Commercial Aviation News

Lufthansa looking to downsize plane types on order for smaller longhaul jets. Well that is the theory anyway. Not sure if this is anything concrete as yet.

Sam Chui compares the Qatar Airways service during pandemic times vs normal times...flying from Qatar to the United States.

Air Cote d'Ivore has received its first Airbus A320neo. Air Côte d’Ivoire, Ivory Coast’s flagship carrier based in Abidjan, has taken delivery of its first A320neo, becoming the first operator of the type in the West-African region. This latest generation aircraft will join Air Côte d’Ivoire’s existing Airbus fleet of six aircraft. With improved levels of efficiency, this new aircraft will be deployed on Air Côte d’Ivoire’s regional network to serve Senegal, Gabon, and Cameroon. Destinations like South Africa will be added at a later stage, highlighting the operational flexibility of the A320neo. Powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines, the aircraft is configured in a comfortable two-class layout with 16 seats in Business and 132 seats in Economy Class. Passengers will benefit from the widest cabin of any single-aisle aircraft, high-speed Internet connectivity and latest generation in-flight entertainment system.

Boeing appears to be clearing house at its Commercial airplanes HQ complex in Renton.

https://www.seattletimes.com/busine...ts-commercial-airplanes-headquarters-complex/

United Airlines is looking to add a new route between Boston (BOS) to Heathrow (LHR). This new route is optimism on the part of United Airlines pegging it on the premise that demand will come back once restrictions ease. The service is expected to be operated by a Boeing 767-300ER on a daily frequency. It will be operated by their 763s that are fitted with the High J layout that comprises of 46 Polaris Business Class seats, 22 Premium Plus as well as 99 Economy seats.

Airbus runs through a quick look at the A220.

Recaro has officially entered the regional market with providing seats on the Embraer's E195-E2 for KLM Cityhopper. Below you can get an idea how the new seats look. These aircraft will be fitted with BL3710 and SL3710 seats. These will be configured in a hybrid layout on the E190 and E195-E2 KLM Cityhopper regional jets. The E195-E2 is configured with 132 seats, while the E190 has 100 seats. Fernando Antônio Oliveira, Vice President Programs, Embraer Commercial Aviation said, "Embraer worked closely with KLM Cityhopper and Recaro to certify the Buyer Furnished Equipment seats for our EJet platforms. With Recaro seats now certified for EJet platforms, a greater selection of seat products will be available for customers on request, further increasing customers’ options for enhancing the passenger journey."

The Boeing NMA talks resume again...

What commercial aircraft cabins and seats may look like in the future.

Air Baltic has resumed flights outside of the European Union (EU). airBaltic announces that starting from March 17 it plans to resume flights from Riga to Kyiv for those passengers that are travelling for essential reasons. airBaltic will resume additional flights outside the European Union starting from March 28. Even more flights will be available from the 28th, according to the plane. Passengers are likely t0 see flights from Riga to Tbilisi, Tel Aviv, Moscow, St. Petersburg and Minsk.

Air Caraibes very far away from home...seen landing in Tahiti! These guys are from the Caribbean!

The final production Airbus A380 has left Toulouse. The aircraft as you can guess is destined for Emirates Airlines once delivered. The jet left Toulouse on the 17th of March bound for Hamburg, Germany for painting. It will eventually bear the registration A6-EVS.

New York based airline jetBlue is potentially eyeing a move of its HQ to Florida. It is an idea being reviewed at this point and a decision on it is perhaps expected to come by the end of this year. With the current lease expiring in July of 2023 they have a big decision to make. Either way, even if they move the HQ, the airline still is looking at expanding services from three New York airports in the near future. JetBlue already flies all over the United States and internationally to various Caribbean destinations. It is now eyeing the London route which it plans to launch later this year.

This looks like an ex. AeroMexico Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner...seen on departure from Tahiti. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic around the world, AeroMexico was one of many airlines that got hit hard by the fallout of the virus. This forced the airline to shed many planes from its fleet primarily longhaul aircraft like the 787.

Saudi Arabian Airlines is back in the news because of a major financing agreement signed which is to cover the majority of a previously announced order for a mixture of commercial airliners from Boeing and Airbus. Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation has signed a major financing agreement worth SAR 11.2 billion or approximately USD 3 billion. The airplanes that are covered in the financing include 20 A321neo, 15 A321XLR, as well as 30 A320neo for flyadeal. There are eight Boeing 787-10 in the deal as well of which five (5) have been delivered to the airline already. The financing covers the airlines acquisitions into mid-2024.

MC-21-300 being tested in icing conditions. A test bed aircraft was sent to Arkhangelsk where it performed tests over the White Sea region. The natural conditions in the area will provide the icing phenomena needed to test the MC-21-300's anti-icing capabilities.

Recaro Aircraft Seating lightweight SL3710 seat made its North America debut on Frontier Airlines A320 aircraft just yesterday! On March 23, 2021, photos began floating around of the new slim-line seat for the airline on their A320s. Weighing in at 8 kilograms, the seat is the lightest member in the economy class seat market and supports Frontier’s mission of being “America’s Greenest Airline.” Below is a look at how the new seats look.

Aviation news recap...

First Airbus A330neo destined for Corsair. Time-lapse put together of its build to completion.

Alaska Airlines has now firmed their order for 23 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft. Back in December the North American airline signaled its intention to order more MAX aircraft. All 23 aircraft are expected to be delivered to the airline between 2023 and 2024. Alaska Airlines only received their first MAX 9 in January 2021.