Commercial Aviation News

Emirates has completed the retrofitting of 10 Boeing 777-200LRs from a three-class layout to a two-class configuration. The refits is said to have cost in the region of 150 million dollars and was done at the Emirates Engineering. The business class section on the refreshed interior product is in a 2-2-2 layout and the economy area is 3-4-3 abreast.

Air Mauritius has taken delivery of its first A330-900, on lease from ALC during a ceremony held in Toulouse. The national carrier of the Republic of Mauritius is the first A330neo operator based in the southern hemisphere, and the first airline in the world to operate a combination of both the A330neo and A350 XWB.

Benefiting from the A330neo’s unbeatable operating economics and award-winning Airspace cabin, the aircraft (named Aapravasi Ghat in reference to Mauritius’ history) will feature a two-class cabin with 28 business class seats and 260 economy class seats. The carrier will deploy the aircraft on routes connecting Mauritius to Europe (mainly London and Geneva), India and South East Asian routes and on regional destinations including Johannesburg, Antananarivo and Reunion Island.

Another commercial airline is set to bite the dust this year. We thought 2018 was a tough year for airlines, well 2019 is shaping up to be just as bad. The latest subject is India's Jet Airways. The airline has been forced to at least temporarily suspend its operations as of April 17th. 2018 proved to be a pivotal year for this Indian carrier in terms of facing rising fuel costs, rising competition and with a significant order of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on order. Of course as you would know the 737 MAX has been grounded world wide while Boeing and the FAA work together on a fix for the issues relating to that aircraft that resulted in the crash of two specimens, one for an Indonesian carrier last year and the one for an Ethiopian carrier this year. Jet Airways was looking for cash injection from parties but that did not materialize and therefore the solid future of this airline is in the balance and for now it has suspended operations.

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft recently celebrated the delivery of the first two of four CRJ900 aircraft ordered by Uganda National Airlines Company in July 2018. The new airline has selected Bombardier and the CRJ900 regional jets fitted with the ATMOSPHÈRE cabin for its upcoming debut, making it the first operator in Africa with this enhanced cabin experience.

JAL's first Airbus A350 has come out of the paint shed. This is the first of 18 A350-900s that is on order from JAL. They also have orders for 13 of the -1000 incarnation.

Fiji Airways is about to add the Airbus A350-900 to its fleet.

Air Transat has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321LR. It is the first of 15 and this one is on lease from lessor Aer Cap. It is arranged with 199 seats (187 economy and 12 premium) and is part of the airline's fleet renewal program. Five more are expected to be delivered this year with the rest shipped by 2022.

Lion Air's first Airbus A330-900neo has emerged from the paint shop. The aircraft will be operated on lease from BOC Aviation. In all 10 of the type will be delivered to Lion Air with 8 being leased from BOC Aviation. The aircraft will have a single-class layout seating 440 passengers and will be operated by Lion Air on selected domestic routes, as well as charter and pilgrimage service to Saudi Arabia.

Delta's first Airbus A330neo has taken off on its first sortie. It flew for around 5 hours and 45 min before returning to Toulouse. This is the first of 35 A330-900 aircraft for Delta. The airline expects to take delivery of four of the type in 2019. 281 seats comprise the layout on the Delta A330-900 with 168 economy, 56 extra legroom economy, 28 premium economy and 29 business class seats. The first aircraft is expected to service between Seattle and Pudong.

A number of news sources suggested that Emirates cancelled their order for the Boeing 787 but it appears this isn't accurate. The Middle East airline said in a statement that the signing for the 40 Boeing 787s was a MoU and not a firm commitment. The airline does confirm that negotiations are ongoing so a cancellation may or may not be on the table, time will tell.

The first A330neo of the Americas has been delivered to Azul Linhas Aéreas on lease from Avolon, becoming the first airline from the Americas to fly the A330-900. The aircraft is the first of 15 A330neo ordered by Avolon. The A330neo, Airbus’ new generation A330 aircraft, will be used by the airline to expand its international route network between Brazil and Europe and the United States. Fitted with a three-class cabin accommodating 34 business class, 96 economy Xtra and 168 economy class seats, the A330neo offers passengers greater comfort along with the newest and the most advanced in-flight experience while the airline will benefit from the aircraft’s unrivaled operating economics.

Paying more for your first class ticket so that you can have more space and luxurious amenities and be away from the crowded economy class? That is fine but if this new design from Korean student at Hongik University along with seat manufacturer Advent have their way and are selected, the future of first class with some airlines could be very different. Economy seats make alot of money simply because they are usually the most dense of the arrangement on most commercial jets. First class seats and business class seats are alot less and take up more space in the aircraft to be able to give the feeling of luxury and better creature comforts for those paying more. However, this new design by the Korean student aims to weave economy seats up front with first class. The issue with this is that it pushes first class suites to the middle of the aircraft eliminating window for them. Now Emirates has already done this by making suites along the centerline of the aircraft but still

ANA has taken delivery of their second Airbus A380. This one was delivered ahead of the expected schedule, some three weeks ahead. The visually interesting turtle livery remains just in a slightly different variation and colouration. ANA is calling it the 'Emerald Green Flying Honu' livery, the first one was called the 'Sky Blue Flying Honu'.With the early delivery, the second A380 for ANA will probably enter service next month rather than July.

Ryanair appears ready to order more Boeing 737 MAX aircraft despite growing distancing of airlines from the Boeing model. The CEO, Michael O'Leary will demonstrate his confidence in the aircraft by ordering more once the aircraft type has been cleared to reenter service. Ryanair was supposed to take delivery of their first MAX aircraft back in April but could not because of the ongoing issues and grounding of the aircraft type.

Airbus 50 years on...

Boeing and Air New Zealand announced the airline plans to add the largest 787 Dreamliner model to its world-class fleet with a commitment to buy eight 787-10 airplanes valued at $2.7 billion at list prices. The carrier, known for its global network and long-range operations, says the 787-10 complements its current 787-9 and 777 fleet by offering more seats and greater efficiency to grow its business.

"This is a hugely important decision for our airline. With the 787-10 offering around 15 percent more space for both customers and cargo than the 787-9, this investment creates the platform for our future strategic direction and opens up new opportunities to grow," said Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Christopher Luxon. "The 787-10 is longer and even more fuel efficient. However, the game changer for us has been that by working closely with Boeing, we've ensured the 787-10 will meet our network needs, including the ability to fly missions similar to our current 777-200 fleet."

As the Boeing 737 MAX grounding continues to lengthen and airlines around the world are ditching future orders or laying off MAX-trained pilots to cut costs, Boeing has another issue on its hands. Their next new aircraft is the Boeing 777X aircraft and from sources within, suggest that the massive latest 777 variant is having engine snags with the brand new GE Aviation GE9X turbines. Now questions are looming if Boeing can keep the timeline for service entry of the 777X at 2020. Emirates wants to fly the first 777X by June 2020 but naturally that may be in doubt now.

Airbus has celebrated the delivery of its 12,000 aircraft overall. The landmark aircraft has been delivered to Delta Airlines and was in the form of an A220-100.
The aircraft is the 12th A220 delivered to date to Delta Air Lines since the carrier received its first A220 in October 2018. The A220 started scheduled service with Delta in February 2019. Delta is the first U.S. airline to operate the A220 and is the largest A220 customer, with a firm order for 90 aircraft.