Commercial Aviation News

Lufthansa's new First Class double suite.

Taiwanese carrier Starlux Airlines is expected to enter the U.S market with its first flight there into Los Angeles on April 26. It will offer 5 flights a week from Taipei to LAX with the Airbus A350-900.

Emirates unveils 'new livery'...a very slight update to the previous. First aircraft already repainted, an A380 registered A6-AOE.

The Chinese Assembly line of Airbus has now delivered its first Airbus A321neo aircraft since being put into service. The assembly line located in Tianjin, China has delivered an A321neo specimen to Juneyao Air which is based in Shanghai. The aircraft is equipped with 207 seats, 199 in economy and 8 in business class.

Here is a look at Air Malta's fifth Airbus A320neo in the new livery. The recently took delivery of it, this photo is when it was still under control of Airbus.

HK Express takes delivery of its first Airbus A321neo. Mandy Ng, CEO of HK Express, commented: "We are thrilled to welcome the first A321neo to our fleet. As an operator of the A320 Family, we are confident in the A321neo’s game-changing ability to provide more capacity with greater sustainability. At HK Express, the A321neo is key in our efforts to reduce our impact on the environment." HK Express is an all-Airbus operator, with its current fleet comprising 27 A320 Family aircraft, including 11A321ceo, 10 A320neo, five A320ceo and its first A321neo.

News on the Airbus A321XLR programme. This week the A321XLR development flight-test aircraft (“FT3”, MSN11080) dedicated to the cabin returned from its four-day cold-weather ground testing at Iqaluit in northern Canada. A few weeks earlier, one of the other A321XLR test aircraft (“FT2”, MSN11058) made a similar visit to Iqaluit. On that initial occasion the mission was to test the operation of the hydraulics and other systems at extreme cold temperatures – after an overnight soak at minus 40 degrees Centigrade.

In case you didn't know...

Azerbaijan Airlines has ordered 12 Airbus A320neo family aircraft which includes the A320 and A321neo. First Vice-President of AZAL CJSC Samir Rzayev commented: “We are pleased to continue mutually beneficial cooperation with Airbus on the modernization program of our fleet and intend to strengthen the bilateral partnership. The signed contract will provide our passengers with the most modern and comfortable single-aisle aircraft."

Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport under water.

Spirit has taken delivery of its 200th Airbus aircraft. The Airbus A320neo (N973NK) was assembled at Airbus U.S. manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama, and prepared for service at Spirit's aircraft maintenance facility. Spirit itself is ramping up on taking delivery of new planes. In 2022 it took delivery of 14 new planes but in 2023 it plans to accept 26, nearly doubling last year. Spirit Airlines President and CEO Ted Christie, commented: "Our new, fuel-efficient aircraft allow us to deliver on our promise to give our Guests both an affordable and great experience. Spirit's Pilots truly enjoy flying our modern aircraft fleet, and we'd like to thank Airbus for their long-term partnership. I'd also like to recognize all our Spirit Family Members and business partners who prepare our planes for service and keep them in tip-top shape with safety as their top priority."

First Airbus A320neo to ITA Airways.

Spirit has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321neo. Ted Christie, Spirit Airlines President and CEO, commented: "Adding this new variant of the A320 Family aircraft to our fleet is a feat that has been years in the making. I'm grateful for all our Team Members who made it possible for us to step up our capabilities and open the door to new horizons for Spirit. We know our Guests enjoy the brand-new plane experience combined with our latest cabin upgrades, and on the business side of the equation, this transition will increase our average gauge, which will drive efficiencies that benefit unit costs and reduce fuel burn." If things go according to plan Spirit will take delivery of 7 more A321neos for the remainder of 2023 and ramp that up to 24 in 2024.

Boeing now has another delay on the long-awaited MAX 7 aircraft, the smallest of the MAX range of aircraft. The service entry has now been pushed back into 2024, continuing a lengthening list of delays for the airframer with this particular aircraft. “We continue to expect the 737-7 to be certified in 2023, and now expect first delivery in 2024,” says a Boeing securities document filed on 26 July. The type's first flight was in early 2018! Once it is delivered in 2024, that would be nearly 6 years late. As a result customer Southwest has begun converting MAX 7 orders to the in-service MAX 8 variant.

United equipment outage? Ground Stop issued.

Update, Ground Stop resolved.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/un...-stop-due-computer-issue-abc-news-2023-09-05/

Norse Atlantic has added a new Los Angeles route which will be coming from Paris (CDG). This is anticipated to start next Summer and will fly 6 X weekly it appears. While the San Francisco run that was started this summer out of London Gatwick seems to have been axed already.

Vietnam Airlines has selected Boeing with an order of 50 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The aircraft is for 50 737-8 planes to help expand its single-aisle fleet. Dang Ngoc Hoa, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietnam Airlines, commented: "In line with Vietnam Airlines' 2025-2030 fleet strategy and a vision to 2035, aircraft investment is a crucial project that underpins positive recovery momentum and prosperous outlook for the airline. The new narrow-body fleet will allow us to foster our overall development and extend our high-quality service on Vietnam Airlines' domestic and Asian routes, as well as modernize our fuel-efficient fleet." The deal is estimated to cost around 7.8 billion.