quarta-feira, 11 de março de 2020
sexta-feira, 6 de março de 2020
Estonia's Regional Jet to rebrand as Xfly
Regional Jet (EE, Tallinn Lennart Meri) has announced it will rebrand itself as Xfly (Tallinn Lennart Meri) to reinforce and expand its presence in the European ACMI/charter niche.
"The X in our new name stands for willingness to change, to adapt and to develop and we are claiming it as our 'super power'," it said in a statement. "It stands for the fleXible service we are uniquely able to provide and the client whose face[sic] we assume when we fly."
Estonian state broadcaster ERR said that despite the change in brand, the airline's legal name would remain Regional Jet OÜ.
Xfly is a 51/49 joint venture between Nordica (EE, Tallinn Lennart Meri), a wholly Estonian government-owned virtual carrier, and LOT Polish Airlines (LO, Warsaw Chopin). Its largest customers at present include SAS Scandinavian Airlines (SK, Copenhagen Kastrup) which wet-leases eight ATR72-600s, one CRJ700, and three CRJ900s, and LOT which wet-leases four CRJ900s. Xfly also operates five more CRJ-900s. It will induct a total of seven E190/195s over the coming months, ERR reported.
ch aviation
Sky Alps to charter Luxwing's Dash 8-400
Sky Alps (Bolzano) will operate as a virtual carrier chartering Dash 8-400 capacity from Luxwing (LWG, Malta Int'l), a Malta-based business charter specialist, Maltese aviation news website MAViO has reported.
The Italian start-up is due to commence services from Bolzano to Rome on May 1, 2020. While the airline has previously announced that it will use a Dash 8-400 turboprop, it did not provide any details regarding the operator.
According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, the first Dash 8-400 Luxwings will operate for Sky Alps will be msn 4175, a 12.6-year-old ex-South African Express (XZ, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) aircraft. It is owned by Nordic Aviation Capital and has been in storage in Bydgoszcz since June 2019, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows.
Luxwings does not currently operate any large passenger aircraft. The business charter specialist's fleet includes five E500s, two E505s, one Cessna Citation CJ1, two Citation XLS, one CJ2, four Cessna 650s, one Cessna 750, and one Embraer Praetor.
ch aviation
Ryanair eyes B737-10 deal as a part of MAX compensation
Ryanair (FR, Dublin Int'l) has suggested to Boeing that new B737-10s could be part of a compensation package for the losses suffered as a result of the near year-long global B737 MAX grounding, Ryanair Holdings Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said during a quarterly earnings call.
According to Reuters, O'Leary said he does not expect talks to advance to the point where an actual order size is discussed before the B737 MAX is recertified.
A potential order for the B737 MAX 10, which can seat up to 230 passengers, would mark another upgauge for Ryanair. The Irish LCC, which so far exclusively operates 189-seat B737-800s (and a single B737-700 mostly for executive travel and crew training), has a firm order for 210 B737-8-200s, including 135 directly from Boeing and the remainder from lessors.
The airline has already acknowledged that it does not expect any B737 MAX before the Winter 2020 season. The MAX 8-200 requires a separate type certificate which is expected to take another two months after the B737 MAX is ungrounded.
Under its original schedule, Ryanair hoped to operate fifty-five B737 MAX during the Summer 2020 season. The LCC refused to give a specific figure regarding its estimated losses or demands for compensation from Boeing.
O'Leary added that realistically, Ryanair could take deliveries of up to eight B737 MAX per month once the type is certified. This would translate to around 50 units in the carrier's fleet for the peak Summer 2021 season.
ch aviation
Fleet expansion inspires Uzbekistan Airways’ traffic growth
The country’s president continues to criticise the industry’s pace of development, though
The distance between Moscow and Tashkent is about 2,800 km – and that is one of the routes operated by Uzbekistan Airways’ Boeing 787 Dreamliners (Artyom Korenyako / ATO.ru)
Uzbekistan Airways, the central Asian country’s sole airline, achieved improved operational results in 2019 when the state-owned carrier expanded and modernised its fleet, enlarged its route map, and enjoyed double-digit traffic growth. Nevertheless, the president of Uzbekistan remains discontented with the pace of development of the country’s commercial aviation industry.
FLEET AND TRAFFIC GROWTH
Uzbekistan Airways carried 3.802 million passengers on its 26,465 flights last year, resulting in an almost 19 per cent improvement of operational performance compared to 2018, the airline reports.
According to Russian Aviation Insider’s calculations, the average number of passengers carried on each of Uzbekistan Airways’ flights was 144 – a relatively modest result considering the scaling up the airline’s fleet, which now includes high-capacity Boeing 757-200, B767-300ER and B787-8 aircraft. The Uzbek airline has been striving to strengthen its positions in the strategically important air travel market between Russia and Uzbekistan. An example of this effort is its 2019 traffic through St Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport, which increased by 20.1 per cent (to 288,700 passengers), whilst the number of passengers on the route to and from Yemelyanovo in Krasnoyarsk climbed by six per cent to 15,300.
The rise in passenger demand was supported by fleet expansion and renewal projects last year in which Uzbekistan Airways took delivery of two Airbus A320neos and two Boeing 787-8s. The arrival of its sixth Dreamliner is scheduled for the first quarter of this year.
With that in mind, it is virtually impossible to accurately assess Uzbekistan Airways’ financial status. According to some observers, it appears that the airline’s fleet management is far from optimal, and the company may have accumulated historical debts through obscure leasing schemes. There are no ways to officially confirm this information, as Uzbekistan Airways remains tight-lipped even though it changed its status from a state-run unitary enterprise to a joint-stock company late last year.
PRESIDENTIAL CRITICISM
Uzbekistan Airways changed its ownership structure in the course of major reforms launched by Uzbekistan’s president Shavkat Mirziyoyev in 2018. Even so, the head of state remains discontented with the current state of affairs in the country’s civil aviation industry. The reforms stalled when the newly liberated Uzbekistan Airways and Uzbekistan Airports, which emerged from the state-owned national structure called National Aviation Complex Uzbekiston Havo Yullary, failed to operate efficiently as separate entities, according to the records of the recent government meeting headed by president Mirziyoyev. The summit was dedicated to the priority tasks of improving the efficiency of the country’s transport infrastructure and representatives from both Uzbekistan Airways and Uzbekistan Airports insisted that the reforms will pick-up at a faster pace. “We hope that, as a result of intensified reform activities, 2020 will be a break-through year for [our] aviation industry. It is well known that, for the last three decades, reforms were non-existent in the industry, which resulted in the accumulation of serious problems and discrepancies. Not enough attention was given to the industry, as it developed as an absolute monopoly with no competition at all. This affected the fares and the levels of service,” both organisations agreed in a statement.
In the mean time, Uzbekistan Airways’ press department has revealed the airline’s primary objectives for this year, which include the further expansion of its flight geography, continued fleet modernisation, attracting new investment, the introduction of modern technologies and improving the passenger experience. Although it’s hard to see the concrete measures that will support these general statements, it can be said with confidence that the substantial changes in Uzbekistan’s civil aviation sector will continue. With good luck and fair winds, president Mirziyoyev’s efforts will help the aviation industry to transform and rejuvenate the country’s travel and transfer potential.
By Artyom Korenyako
Russian Aviation Insider in Air Transport, Uzbekistan
Gulf Air ends A330 operations
Gulf Air (GF, Bahrain Int'l) ended A330-200 operations on January 20, 2020, when its last unit of the type, A9C-KE (msn 334), operated its last commercial flight as GF251 Dhaka-Bahrain Int'l.
"This A330 aircraft served the national carrier for almost 20 years and supported our growth during the last two decades. Gulf Air started its fleet modernization programme in 2018 which began with the delivery of the B787-9 Dreamliner. As of today, all our long haul routes are operated exclusively by Dreamliners," Chief Executive Krešimir Kučko said during the farewell ceremony, as quoted in a press release.
A9C-KE was ferried to St. Athan on January 27, 2020, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows. The Bahraini carrier owned the 19.8-year-old twinjet, according to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module.
Following the retirement of the A330s, Gulf Air continues to operate fifteen A320-200s, five A320-200neo, six A321-200s, and seven B787-9s. It expects to take another three B787-9s by the end of the year. Also, by 2023, the airline intends to operate twelve A320neo and seventeen A321-200neo (including nine LRs) as the A320-200s and A321-200s are retired.
ch aviation
ANA S20 International service changes as of 10FEB20
ANA on 27JAN20 opened reservation for its planned new routes at Tokyo Haneda, for summer 2020 season. Airlineroute first reported planned schedule for European service and expanded flights to Australia on 16JAN20, however it was later removed as the airline removed operational schedule in the GDS on 17JAN20.
Latest summary of ANA S20 international service changes as follow. Note the airline in late-January 2020 announced additional aircraft changes on various routes, however it has not yet reflected in the reservation system as of 10FEB20.
Tokyo Haneda – Istanbul eff 06JUL20 1 daily 184-seater 787-8
NH219 HND0835 – 1415IST 788 D
NH220 IST1650 – 1025+1HND 788 D
Tokyo Haneda – Milan Malpensa eff 20APR20 3 weekly 215-seater 787-9 (1 daily from 10JUL20)
NH207 HND0055 – 0620MXP 789 146
NH208 MXP1210 – 0700+1HND 789 146
ANA previously operated Milan, the Host City of World Routes 2020, until October 1998, when it operated Osaka Kansai – Milan Malpensa – Rome and Osaka Kansai – Frankfurt – Milan Malpensa.
Tokyo Haneda – Moscow Domodedovo eff 01JUL20 1 daily 767-300ER
NH213 HND0840 – 1310DME 763 D
NH214 DME1505 – 0710+1HND 763 D
ANA previously operated service to Moscow Sheremetyevo until October 2000, with 1 weekly Osaka Kansai – Moscow Sheremetyevo – London Heathrow – Osaka Kansai. Tokyo operation scheduled until April 1997 with 1 weekly Tokyo Narita – Moscow Sheremetyevo – Paris CDG – Tokyo Narita.
Tokyo Haneda – Qingdao eff 29MAR20 1 daily 787-8, Subject to Government Approval
NH949 HND0955 – 1230TAO 788 D
NH950 TAO1330 – 1735HND 788 D
Tokyo Haneda – San Francisco eff 29MAR20 3 weekly 777-300ER (Day 257 from HND, Day 136 from SFO; 4 weekly for the week of 29APR20), 1 daily from 25MAY20
NH108 HND2255 – 1625SFO 77W D
NH107 SFO0145 – 0500+1HND 77W D
ANA will continue to operate 1 daily Tokyo Narita – San Francisco flight with 777-300ER.
Tokyo Haneda – Shenzhen eff 29MAR20 1 daily 787-8, Subject to Government Approval
NH965 HND1120 – 1510SZX 788 D
NH966 SZX1700 – 2215HND 788 D
Tokyo Haneda – Stockholm Arlanda eff 06JUN20 3 weekly 184-seater 787-8 (1 daily from 21JUL20)
NH221 HND0940 – 1300ARN 788 146
NH222 ARN1420 – 0710+1HND 788 146
Tokyo Haneda – Sydney eff 29MAR20 Increase from 1 to 2 daily, new NH889/890 operated by 246-seater 787-9 (Following schedule effective 05APR20 – 03OCT20)
NH889 HND0845 – 1910SYD 789 D
NH879 HND2230 – 0855+1SYD 789 D
NH890 SYD1200 – 2030HND 789 D
NH880 SYD2055 – 0530+1HND 789 D
Tokyo Narita – Qingdao eff 29MAR20 Narita departure moves from morning to evening hours, Qingdao moves from afternoon to morning hours
NH927 NRT1830 – 2105TAO 788 D
NH928 TAO0905 – 1300NRT 788 D
Previously reported changes, including service adjustment at Tokyo Narita, as follows:
Tokyo Haneda – Ho Chi Minh City eff 29MAR20 1 daily 787-9
Tokyo Haneda – Delhi eff 29MAR20 1 daily 787-9, replacing Tokyo Narita service
Tokyo Haneda – Houston eff 29MAR20 1 daily 777-300ER, replacing Tokyo Narita service
Tokyo Haneda – Los Angeles eff 29MAR20 Increase from 1 to 2 daily, 777-300ER operating
Tokyo Haneda – San Jose CA eff 29MAR20 1 daily 787-8, replacing Tokyo Narita service
Tokyo Haneda – Seattle eff 29MAR20 1 daily 787-8, replacing Tokyo Narita service
Tokyo Haneda – Washington Dulles eff 29MAR20 1 daily 777-300ER, replacing Tokyo Narita service
Tokyo Narita – Bangkok eff 16MAY20 Reduce from 2 to 1 daily, NH807/808 cancelled
Tokyo Narita – Hanoi eff 29MAR20 1 daily 787-9, replacing Tokyo Haneda service
Tokyo Narita – Ho Chi Minh City eff 29MAR20 Reduce from 2 to 1 daily, 787-8 operating
Tokyo Narita – Honolulu eff 01JUL20 A380 service increases from 10-11 weekly to 14 (Instead of 10-11 weekly A380 and 3-4 weekly 777-300ER)
Tokyo Narita – Jakarta eff 01JUL20 Reduce from 7 to 3 weekly
Tokyo Narita – Kuala Lumpur eff 01JUL20 – 31AUG20 Reduce from 7 to 3 weekly
Tokyo Narita – Los Angeles eff 29MAR20 Reduce from 2 to 1 daily, 777-300ER operating
Tokyo Narita – Phnom Penh 29MAR20 – 30JUN20 Reduce from 7 to 3 weekly (Except selected dates)
Tokyo Narita – Singapore Service reduced from 2 to 1 daily, NH803/804 cancelled during following period: 29MAR20 – 23APR20, 07JUN20 – 24OCT20
Tokyo Narita – Vladivostok eff 16MAR20 2 weekly A320
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