Scoot becomes new operator of A321neo

 

Singapore, 28 June 2021 – Scoot, the low cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, has become a new operator of the A321neo, following the arrival in Singapore of its first three aircraft. All three aircraft are leased from BOC Aviation.

Scoot’s A321neo aircraft are powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines and seat 236 passengers in a single class layout. The aircraft cabin is based on the Airbus Cabin Flex option which enables optimal use of space. Scoot will operate the A321neo on routes of up to six hours from Singapore.

The A321neo is a member of the A320neo Family, of which Scoot has ordered a total of 39 aircraft from Airbus (including six A321neos) and is acquiring another 10 A321neos under lease agreements.

All of Scoot’s A320neo Family aircraft will be supported by Airbus Services under a Flight Hour Services Tailored Support Package covering component availability and repair, as well as fleet technical management.

The A320neo Family incorporates the latest technologies, including new generation engines and Sharklets, delivering a 20 per cent reduction in fuel consumption per seat.

At the end of May 2021, the A320neo Family had won 7,400 firm orders from over 120 customers worldwide.

AIR HORIZON - B737-400 - 9H-MPW - "Vamos todos", "Vamos com tudo" - PORTUGAL

Rui Silva  -LPPT
 

WORLD2FLY - A330-300 - EC-LXR - Second commercial flight, CUN-MAD

 José Ramon Valero - MAD

BLUE AIR - B737 MAX8 - YR-MXB

Rui Silva - LPPT

Boeing Completes Successful 737-10 First Flight

The largest airplane in the 737 MAX family begins comprehensive test program

 SEATTLE, June 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing's [NYSE: BA] 737-10, the largest airplane in the 737 MAX family, today completed a successful first flight. The airplane took off from Renton Field in Renton, Washington, at 10:07 a.m. and landed at 12:38 p.m. at Boeing Field in Seattle.

"The airplane performed beautifully," said 737 Chief Pilot Capt. Jennifer Henderson. "The profile we flew allowed us to test the airplane's systems, flight controls and handling qualities, all of which checked out exactly as we expected."

Today's flight was the start of a comprehensive test program for the 737-10. Boeing will work closely with regulators to certify the airplane prior to its scheduled entry into service in 2023.

"The 737-10 is an important part of our customers' fleet plans, giving them more capacity, greater fuel efficiency and the best per-seat economics of any single-aisle airplane," said Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Our team is committed to delivering an airplane with the highest quality and reliability."

The 737-10 can carry up to 230 passengers. It also incorporates environmental improvements, cutting carbon emissions by 14 percent and reducing noise by 50 percent compared to today's Next-Generation 737s.

As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing's diverse team is committed to innovating for the future and living the company's core values of safety, quality and integrity. Learn more at www.boeing.com.

Skymark unveils Pikachu Jet

                                

On 21 June, Skymark unveiled a special Pokémon-livery on B737-800 JA73AB (63408). The aircraft, which is dubbed the Pikachu Jet will not only be branded on the outside but will also have Pokémon-decals on the inside like the headrests. The airline will also have dedicated Pokémon self-service check in machines to complete the experience.

Skymark cooperated with Pokémon Ltd. "to contribute to society by bringing people together and enabling them to make real contact to each other". If you want to spot the aircraft, you can do so at Fukuoka, Ibaraki, Kobe, Miyako, Nagoya, Naha and Tokyo-Haneda.

Photos by Skymark Airlines.

 

Kalitta Air introduces new livery

Kalitta Air has introduced a new livery. The first aircraft that has received it is B747-400F N403KZ (34018). It was painted at Oscoda (MI) after receiving regular maintenance.

Most notable change to the livery is the absence of the distinctive red and gold cheatline on the fuselage. Instead, the fuselage is now all white with large Kalitta Air-titles.

Photo by Kalitta Air.

Air New Zealand defers B787-10 deliveries

Air New Zealand (NZ, Auckland Int'l) has delayed the delivery of its first B787-10s by up to one year citing the prolonged impact of the pandemic on longhaul travel demand to/from the South Pacific.

The carrier ordered eight of the type in September 2019 with deliveries to have run from September 2022 through 2027. However, in a recent market update, the airline said it had managed to reach an agreement with Boeing (BOE, Chicago O'Hare) to defer the first B787-10's arrival to some point during its FY2024 season (i.e. July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024).

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, Air New Zealand's B787-10 order book has now been cut by one to just seven alongside a single B787-9 (due in September next year). It also has orders with Airbus for two A320-200Ns (due in 2023) and seven A321-200NXs (due between June 2023 and June 2025) alongside one ATR72-600 from Avions de Transport Régional due in 2022/3.

Though it did not comment specifically on these other orders, Air New Zealand did note that it "retains the ability to utilise a number of further contractual delivery deferral rights on other aircraft due to be delivered from 2024 onward.

Air New Zealand's fleet currently entails twenty A320-200s, four A320-200Ns, seven A321-200NXs, twenty-eight ATR72-600s, eight (parked) B777-200(ER)s, seven (parked) B777-300(ER)s, fourteen B787-9s, and twenty-three DHC-8-Q300s.

Commenting on its current financial standing, the company said it had had positive EBITDA since September 2020 and had been operating cash-flow positive since the second quarter of the 2021 financial year (i.e. 4Q20), albeit that this performance had benefitted from the government’s air cargo support schemes, wage subsidies, and other aviation relief packages totalling approximately NZD300 million New Zealand dollars (USD208.1 million).

However, it warned that its operating environment remains "challenging and uncertain" with the potential for adverse developments regarding timeframes of international border re-openings, progress of global vaccination programmes, and recovery levels for customer demand.

"While demand on the airline’s domestic and short-haul networks is currently showing positive momentum, if there are further border restrictions or lockdowns there is no certainty that this momentum will continue," it said.

Italy's Sky Alps launches after delivery hiccups

Following a five-day delay caused by the postponed delivery of its chartered DHC-8-Q400, Sky Alps (Bolzano) began commercial operations on June 17, 2021.

The virtual carrier's inaugural service was from Bolzano via Parma to Ibiza. The route to Parma is scheduled as 5x weekly, with two weekly rotations continuing to Ibiza. Sky Alps' network also comprises services from the capital of the largely German-speaking Italian province of South Tyrol to:
Olbia (2x weekly, launched on June 19),
Rome Fiumicino (2x weekly, starting on June 21),
Düsseldorf Int'l (2x weekly, starting on July 2), and
Berlin Brandenburg Int'l (2x weekly, starting on June 30).

All flights are operated with a De Havilland Aircraft of Canada turboprop leased by Sky Alps from Chorus Aviation, 9H-BEL (msn 4230). As the Italian carrier is not certificated, the aircraft is operated on its behalf by Malta's Luxwing (LWG, Malta Int'l).

Sky Alps, which is backed by Bolzano airport owner ADB Holding, originally hoped to launch in May 2020 only for the pandemic to delay these plans to 2021. Its revised launch date, June 12, had to be deferred due to a bureaucratic hold-up involving the aircraft's registration in Malta as well as the issuance of documents needed for its induction into commercial service.

The virtual carrier is expecting the delivery of its second Dash 8-Q400, 9H-EVA (msn 4237), shortly. The ex-flybe. turboprop, also on lease from Chorus Aviation, remains at Malta Int'l airport ahead of its re-registration and onward delivery to Sky Alps.

ch aviation

Estonia’s Xfly opens Stockholm line station, plans Vilnius

Xfly (EE, Tallinn Lennart Meri) has opened a line maintenance station at Stockholm Arlanda Airport and is also in the process of setting up another station in Vilnius, Lithuania, besides bases already established at Tallinn Lennart Meri, Copenhagen Kastrup, and Aarhus, it announced in a statement.

“The maintenance capacity will be used primarily to maintain our own fleet, but in future it is planned to offer the service to other airlines as well,” the Estonian capacity provider said.

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, Xfly, a subsidiary of Estonian virtual flag carrier Nordica, currently operates an all-leased fleet of seven ATR72-600s, four CRJ900ERs, and six CRJ900LRs, but the statement also confirmed earlier reports that E195s will be “introduced shortly.”

In December 2020, CEO Jan Palmér http://told ch-aviation: “We still have Embraer on our AOC and have people we recruited to take care of them, so Embraer will be something we operate in the future so that the fleet will be Avions de Transport Régional turboprops and Embraers.”

Xfly, which was operating more than 20 aircraft before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, retired two CRJ700 Srs 701ERs and two CRJ900ERs earlier this year.

However, the Covid crisis has given Xfly an opportunity to prepare for a “post-crisis development leap,” Xfly’s maintenance manager Peeter Soasepp explained in the statement.

“We can now control and plan the maintenance of our fleet according to our own needs. Our own maintenance capability at Arlanda gives us more freedom and flexibility to perform line maintenance on our aircraft, regardless of time or date,” he said.

ch aviation

Lisboa Humberto Delgado-Portugal - 06/2021

FPP

Princess Juliana International Airport - 01/2021

 

William Vignes

EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg - 05/2021

Paul Bannwarth