	delivery 07dec22 TLS-SFJ	ex F-WWCR
Airbus A340	-642	557		D-	USC GmbH	at JNB 08dec22, no titl, alike Lufthansa basic tail cs prior delivery	ex ZS-SNG
Airbus A340	-313	646		D-AUSC	USC GmbH	at JNB 08dec22, no titl, alike Lufthansa basic tail cs prior delivery	ex ZS-SXE
Airbus A340	-642	1005		D-AIHZ	Luftnansa	ferried 08dec22 LETL-FRA prior rtn to svc	ex F-WWCR
Airbus A350	-941	493		TC-LGL	Turkish Airlines	ferried 08dec22 ISL-IST after paint into standard cs	ex F-WZGY
Airbus A350	-941	550		B-325J	Sichuan Airlines	delivery 06dec22 TLS-CTU	ex F-WZNA
Airbus A350	-1041	560		F-HMIB	French bee	delivery 09dec22 TLS-ORY	ex F-WZHI
Airbus A380	-842	74		VH-OQL	Qantas	ferried 07de22 VCV-LAX prior rtn to svc	ex F-WWSL

Airbus Updates No.3879

 

Airbus A310	-324	576		EY-706	Asia Sky Lines	ferried 04dec22 TAS-THR, all white	ex EY-707
Airbus A319	-112	1936		VQ-BCW	FTAI Aviation	ferried 09dec22 EGBP-SNN	ex 3B-NBH
Airbus A319	-132	3276		N521TA	Avianca Central America	ferried 06dec22 GUA-TUS-PO8	ex D-AVYK
Airbus A319	-132	4998		9H-EXS	Eurowings Malta	re-regd 06dec22 at DUS on transfer (+ 4227 9H-EXP 07dec22 ex OE-LYZ)	ex OE-LYW
Airbus A320	-214	1615		LZ-LAK	Bulgarian Air Charter	delivery 08dec22 MPL-SOF	ex 9H-AJB
Airbus A320	-214	1637		9H-AJC	Carlyle Aviation Partners	posn 07dec22 MPL-FIH on leae to CAA - Compagnie Africaine d´Aviation	ex SX-EMJ
Airbus A320	-232	2204		SU-SKB	Sky Vision Airlies	delivery 06dec22 AMM-HRG	ex N220CL
Airbus A320	-214	2964		9H-MLW	Avion Expesss Malta	delivery 09dec22 WOE-CDT	ex OE-LRD
Airbus A320	-214	3152		EK-YRC	Fly Arna	delivery 08dec22 SHJ-EVN after transfer	ex SU-AAB
Airbus A320	-214	4631		9H-EUX	Eurowings Malta	first in svc 06dec22 DUS-PRG after transfer	ex D-ABFR
Airbus A320	-232	5090		PK-SGA	Super Air Jet	delivery 08-09dec22 MPL-IST-AZI-MAA-CGK	ex EI-GYF
Airbus A320	-271N	6849		VT-ITE	IndiGo Airlines	ferried 09dec22 SAW-WOE prior delivery to?	ex F-WWII
Airbus A320	-214	7148		9H-EWH	Eurowings Malta	first in svc 05dec22 DUS-SZG after transfer	ex OE-IEW
Airbus A320	-271N	10112		9H-WBB	Wizz Air Malta	first in svc 05dec22 KTW-LTN after transfer	ex HA-LJC
Airbus A320	-271N	10129		9H-WBA	Wizz Air Malta	first in svc 09dc22 KTW-MLA after transfer	ex HA-LJD
Airbus A320	-271N	10188		B-323L	Sichuan Airlines	delivery 06-07dec22 TLS-TAS-CTU	ex F-WWTK
Airbus A320	-271N	10714		B-328M	Sichuan Airlines	delivery 08-09dec22 TLS-TAS-CTU	ex F-WWDZ
Airbus A320	-251N	10780		B-329P	China Eastern	delivery 08-09dedc22 TLS-NQZ-PVG	ex F-WWDU
Airbus A320	-271N	11188		N966NK	Spirit Airlines	delivery 06dec22 TLS-KEF-DTW	ex F-WWRY
Airbus A320	-251N	11213		N966AV	Avianca Costa Rica	delivery 09dec22 TLS-KEF	ex F-WWTM

credit: Skyliner Aviation News

Airbus Updates No.3878

 

Return of the Etihad airbus A380

On 9 December 2022, Etihad Airways officially announced it will return the A380 back to service. The plan is to utilize the type as of the summer season next year exclusively on the Abu-Dhabi to London-Heathrow route. The airline is flying into Heathrow four times a day and all these flights will be flown by the A380, freeing up Airbus A350s and Boeing B787s for increasing frequencies to other destinations as well as opening new routes.

Etihad Airways once had ten A380s in the fleet. It's unclear which of those will return and the airline has started preparations for it by recruiting and training additional staff.

The status of the ten Etihad Airways A380s is currently as follow:

A6-APA (166), stored at Tarbes-Lourdes since 5 November 2020
A6-APB (170), stored at Tarbes-Lourdes since 3 December 2020
A6-APC (176), stored at Tarbes-Lourdes since 16 December 2020
A6-APD (180), stored at Teruel since 11 May 2021
A6-APE (191), stored at Teruel since 15 June 2021
A6-APF (195), stored at Teruel since 28 May 2021
A6-APG (198), stored at Teruel since 19 April 2021
A6-APH (199), stored at Teruel since 23 June 2021
A6-API (233), stored at Tarbes-Lourdes since 26 January 2021
A6-APJ (237), stored at Teruel since 26 April 2021

Etihad Airways will be the eighth airline to be flying the A380 (again), following in the footsteps of All Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines, British Airways, Emirates, Lufthansa, Qantas, and Qatar Airways.

Airbus Updates No.3877

Airbus November 2022 orders & deliveries

Airbus has published the results of the orders and deliveries over November 2022. In this month, the manufacturer logged orders for 29 aircraft, 14 cancellations and delivered 68 aircraft. The nitty gritty details:

Ordered were:

• 2 A320neos by Aer Lingus
• 3 A330-900s by Azul Finance
• 4 A320neos by British Airways
• 2 A321neos by British Airways
• 2 A320neos by CDB Leasing
• 4 A320neos by Condor
• 6 A321neos by Condor
• 6 A220-300s by Croatia Airlines

Cancelled were:

• 4 A320neos by Croatia Airlines
• 6 A320neos by IAG
• 2 A321neos by IAG
• 2 A320neos by an Unidentified customer

Delivered were:

• 1 A320neo to Aegean Airlines (leased via SMBC Aviation Capital)
• 1 A320neo to Air Astana (leased via Aviation Capital Group)
• 2 A220-300s to Air Baltic
• 3 A320neos to Air China (leased via NAS)
• 2 A220-300s to Air France
• 1 A350-900 to Air France
• 1 A330-800 to Air Greenland
• 1 A321neo to Air New Zealand
• 2 A321neos to American Airlines
• 1 A320neo to Austrian Airlines
• 1 A320neo to Avianca (leased via SMBC Aviation Capital)
• 1 A320neo to Azerbaijan Airlines (leased via Aviation Capital Group)
• 1 A220-300 to Breeze Airways
• 1 A330-900 to Cebu Pacific
• 1 A320neo to Chengdu Airlines
• 1 A321neo to China Airlines (leased via CALC)
• 1 A320neo to China Eastern Airlines
• 1 A350-900 to China Southern Airlines
• 1 A220-300 to Delta Air Lines
• 2 A321neos to Delta Air Lines
• 1 A350-900 to Delta Air Lines
• 1 A330-200 to DGA
• 1 A320neo to easyJet
• 1 A350-900 to Ethiopian Airlines
• 1 A320neo to flyadeal
• 1 A320neo to flynas
• 1 A320neo to Frontier Airlines
• 1 A320neo to Go First
• 1 A350-900 to Iberia
• 2 A320neos to Indigo
• 4 A321neos to Indigo
• 2 A320neos to Jetsmart (1 leased via Aviation Capital Group)
• 1 A321neo to Jetstar Airways
• 1 A321neo to Lufthansa
• 1 A321neo to Pegasus Airlines
• 1 A320neo to Play (leased via NAS)
• 2 A320neos to SAS
• 1 A321neo to Shenzhen Airlines (leased via ICBC)
• 6 A320neos to Spirit Airlines (2 leased via SMBC Aviation Capital, 1 via AerCap)
• 1 A320neo to Spring Airlines
• 2 A321neos to Turkish Airlines
• 1 A321neo to Vietjet Air
• 1 A330-900 to Virgin Atlantic
• 1 A320neo to Vistara (leased via Avolon)
• 2 A321neos to Viva Aerobus
• 1 A320neo to Volaris (leased via ALAFCO)
• 1 A321neo to Volaris (leased via CALC)
• 2 A321neos to WizzAir

In total, Airbus has now logged orders for 1062 aircraft and 237 cancellations, leaving a net number of orders of 825. The total delivered aircraft stands now at 565.

Airbus Updates No.3876

 

Egypt's Sky Vision Airlines adds first aircraft, an Airbus A320

© Tis Meyer (PlanePics.org)

09.12.2022 - 08:36 UTC

Sky Vision Airlines (SVI) took delivery of its first A320-200 on December 6, 2022, although it did not provide any updates on its certification and launch plans.

SU-SKB (msn 2204) is an 18.7-year-old jet formerly operated by the short-lived Brazilian carrier ITA Transportes Aéreos (IPM, Sao Paulo Guarulhos). It is owned by Carlyle Aviation Partners and was delivered to Hurghada after maintenance at Amman Queen Alia. The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that Sky Vision's second A320-200, msn 2589, remains in maintenance at San Bernardino. It is also an ex-ITA aircraft owned by Carlyle Aviation Partners.

The start-up said that having taken delivery of its first aircraft, it will now progress with its certification drive. Previously, it hoped to launch in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Sky Vision Airlines plans to base the aircraft out of Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh, one at each airport, to operate charter flights initially to the Middle East and other African countries. Once certified in the European Union, it will also launch services to Europe. In the second phase of growth, it is planning to add widebody aircraft to operate long-haul charters.

Airbus Updates No.3875

 

BA Euroflyer completes certification, adds Airbus A320's and A321's

British Airways Airbus A320-200© Tis Meyer / PlanePics.org

09.12.2022 - 10:27 UTC

BA Euroflyer (BA, London Gatwick) has obtained its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) and Operating Licence (OL) from the UK Civil Aviation Authority, permitting it to start operations on behalf of parent British Airways (BA, London Heathrow).

In tandem with this development, the nascent carrier added its first aircraft, A320-200 G-GATL (msn 1834), which had been operated by British Airways since 2015, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows. It has yet to be inducted into revenue service with the new technical subsidiary. Following maintenance at London Gatwick, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows the aircraft operated a test flight on December 7, 2022.

British Airways said BA Euroflyer would induct a further nine A320-200s and nine A321-200s by the Summer 2023 season and will operate all international short- and medium-haul flights out of Gatwick on behalf of its parent, using BA's brand and customer service standards, much like BA CityFlyer (CJ, London City). Domestic and long-haul flights out of Gatwick will continue to be operated by BA mainline.

BA Euroflyer has been active since March 29, 2022. However, with none of its own certificates, it essentially acted as a crew provider to its parent company.

Airbus Updates No.3874

Air Greenland takes delivery of its A330-800

On 7 December 2022, Air Greenland took delivery of its brand new Airbus A330-800. The aircraft OY-GKN (2020), was handed-over during a ceremony at Toulouse-Blagnac and subsequently left its birthing ground for the airline's base at Kangerlussuaq. It's named Tuukkaq, which is Greenlandic for "harpoon head".

Air Greenland will use its new widebody to replace its current Airbus A330-200 OY-GRN (230), which is over 24 years old already. It will mainly be used on the route between Greenland and Copenhagen.

The airline is joining a very select group of airlines operating the A330-800 as only Kuwait Airways (four aircraft) and Uganda Airlines (two aircraft) have it in their fleets. Together with the prototype, a total of eight A330-800s have been so far produced, making it quite an unique type to spot.

Photo by Airbus.

Airbus Updates No.3873

 

Airbus A321	-271NX	10862		B-32CC	Air China	delivery 01-02dec22 XFW-NQZ-CTU (+ 10888 B-32CD ex D-AYAA, +11042 B-32C9 ex D-AZAN)	ex DAZYE
Airbus A321	-251NX	10909		VT-IMX	IndiGo Airlines	delivery 01dec22 XFW-DEL	ex D-AZYF
Airbus A321	-271NX	10939		B-18110	China Airlines	delivery 01-02dec22 XFW-DWC-BKK-TPE	ex D-AYAO
Airbus A321	-271NX	11007		A6-WZE	Wizz Air Abu Dhabi	delivery 25nov22 XFW-AUH	ex D-AYAC
Airbus A321	-271NX	11044		CC-AWU	JetSmart	delivery 02-03dec22 XFW-KEF-PHF-SCL “Mantarraya”	ex D-AVXQ
Airbus A321	-271NX	11108		B-32CF	Shenzhen Airlines	delivery 01-02dec22 XFW-NQZ-SZX	ex D-AVZR
Airbus A321	-271NX	11112		XA-VSW	Volaris	delivery01dec22 XFW-KEF-YQX-MEX	ex D-AXXM
Airbus A330	-243	1400		JU-1400	Mongolian Airways Cargo	N-reg canx 29no22, delivery 02dec22 ISL-ULN	ex N280AV
Airbus A330	C-243	1486		OE-LAC	Air Belgium	delivery 02dec22 WOEn-BRU prior pait	ex A6-EYT
Airbus A350	-941	378		SE-RSB	SAS	ferried 29nov22 CPJ-ARN prior storage	ex F-WZHH
Airbus A350	-941	391		SE-RSC	SAS	ferried 29nov22 ARN-LDE for storage	ex F-WZNL
Airbus A350	-941	579		EC-NXE	Iberia	delivery 29nov22 TLS-MAD	ex F-WZFH
Airbus A350	-941	583		B-32CR	China Southern	delivey 01dec22 TLS-CAN	ex F-WZHK
Airbus A380	-841	54		B-6138	China Southern	ferried 02dec22 CAN-VCV-MHV, for part-out & scrap	ex F-WWAX
Airbus Canada A220	-300	55178		N217BZ	Breeze Airways	delivery 01dec22 BFM-TPA	ex C-GPQI
Airbus Canada A220	-300	55182		YL-BAK	airBaltic	delivery 01dec22 YMX-RIX (+ 55183 YL-BAL ex C-FOYF)	ex C-FOUQ
Anirbus A380	-841	146		D-AIMK	Lufthansa	ferried 02dec22 LTL-FRA prior rtn to svc	ex F-WWAO

Airbus Updates No.3872

 

Airbus A320	-214	?		SU-AAG?	Air Arabia Egypt	posn 03dec22 SHJ-CAI after transfer	ex ?
Airbus A320	-214	876		9H-VDL	Galistair	posn 03dec22 ILD-KEF on wet-lease to?	ex 2-CDCA
Airbus A320	-232	2496		OE-IFG	AerCap	ferried 02dec22 CRK-KHI-AMM	ex RP-C7298
Airbus A320	-214	3762		OK-IOO	CSA Czech Airlines	to be regd dec22, parked at PRG	ex D-AAAM
Airbus A320	-216	4126		9M-DAB	MyAirline	first in svc 01dec22 KUL-LGK-KUL	ex HS-ABL
Airbus A320	-214	4692		JU-1410	Mongolian Airways Cargo	regd 29nov22, delivery 01ec22 KUN-ULN	ex VQ-BKS
Airbus A320	-214	5058		N854VA	Alaska Airlines	ferried 01dec22 SNA-VCV prior return to lessor	ex F-WWBG
Airbus A320	-232	5362		PK-BKM	Batik Air	delivery 30ov-01dec22 SNN-IST-AZ-TRV-CGK	ex OE-IDH
Airbus A320	-232	5641		PK-STH	Super Air Jet	delivery 26-27nov22 ISL-AZI-MAA-CGK	ex OE-IUX
Airbus A320	-214	5995		C-GCJK	Canada Jetlines	delivery 30nov-01dec22 MLA-PIK-YQX-YKF	ex TC-DCD
Airbus A320	-214	6320		OE-IBT	Macquarie Airfinance	feried 01dec22 KIX-CRK-SIN-XSP	ex JA06VA
Airbus A320	-232	7100		EI-HDM	Goshawk	ferried 01-02dec22 LFBF-KEF-BGR-MTY on delivery to?	ex VT-TTK
Airbus A320	-251N	10803		SU-BUZ	Air Cairo	OE-reg canx 01dec22, delivery 02dec22 MPL-CAI	ex OE-IMS
Airbus A320	-271N	11013		SX-NEF	Aegean Airlines	delivery 01dec22 XFW-ATH	ex D-AUBZ
Airbus A320	-271N	11124		N965NK	Spirit Airlimes	delivery 01dec22 TLS-KEF-DTW	ex F-WWBS
Airbus A320	-251N	11146		VT-IPK	IndiGo Airlines	delivery 01dec22 TLS-DEL	ex F-WWIA
Airbus A320	-251N	11153		N396FR	Frontier Airlines	delivery 01dec22 BFM-TPA	ex F-WZMW
Airbus A320	-271N	11199		EI-KBS	FlyArystan	delivery 01dec22 TLS-NQZ	ex F-WWIH
Airbus A321	-231	1928		N985CM	Cargo Aircraft Management	seen regd at PRG 30nov22 prior ferry to TPA for P2F-conversion	ex VP-CBJ
Airbus A321	-231	3106		VP-BHN	Air Lease Corp	erried 02dec22 LJU-NWI for paint prior delivery to?	ex 4R-MRC

credit: Skyliner Aviation News

Airbus Updates No.3871

Lufthansa brings back 1st Airbus A380

Following-up on our article of 28 June 2022, we can now report that Lufthansa has taken a first Airbus A380 out of storage. The aircraft, D-AIMK (146), was ferried from Teruel in Spain to Frankfurt on 2 December 2022. Here it will receive first maintenance before being ferried to Manila for heavy maintenance. It's planned to have the aircraft back in service at the start of the 2023 summer season in March.

The ferry-flight was conducted with its gear down as Lufthansa couldn't test if the gear would retract as normal at Teruel.

Lufthansa is reactivating the type as it's facing a big increase in post-Covid customer demand and its new Boeing B777-9s are delayed. The airline has eight remaining A380s in the fleet and it's expected that up to six will be reactivated. The plan is to operate the aircraft mainly out of Munich.

Photo by Lufthansa.

Airbus Updates No.3870

Korean Air begins A321neo-operations

On 30 November 2022, Korean Air officially celebrated the entry into commercial of its newest aircraft type, the Airbus A321neo. The aircraft in question, A321-200NX HL8505 (10977) had already arrived in South Korea on 27 October 2022 when it was delivered from Hamburg-Finkenwerder to Seoul-Gimpo with a stop at Tashkent. Since then the Airbus has been used for crew-training flights, mainly between Seoul-Gimpo and Seoul-Incheon and Seoul-Gimpo to Jeju.

Korean Air has a total of 30 A321neos on order, with options on another twenty. It plans to deploy the aircraft on domestic and intra-Asian flights. Earlier this year, the airline also took delivery of its first of 30 Boeing B737-8s.

In total, Korean Air is now operating a fleet of 157 aircraft, consisting of ten Airbus A220-300s, one A321-200NX, eight A330-200s, 21 A330-300s, ten A380-800s, one Boeing B737-700BBJ, two B737-800s, ten B737-900s, six B737-900ERs, five B737-8s, one B747-400, four B747-400Fs, nine B747-8s, seven B747-8Fs, ten B777-200ERs, four B777-300s, 25 B777-300ERs, twelve B777Fs, one B787-8BBJ, and ten B787-9s.