Commercial Aviation News

The Airbus A321LR has gained FAA and EASA certification. The new variant is essentially a longer range version of the A321. With a range of 4,000 nautical miles while carrying 206 pax and related load because of additional center tanks. The EASA and FAA simultaneous certifications today allow for up to three additional center tanks to increase the range. Airbus expects to deliver the first A321LR by the end of the year to Israel’s Arkia. Arkia wasn't supposed to be the launch customer but because of the issues with Primera Air, they -Arkia- became the first.

EVA Air has received its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft from Boeing. The aircraft is actually from lessor Air Lease and will be put on international routes from as early as next month. The aircraft is a -9 variant of the Dreamliner and is expected to hand over the other three that are on order by early 2019. There after they would work on delivering the -10 variant to the Taiwanese airline.

The first aircraft has now made its first flight. Delta has commitment for up to 125 CS100 (as it was called back then when Bombardier had the project) Airbus now runs the CSeries program calling it the A220-100 and A220-300 (former CS100 and CS300). Firm orders for 75 A220s and options for 50 is the breakdown of the overall order. The new aircraft seen below flew for just under 3 hours on its maiden flight. Delta will have this aircraft in commercial service in early 2019.

The first A320neo delivered to Scoot, the low-cost wing of Singapore Airlines, complements the operator’s existing fleet of 27 A320ceo Family aircraft. The livery is quite eye-catching.

Delta's first A220-100 (former CS100) seen here in action.

World's longest commercial passenger flight from Newark to Singapore and of course Sam Chui was onboard for the event.

Sam Chui flies Panama's Copa Airlines on their brand new Boeing 737 MAX 9 from LA to PTY then PUJ.

Shower and Hammam onboard Emirates A380 First Class To Morocco.

Yesterday Delta Airlines took delivery of its first Airbus A220-100 (former CS100). There aircraft was seen recently conducting test flights ahead of its delivery. It now bears the registration N101DU. Delta Airlines is now the first North American Airline to have the new A220. N101DU configures with 109 seats overall 12 in first class and 97 in economy. The first aircraft is expected to enter revenue service in January 2019.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has validated the Boeing 737 MAX 9. The MAX 9 is the middle ground of three variants offered by American airframer Boeing. The European validation comes around eight months after it was given by the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The first variant, the MAX 8 is well into operation in European skies flying with carriers like LOT, Smart Wings, Norwegian and Icelandair.

Japan Air Commuter has received its first ATR 72 regional aircraft. The result was from a conversion of an order for the smaller ATR 42-600.

Flying Cathay Pacific Premium Economy and Economy with Sam Chui.

Tel Aviv-based Arkia Israeli Airlines, which is majority owned by Jordache Enterprises, has taken delivery of its first A321LR, becoming the launch operator of the world’s most flexible and capable large single-aisle aircraft ever. The A321LR is the latest version of the best-selling A321 Family and allows operators the flexibility to fly long-range (LR) operations of up to 4,000nm (7,400km) and to tap into new long-haul markets, which were not previously accessible with single-aisle aircraft. The new LR cabin configuration allows airlines to offer each passenger more space and premium products for widebody comfort. Powered by LEAP CFM motors, Arkia’s A321LR fleet will be configured with 220 seats in a single-class layout.

The first Airbus A330-800 took to the sky recently on November 6th. It flew for four hours and four minutes and now officially makes the second member of the A330neo family. The crew in the cockpit comprised: Experimental Test Pilots Malcolm Ridley and François Barre and Test-Flight Engineer Ludovic Girard. Meanwhile, monitoring the aircraft systems and performance in real-time at the flight-test-engineer’s (FTE) station were Catherine Schneider and Jose Corugedo Bermejo.

"[Today’s]...first flight of the A330-800 is the latest addition to our efficient Widebody family," said Guillaume Faury, President Airbus Commercial Aircraft. "The A330-800 is an exceptionally versatile ‘route-opener’, offering unbeatable economics for airlines – encompassing everything from short to very-long haul widebody missions." He added: "We look forward to the successful flight-test campaign, leading to certification next year."

China Southern Airlines is expected to leave the SkyTeam alliance. The airline says that it will leave the alliance next year as it endeavours to create new partnerships with other airlines. They will not renew their SkyTeam membership from Jan 1 2019 and will work on the transition during the rest of the year. "China Southern’s decision reflects its strategic development, the changing trends of the global aviation industry and the evolution of alliances," says SkyTeam. The alliance's chief executive Kristin Colvile added, "Network has always been the foundation of SkyTeam. Our new value proposition retains that strong integrated network and combines it with our continued focus on improving customer experience through technology. China Southern has been a valued member of SkyTeam. We respect its decision and wish it well."

After the first Airbus A321LR was delivered to Arkia on November 13th, Airbus is now working behind the scenes to make the A321 fly even further, a whole 700nm further. That's right this will be the A321XLR with a range potentially around 4,698 nautical miles while carrying 206 passengers and MTOW of more than 100 tonnes. The A321LR currently can fly just shy of 4,000nm (3,995nm) and an MTOW of 97 tonnes. For now, keep your ears to the ground as we do not know if Airbus really plans on actually making this come to market as yet. However, if they do it would probably directly compete with Boeing's new NMA aka the 797.

Delta has changed out an order for A350s and replaced them with the A330neo. 10 Airbus A350-900 examples are being substituted for 10 of the Airbus A330-900s. The change leaves Delta with firm orders for 35 A330-900s. The first of them is expected in 2019 since photos have emerged of An A330neo with a Delta livery fin outside of the factory being readied for full painting.

Jeju Air has ordered up to 50 examples of the Boeing 737 MAX 8. If you have never heard of this carrier, Jeju Air is a budget carrier from South Korea. The order is broken down into 40 firm orders and options for 10 of the type. Estimated to be worth between 4.14 billion, this airline will have to wait in line until 2022 before they start to see the first aircraft. Deliveries are expected to run through 2026. "With Korea's growing commercial aviation market, we are excited to take the next step in expanding our business with the 737 Max, a world-class airplane that will allow us to improve our operation and continue to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for our passengers," says Jeju Air president and chief executive Seok-Joo Lee.

It appears that Flybe has now offered itself for sale for anyone wanting to take it over. For a while now this company has been going through tough economic times. This may not be good news as it is Europe's largest regional airline with regional aircraft to match that structure. 11 E175s, 6 E195s, 54 Q400s and 5 ATR 72s comprise its current fleet with service to 14 countries.

Boeing and Safran recently received regulatory approvals for a collaborative venture which should eventually realize new Auxiliary Power Units (APUs). Between the two, they will design, build and servicing APUs. Both Boeing and Safran have 50% stakes in the joint venture. There is no name for the joint venture as yet neither has a production site or HQ been named. An APU is an extra smaller engine (essentially) that can power the aircraft's electrical load while on the ground while the main engines are off. They are sometimes used to start the aircraft as well and even power in flight if that is needed. The companies also named Etienne Boisseau as Chief Executive Officer of the joint venture.