terça-feira, 31 de março de 2015
CEBU PACIFIC AIR - A320-200Sharklets - RP-C3275 (cn 5687) "GetGo"
JamboJet doubles destinations and celebrates one year of operations
JamboJet, the Kenyan low cost carrier based in Nairobi's main international airport, has added Lamu, Malindi and Ukunda to it existing three destination network of Eldoret, Kisumu and Mombasa.
In addition to celebrating its first anniversary on 01st April 2015, JamboJet has also acquired a Dash 8 turboprop aircraft in addition to its existing 3 Boeing 737 jet aircraft.
The airline announced the new routes by saying: “Lamu and Malindi are leading tourism destinations, globally acclaimed for their pristine beaches and unique cultural sites. Ukunda, also known as Diani, has an airstrip serving Kenya’s busy south coast tourism circuit".
Jambojet, a subsidiary of cash strapped National carrier, Kenya Airways
Yemenia suspends operations indefinitely; Sana airport damaged
Yemenia (IY, Sana) has suspended operations with immediate effect an announcement on its website has said. The move comes in the wake of continued Royal Saudi Air Force-led airstrikes against Iranian-backed Houthi forces entrenched near Sana International Airport.
The attacks are understood to have partially damaged parts of the airport's main terminal as well as part of its primary runway 18/36. No reliable information concerning the condition of Yemenia's fleet or that of Felix Airways (FO, Sana) and Blue Bird Aviation (Yemen) (BBY, Sana) is currently known.
Saudi military spokesmen last week told the international media that the kingdom's ongoing campaign, codenamed Operation Decisive Storm, has finished targetting Houthi air capability and is now focussed on destroying Yemeni Scud missiles confiscated by Houthi forces and which have now been aimed at Saudi Arabia.
Despite the attacks, airspace in southern Saudi Arabia has partially reopened to commercial traffic with five airports including Jazan and Wadi ad Dawasir now taking domestic and international flights.
Meanwhile, following an intense battle on Saturday, forces loyal to ousted president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi retook Aden airport from Houthi militia. The airport, however, remains closed to commercial traffic.
As the country continues its descent into chaos, Yemen's civil aviation authority last week closed its airspace to international traffic. Airlines serving the Gulf region - Emirates (EK, Dubai Int'l), Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi Int'l), and Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad Int'l) in particular - have therefore had to revise flight paths resulting in delays of one to two hours.
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Punto Azul to end scheduled operations
The Equatoguinean operator currently serves Bata locally and Accra, Douala, and Yaoundé Nsimalen regionally using a pair of ERJ-145s one of which will be returned to South Africa's NAC Charter on April 19.
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Kharkiv Airlines temporarily suspends operations
Kharkiv Airlines (KW, Kharkov) has temporarily suspended operations following the end of the 2014/15 winter season. The carrier's press service told Ukraine's Liga news agency that it is seeking to resume operations this summer season with charter flights to "popular tourist destinations" for and on behalf of its parent, tour operator Pegas Touristik.
According to the report, Kharkiv's only aircraft - B737-800 UR-CLS (msn 32841) - is now in Turkey undergoing maintenance effectively leaving the airline with no operational aircraft at present.
At its peak, Kharkiv Airlines had operated a fleet of two B737-800s and a B767-300(ER) on flights from Kharkov, Donetsk and Kiev Borispol to leisure destinations in Greece, Egypt, Tunisia, India, Vietnam, Thailand and the Dominican Republic. However, with the onset of the crisis in the east of Ukraine and the associated impact on the country's economy, the carrier has had to scale back operations dramatically.
Last week, Wizz Air (W6, Budapest) announced it would close its Wizz Air Ukraine (WU, Kiev Zhulyany) subsidiary and replace it with a new Kiev base of the Hungarian parent.
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Photo:Ton Jochems - AYT
Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 Engines Selected by Air China
Air China has selected Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines and long-term TotalCare® support. The engines will power 15 new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.
The decision continues a strong relationship with the airline, which has 49 Trent 700-powered Airbus A330 aircraft in service, with four to be delivered, and ten Trent XWB-powered Airbus A350XWB aircraft on order.
John Rishton, Rolls-Royce, Chief Executive Officer, said: "This is a significant selection by a valued customer and we look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationship with Air China. The Trent 1000 offers operators outstanding lifetime fuel burn performance and reliability on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner."
Rolls-Royce powered the very first Boeing 787 test flight in December 2009, the first 787-8 to enter service in October 2011, and the first 787-9 to enter service, in 2014.
Contributed by Rolls-Royce
China Express Airlines Bids Farewell to Last Two CRJ200s
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China Express Airlines (G5) bade farewell to its last two Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft following the type's last revenue flight on Mar. 31, marking an end to the regional aircraft's more than 9 years service with the airline and the end of CRJ-200 operations within China as a whole.
The Chongqing-based airline operated the final CRJ200 services on Guiyang-Chongqing route on Tuesday, and held two grand farewell ceremonies at Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport (KWE) and Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG), respectively.
The two regional aircraft, Registration B-3565 and B-7700, were delivered to China Express in June 2011 and February 2010, which are also the last two CRJ-200s operating in China.
The final flight G52699 took off from Guiyang at 11:07 a.m. and arrived at CKG at 11:47 a.m., according to VeryZhun, China's leading flight status provider.
China Express took delivery of its first CRJ200 in Sep. 2006 and operated a total of five ones in Jun. 2011. In the past decade, the airline's five CRJ200s have flown on domestic routes for more than 106,000 hours, handling 2.56 million passengers and 85,000 aircraft movements.
China Express is now an exclusive operator of the CRJ-900 aircraft with an average age of 1.13 years.
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segunda-feira, 30 de março de 2015
Royal Netherlands Air Force T-235 (McDonnell Douglas DC-10 - MSN 46956) (Ex PH-MBP )
Alexandre Mourinha - Lisboa
Embraer Sells up to 34 Additional E-Jets to Air France/KLM Group
Embraer Sells up to 34 Additional E-Jets to Air France/KLM Group
São José dos Campos, Brazil, March 30th, 2015 – Embraer announced today a firm order for 15 E175s and two E190s from KLM Cityhopper, KLM’s regional subsidiary. The contract for the 17 E-Jets also includes an option for 17 additional E-Jets for KLM Cityhopper or Air France regional subsidiary HOP! The firm order, which will be included in Embraer’s 2015 first-quarter backlog, has an estimated value of USD 764 million based on Embraer’s current list prices. The transaction is valued at USD 1.5 billion, if all options are exercised.
Both the E190s and the E175s will be configured in single-class layouts. They will join the 28 E190s already flying with KLM Cityhopper to replace the remaining 19 Fokker F70s that the carrier is phasing out.
“KLM Cityhopper’s decision to acquire more E-Jets is a tremendous endorsement and confirmation that the E-Jets are the most efficient, comfortable and the lowest operating cost aircraft in the segment from 80 to 110 passengers,” said Paulo Cesar Silva, President & CEO, Embraer Commercial Aviation.
The delivery of the first E190 is scheduled to occur by year-end. The first E175 will join KLM Cityhopper’s fleet in the first semester of 2016. The Air France/KLM group started the process of replacing the Fokker 100 for E-Jets in Regional/Air France and KLM Cityhopper in 2008, in order to enhance the existing network and to permit the development of new routes. When the last aircraft from this order is delivered, Air France/KLM group will have 71 E-Jets, the largest E-Jet fleet in Europe.
“Purchasing these seventeen Embraers and taking out an option to order an additional seventeen in the future, represents a giant stride for KLM in terms of fleet renewal. KLM continues to invest in its fleet and product in order to offer passengers the best, as well as reaffirming KLM and KLM Cityhopper’s commitment to our customers,” said KLM President & CEO Pieter Elbers.
“This strategic decision ties in with KLM Cityhopper’s policy of ongoing innovation. The new fleet will contribute even more towards optimal operations, serving the seven million passengers who fly with KLM Cityhopper each year,” said Managing Director KLM Cityhopper Boet Kreiken. KLM Cityhopper was recently awarded by the Air Transport News magazine as Regional Airline of the Year 2015.
The E175s feature a new wingtip that, among other technical enhancements, improves aerodynamic performance. Fuel consumption on a typical flight is 6.4% lower than the original E175. The reduction makes the operating economics of today’s E175s comparable to large-capacity turboprops and presents new opportunities for the E175.
Since entering revenue service in 2004, Embraer has received more than 1,560 orders for its family of E-Jets. The aircraft have been added to the fleets of 65 customers in 45 countries. More than 1,100 E-Jets have been delivered. The versatile 70 to 130-seat family is flying with low-cost airlines and with regional and mainline carriers.
Slovenia's Adria Airways commences CRJ-700 operations
Adria Airways will deploy its maiden CRJ-700 into service this week.
The aircraft already flew a first rotation from Ljubljana to Frankfurt on March 29.
According to schedule data, S5-AAZ (cn 10014), on lease from Lufthansa CityLine will be used on flights from Ljubljana to Brussels National, Frankfurt Int'l, Munich, Paris CDG, Podgorica, Prague, Pristina, Sarajevo, Skopje, Tirana, Vienna, Warsaw Chopin, and Zurich.
According to schedule data, S5-AAZ (cn 10014), on lease from Lufthansa CityLine will be used on flights from Ljubljana to Brussels National, Frankfurt Int'l, Munich, Paris CDG, Podgorica, Prague, Pristina, Sarajevo, Skopje, Tirana, Vienna, Warsaw Chopin, and Zurich.
Bombardier Welcomes Kenya’s Jambojet to the Family of Q400 Turboprop Operators in Africa
Second new operator to launch service with Q400 aircraft in Africa in 2015
Technologically advanced Q400 aircraft chartered from DAC Aviation to provide service to new coastal destinations
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft today welcomed Nairobi, Kenya-based, Jambojet Limited (“Jambojet”) to the family of Q400 aircraft customers and operators following Jambojet’s launch of service with a Q400 turboprop chartered from DAC Aviation. Jambojet is using the aircraft to provide service to three new destinations in Kenya’s coastal region -- Lamu, Malindi and Ukunda -- from its base at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Jambojet, a subsidiary of Kenya Airlines, has joined more than 50 owners and operators of Q400 aircraft worldwide. The airline is the second new operator to have adopted the Q400 aircraft in Africa in 2015, and has become the 19th member of the family on the continent.
“We’re delighted to be collaborating with DAC Aviation as we expand our network to include Lamu, Malindi and Ukunda, and enhance the service on some of our existing routes with the Q400 aircraft,” said Willem Hondius, Chief Executive Officer, Jambojet. “Launching operations with the technologically advanced Q400 aircraft, whose attributes include jet-like speed and a quiet cabin in a 78-seat configuration for best cost per seat in its class, will also allow us to implement our growth strategy as we strive to open new destinations in the East African region to respond to the anticipated increased demand in business and leisure travel.”
“We are very familiar with Bombardier’s Q-Series turboprops and CRJ regional jets and can attest to their reliability and cost efficiencies since we have owned and successfully deployed several for many years,” said Warren Feschuk, Chief Executive Officer, DAC Aviation. “The Q400 aircraft continues this tradition of regional air transport excellence and has proven its operational capability in Africa’s hot, topographically diverse landscape. It is an excellent asset in our portfolio and offers the most seats in its class. We are confident that it will meet and even exceed Jambojet’s operational requirements.”
“As owners and operators of Q400 turboprops worldwide continue to capitalize on the aircraft’s outstanding economics and performance, we are confident in its success in Africa, where we continue to be the market leader in the 20- to 99-seat turboprop segment,” said John Kassis, Regional Vice President, Middle East and Africa, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “We are very happy to welcome Jambojet to our family of operators and wish the airline continued success as it executes its route and network expansion strategy.”
Regional aircraft manufactured by Bombardier have made significant advances in Africa where approximately 55 Dash 8-100/200/300 turboprops, 60 Q400 turboprops, along with 50 CRJ regional jets are in service with, or ordered by, more than 40 customers and operators.
Bombardier’s customer support network for commercial aircraft in Africa includes a Regional Support Office (RSO) and spare parts depot, co-located in Johannesburg, South Africa as well as Authorized Service Facilities in South Africa and Ethiopia. Operating from the company’s regional office located in the United Arab Emirates, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft’s sales and marketing team is well positioned to provide industry-leading solutions to its current and prospective customers.
Technologically advanced Q400 aircraft chartered from DAC Aviation to provide service to new coastal destinations
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft today welcomed Nairobi, Kenya-based, Jambojet Limited (“Jambojet”) to the family of Q400 aircraft customers and operators following Jambojet’s launch of service with a Q400 turboprop chartered from DAC Aviation. Jambojet is using the aircraft to provide service to three new destinations in Kenya’s coastal region -- Lamu, Malindi and Ukunda -- from its base at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Jambojet, a subsidiary of Kenya Airlines, has joined more than 50 owners and operators of Q400 aircraft worldwide. The airline is the second new operator to have adopted the Q400 aircraft in Africa in 2015, and has become the 19th member of the family on the continent.
“We’re delighted to be collaborating with DAC Aviation as we expand our network to include Lamu, Malindi and Ukunda, and enhance the service on some of our existing routes with the Q400 aircraft,” said Willem Hondius, Chief Executive Officer, Jambojet. “Launching operations with the technologically advanced Q400 aircraft, whose attributes include jet-like speed and a quiet cabin in a 78-seat configuration for best cost per seat in its class, will also allow us to implement our growth strategy as we strive to open new destinations in the East African region to respond to the anticipated increased demand in business and leisure travel.”
“We are very familiar with Bombardier’s Q-Series turboprops and CRJ regional jets and can attest to their reliability and cost efficiencies since we have owned and successfully deployed several for many years,” said Warren Feschuk, Chief Executive Officer, DAC Aviation. “The Q400 aircraft continues this tradition of regional air transport excellence and has proven its operational capability in Africa’s hot, topographically diverse landscape. It is an excellent asset in our portfolio and offers the most seats in its class. We are confident that it will meet and even exceed Jambojet’s operational requirements.”
“As owners and operators of Q400 turboprops worldwide continue to capitalize on the aircraft’s outstanding economics and performance, we are confident in its success in Africa, where we continue to be the market leader in the 20- to 99-seat turboprop segment,” said John Kassis, Regional Vice President, Middle East and Africa, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “We are very happy to welcome Jambojet to our family of operators and wish the airline continued success as it executes its route and network expansion strategy.”
Regional aircraft manufactured by Bombardier have made significant advances in Africa where approximately 55 Dash 8-100/200/300 turboprops, 60 Q400 turboprops, along with 50 CRJ regional jets are in service with, or ordered by, more than 40 customers and operators.
Bombardier’s customer support network for commercial aircraft in Africa includes a Regional Support Office (RSO) and spare parts depot, co-located in Johannesburg, South Africa as well as Authorized Service Facilities in South Africa and Ethiopia. Operating from the company’s regional office located in the United Arab Emirates, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft’s sales and marketing team is well positioned to provide industry-leading solutions to its current and prospective customers.
Aeromexico Offers Direct Nonstop Flights from Mexico City to Ontario and Sacramento, CA
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The carrier will begin operating flights from Mexico City to Sacramento and Ontario beginning April 5th and 6th, 2015, respectively
-- Our four weekly flights to Ontario and three weekly flights to Sacramento, both in the State of California, will be operated with Boeing 737 airplanes
ONTARIO, Calif. and SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Aeromexico, Mexico's global airline, announces the beginning of its new service from Mexico City to the cities of Ontario and Sacramento, California in the United States, starting April 5th and 6th of this year, respectively.
Following are the schedules for our four weekly flights to Ontario and three weekly flights to Sacramento, operated with Boeing 737 jet airliners with 124 passenger seats — 12 in Clase Premier, the Aeromexico Business Class Cabin:
Ontario - Mexico City*
Mexico City - Ontario*
AM 0793 - 1:05 a.m. - 7:40 a.m.
Tuesday, Thursday, Fridays and Sunday
AM 0792 - 9:10 p.m. - 11:25 p.m.
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday
Sacramento - Mexico City*
Mexico City - Sacramento*
AM 0791 - 1:10 a.m. - 7:35 a.m.
Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday
AM 0790 - 8:35 p.m. - 11:40 p.m.
Tuesday, Fridays and Sunday
*Schedules are published in local times and are subject to change without notice.
"The addition of this new service represents the 29 routes we serve between Mexico and the United States, as the airline with the best range of options to fly to North America," said Anko Van der Werff, Aeromexico's Chief Revenue Officer.
These flights are in addition to the five weekly flights to Sacramento and four weekly flights to Ontario that we currently offer from Guadalajara.
Aeromexico upholds its commitment to offering more and better domestic and international connectivity options from its main hub at Mexico City International Airport to meet the demand of travelers flying to new destinations for business or pleasure. Aeromexico currently operates 10 different routes serving five destinations in California alone.
Photo: Ton Jochems-Las Vegas
sábado, 28 de março de 2015
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Fuzhou Airlines to Receive Its 4th Boeing 737-800 Aircraft on Mar. 28
Fuzhou Airlines' 4th Boeing 737-800 aircraft rolled out of the paintshop. Photo by Fuzhou Airlines
China's start-up Fuzhou Airlines (FU) is set to take delivery of its 4th Boeing 737-800 aircraft on Mar. 28, which has already rolled out of the paintshop.
Approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), Fuzhou Airlines will introduce 5 new aircraft from 2014 to 2015. It means that the regional carrier would introduce at least two aircraft this year, one of which is scheduled to land in Fuzhou on Mar. 28.
Meanwhile, in the new summer/autumn flight season, Fuzhou Airlines will adjust its flight schedules accordingly to meet increasing travel demands.
What's more, Fuzhou Airlines will launch a promotion campaign starting Mar. 29, providing passengers with discount tickets as low as 66 yuan.
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sexta-feira, 27 de março de 2015
THAI Holds Aircraft Anointing Ceremony for Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and Airbus 380-800
THAI
China Southern Starts A380 Beijing – Amsterdam Service from June 2015
CZ345 PEK0050 – 0540CAN 380 D
CZ346 CAN1450 – 0615+1PEK 380 D
Note the A380 schedule is currently updated until 24OCT15 inclusive.
Airlines Routes
Philippine Airlines studying potential A340 replacements
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Philippine Airlines (PR, Manila) president and Chief Operating Officer Jaime Bautista says his airline is studying the A350 and the B787 as potential replacements for its fleet of A340-300s.
Bautista told the Philippine Star newspaper in an interview this week that the airline would likely phase out its six A340s by 2020.
Boeing, ANA Finalize Order for Three 787-10 Dreamliners First Asian airline to operate all three members of 787 family
SEATTLE, March 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] and All Nippon Airways (ANA) today finalized an order for three 787-10 Dreamliners, valued at approximately $900 million at list prices. With this order, originally announced as a commitment in January 2015, ANA becomes Boeing's newest 787-10 customer and first airline in Asia to operate the entire family of 787 Dreamliners.
"We truly appreciate ANA's confidence in the 787 and this order further demonstrates our decades-long partnership with ANA," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO Ray Conner. "We are honored to play such an important role in ANA's continued success as they look to expand their fleet to include the entire family of 787 Dreamliners."
ANA, the launch customer of the 787, currently operates the world's largest 787 fleet with 34 Dreamliners. The airline will further expand their future fleet with an additional 49 787s on order, leveraging the added efficiency and full flexibility of the complete 787 family.
In addition, ANA will maintain the innovative passenger experience onboard the Dreamliner that customers have grown accustomed to over the years.
The 787-10 is the third and longest member of the super-efficient 787 family. With its greater passenger and cargo capacity, high degree of commonality and passenger-pleasing features, the 787-10 will complement the family while setting a new benchmark for fuel efficiency and operating economics.
The 787-10 will be 25 to 30 percent more efficient than the airplanes it replaces and more than 10 percent better than anything offered by the competition for the future.
quinta-feira, 26 de março de 2015
Portuguese start-up, FlyMii, seeks Madeira flights
FLYmii (Funchal) is a Portuguese start-up looking to use a fleet of A320-200s for flights to mainland Portugal and to Europe.
British Airways Scales Back Planned A380 Miami Operation in W15
From 25OCT15 to 26MAR15, BA operates 1 daily each of Boeing 747-400 and A380 on this route.
BA207 LHR0910 – 1355MIA 744 D
BA209 LHR1335 – 1820MIA 388 D
BA206 MIA1710 – 0630+1LHR 744 D
BA208 MIA2050 – 1005+1LHR 388 D
Routes Online
Photo:Ton Jochems - LAX
Avanti Air to operate Brindisi charters on behalf of FlyCar
Using its sole jet aircraft, a recently acquired Fokker 100 (D-AOLG, cn 11452), Avanti Air will operate the flights from April 13 to November 27.
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Air Pegasus, secures AOP, to launch next month
Air Pegasus (PPL, Bangalore Int'l) will commence scheduled flights early next month after it secured its Air Operators Permit (AOP) from the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) this week.
"We received the flying permit from DGCA today," managing director Shyson Thomas told India's Express newspaper on Tuesday, March 24. "At present, we have two ATRs, one more is scheduled to come in from Ireland-based leasing firm Elix Aviation in the first week of April. We will start services in 6-8 sectors in the next two weeks.”
Using its first aircraft, an ex-Kingfisher Airlines ATR72-500 VT-APA (cn 699), the budget start-up has alluded to plans to serve Kochi Int'l, Tuticorin, Thiruvananthapuram, Hubli, Goa, Belgaum, Rajahmundry and Chennai from its Bangalore Int'l hub.
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Air New Zealand sets December date for South American debut
Air New Zealand (NZ, Auckland Int'l) is planning to make its South American debut on December 1 of this year with a 3x weekly return flight between Auckland Int'l and Buenos Aires Ezeiza, Argentina. The flights are on-board B777-200(ER) aircraft.
Hainan Airlines Plans to Buy 30 Boeing 787s
China's Hainan Airlines Co. Ltd., said Tuesday it plans to buy 30 Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliners, expanding its fast-growing long-haul jet fleet.
The airline said it plans to sign an agreement with the U.S. plane maker for 270-to-290 seat 787-9 Dreamliners for delivery by 2021 valued at as much as US$7.7 billion at list prices, though customers regularly secure steep discounts.
Hainan announced the pending deal in a regulatory filing. A Boeing spokesman said the company couldn't comment on negotiations with its airline customers. The airline has taken delivery of nine of 10 Dreamliners it currently has on order, according to Boeing.
The proposed deal is a boost for Boeing's order book of Dreamliner jets, which after years of growth, plateaued as jets were only available in 2020 and beyond.
Delta Air Lines Inc. last year cited the delivery timelines as a factor in its decision to purchase 50 long-range Airbus Group jets over Boeing Dreamliners. The company has sold more than 1,000 787s since 2004.
The proposed deal also underscores the behind-the-scenes maneuvering that has taken place among Boeing customers to secure new jet orders and delivery slots, according to two people familiar with the deal.
Many of the Dreamliners ordered by Hainan will come from delivery positions once reserved for United Continental Holdings Inc., the two people said. The U.S. airline is in negotiations with Boeing and engine maker General Electric Co. for a crop of larger 777-300ER jets converted from a portion of its Dreamliner order now going to Hainan, but hasn't yet been completed.
United Chief Executive Jeff Smisek said in an interview last week that the discussions with Boeing and GE for the 386-seat 777s were ongoing and "focus on a lot of things, including price."
American Airlines Inc. had been initially offered the United slots, but declined as it was interested in the smaller 787-8 rather than the larger 787-9 ordered by United. It was too close to the delivery date to switch models, the people said.
A United spokeswoman said the airline doesn't comment on its future fleet plans.
American recently received its first two 787 Dreamliners, which are slated to begin service May 7. A spokesman for American said it has 40 787s on firm order and 58 additional options. The airline switched its initial commitment from larger 787-9s to smaller 787-8s to replace aging 767 jets of similar size. The spokesman said it expects over time it will fly both Dreamliner models.
LCC Subsidiary VietJet Thai Starts Operations
Vietnamese low-cost carrier (LCC) VietJet Air's first subsidiary, Thai VietJet Air, will begin operations with a Bangkok-Phuket, Thailand schedule on March 29 using an Airbus A320-200. The airline originally planned to launch with flights from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International, but it has opted instead for the cheaper Don Mueang LCC airport.
Using four A320-200s, the new subsidiary plans to extend services to Krabi and Udon Thani in Thailand, and Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam later this year.
The new venture recently saw key Thai investor Somphong Sooksanguan, president of Thai regional carrier Kan Air, sell out of some 41% of his holding in the carrier. Somphong cited differences of opinion with the VietJet parent's policies as the reason for diluting his holding to 10%, with the possibility of selling out completely. Unnamed Thai investors have bought his equity.
Thai VietJet plans to expand its operations to China, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and South Korea, pending approvals from the Thai Department of Civil Aviation (DCA). Although the LCC was granted a Thai air operator's certificate (AOC) last November, it has taken several months to gain route approvals from the relevant authorities.
VietJet Air, which currently operates an all-Airbus fleet of 22 A320-200s across Southeast Asia, also took delivery in Vietnam of its first of seven Airbus A321s last week, marking Airbus's 9,000th delivery.
ATW
Photo:Airbus
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