quinta-feira, 30 de junho de 2016

Harbin-Based LJ Air Cleared to Take Off



By Lena Ge, China Aviation Daily

Longjiang Airlines (LJ Air), the first local carrier in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, has filed an application for an air operator's certificate (AOC) from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), paving the way for it to launch its maiden flight. The aviation watchdog already completed preliminary review of the start-up's application, according to a statement released on the CAAC's website on June 29.

According to the statement, LJ Air is licensed for domestic cargo and passenger transportation businesses out of Harbin Taiping International Airport, using Airbus A320 aircraft. The new entity is a limited company with Liang Fuhua, ex-vice president of Big White Bear Jet Co., Ltd. as chairman and Zhang Yuming as its legal representative.

The airline has been approved by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) to purchase two Airbus A321 aircraft and take another A320 on operating lease.

The start-up carrier welcomed its first aircraft on April 21, 2016, a 212-seat Airbus A321.

Meanwhile, LJ Air said on its official website, it also plans to purchase 20 A320 family aircraft from Airbus directly, which will be delivered before 2020.

The Harbin-based carrier plans to operate four domestic routes initially, including Harbin-Xi'an-Chengdu, Harbin-Yiwu-Nanning, Harbin-Guangzhou-Shenzhen and Harbin-Beijing.

Aiming to establishing a regional route network covering the whole Heilongjiang Province, LJ Air will fly to nearly twenty cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, before launching international services to destinations in Russia, Korea and Japan. Besides, the startup carrier has an ambition to expand its network to Europe and the U.S.

The airline company has signed an agency agreement on ground services with Helongjiang Airport Group, and the Northeast Regional Air Traffic Management Bureau has agreed to provide civil aviation communication, meteorology and flight information for the airline. In addition, the bureau assigned 132.000 MHZ as its management channel frequency.

The Air Traffic Management Bureau of CAAC assigned "SNG" code and "SNOW EAGLE" as English radio call sign for the airline and it will employ "LT" code and "867" code for accounting.

Meanwhile, LJ Air has recruited 20 pilots, 23 maintenance staff, 8 flight dispatchers, 12 flight attendants, 7 welders and 15 safety personnel for the initial operation.
Approved by the aviation watchdog in July 2014, LJ Air is funded by a top gold and jewelry shop in Harbin with a registered capital of 800 million yuan.

The CAAC has begun soliciting submissions on Jiangxi Airlines and said that the approval would be granted unless it was informed of reasonable grounds to reconsider the plan before April 15, 2016.

Bombardier Delivers First C Series Aircraft to Launch Operator SWISS


First aircraft designed to serve the 100- to 150-seat segment in almost 30 years ready to enter market
CS100 aircraft scheduled to enter service with SWISS on July 15, 2016

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft today announced the delivery of the first C Series aircraft. The historic handover to launch operator Swiss International Air Lines (“SWISS”) will be celebrated during a special event with SWISS and Bombardier’s employees alongside government representatives, suppliers and media.

“SWISS is proud to be the first airline to take title of the C Series - the world’s newest, innovative and technologically advanced aircraft. The aircraft performed exceptionally well during its acceptance flight, as expected,” said Thomas Klühr, Chief Executive Officer, SWISS. “Along with the CS300 aircraft that we’ve also ordered, the C Series fleet will allow us to perfectly tailor our capacity to demand on various European routes, while providing an excellent travel experience for our passengers.

“We congratulate Bombardier and our own SWISS teams on this milestone delivery as we now turn our focus to the CS100 aircraft’s entry into service,” added Mr. Klühr.

“Today is a significant moment for Bombardier, SWISS and their employees – many of whom have dedicated years to designing, building, marketing and defining the flight network for the C Series aircraft as the first right-sized aircraft in the 100- to 150-seat market segment in nearly 30 years,” said Fred Cromer, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “I heartily congratulate our teams and thank our launch operator SWISS for its longstanding support of the program. SWISS has been a wonderful partner and has been involved since the very beginning of this journey; on behalf of the entire Bombardier team, we wish our friends at SWISS continued success.”

“A new aircraft program like the C Series aircraft comes around once in a lifetime and it’s a proud achievement that belongs to many,” said Rob Dewar, Vice President, C Series Aircraft Program, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “This first delivery is the culmination of hard work, collaboration and dedication by thousands of employees, partners and suppliers, and I’m thrilled to applaud them today as we celebrate the flawless delivery of the first CS100 aircraft to our valued customer - SWISS.”




“From an initial discussion amongst colleagues, to the first delivered C Series aircraft proudly displaying our national colours and flag – on behalf of SWISS, I am honoured to accept the first aircraft in Bombardier’s hometown alongside our respective employees,” said Peter Wojahn, Chief Technical Officer, SWISS. “With its state-of-the art engines, systems and materials technology, I am confident the C Series will be a welcome addition to our fleet as we look to meet our upcoming commitments with the same diligence and excellence for which SWISS is recognized.”






The first CS100 aircraft is scheduled to enter service with SWISS on July 15, 2016 with its maiden commercial flight taking passengers from Zurich to Paris-Charles de Gaulle. SWISS will gradually replace its Avro RJ100 fleet with the C Series aircraft. Additional C Series aircraft will be used to replace other existing aircraft as well as permit moderate future growth. The CS100 aircraft will fly to Manchester, Prague and Budapest with other destinations - Warsaw, Brussels, Nice, Stuttgart, Hanover, Milan, Florence and Bucharest being added.

Azul Airlines commenced service to its first European destination on 22 June, a 7,921-kilometre sector from Sao Paulo Viracopos (VCP) to Lisbon (

The airport pair will operate four times weekly on the Brazilian LCC’s 267-seat A330-200s. Although flights from Viracopos will not face any direct competition, TAP Portugal does offer 12 weekly services between the Portuguese capital and Sao Paulo Guarulhos. Lisbon becomes the third destination for the carrier outside of South America, with it also serving Orlando and Fort Lauderdale in the US from its Viracopos base. The launch also means that this is the first low-cost carrier operation between South America and Europe.
Aenna

Ethiopian Airlines takes delivery of its first A350 XWB


First African operator

Ethiopian Airlines has taken delivery of its first Airbus A350-900 aircraft, opening a new chapter for the East African carrier, which also becomes the first African A350 XWB operator. The airline’s first aircraft, on lease from AerCap, arrived in Addis Ababa on June 29th, 2016.


A350-900s with a two class layout with a total of 343 seats comprising 30 in Business Class and 313 in Economy Class. The spaciousness, quietness, beautiful interior and mood lighting in the cabin contribute to superior levels of comfort and well-being, setting new standards in terms of flight experience for all passengers.

Altogether Ethiopian Airlines has ordered 14 Airbus A350 XWBs – the world’s most modern long-haul, wide body jetliners. Twelve of these are being directly ordered from Airbus, with the other two aircraft on lease from AerCap.

The carrier will deploy the aircraft on its expanding route network connecting Addis Ababa with destinations in Asia and America.
The A350 XWB features the latest aerodynamic design, carbon-fibre fuselage and wings, plus new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. Together, these latest technologies translate into unrivalled levels of operational efficiency, with a 25 per cent reduction in fuel burn and emissions in addition to significantly lower maintenance costs.


To date, Airbus has recorded a total of 802 firm orders for the A350 XWB from 42 customers worldwide, already making it one of the most successful widebody aircraft ever.

Ethiopian Airlines Moves A350 Service Debut to July 2016


Ethiopian Airlines in today’s schedule update has moved forward planned Airbus A350-900XWB inaugural flight. Previously scheduled on 01AUG16, the airline will now begin A350 operation from 01JUL16. Planned A350 operation from 01JUL16 as follow.

Addis Ababa – Dubai 1 daily ET600/601

Addis Ababa – Lagos 1 daily (inaugural flight, currently scheduled until 31JUL16 inclusive)
Routes Airlines

Thomson Airways adds maiden B787-9


Thomson Airways (BY, London Luton) has taken delivery of its first of four B787-9s on order from Boeing (BOE, Chicago O'Hare) following the arrival of G-TUIJ (msn 44578) at Manchester Int'l on Tuesday, June 28. The remaining three are expected to be delivered by June 2019.

The UK leisure operator plans to use the twinjet for shorthaul flights from Manchester Int'l to Malaga on July 1 initially before deploying it onto longhaul flights to Montego Bay, Jamaica (again from Manchester) on July 15.
ch aviation

BASEL TRIP



Paul Bannwarth

INDIGO - A320-200Neo - F-WWII


Alain Charpentier - TLS

Turkish Airlines commenced non-stop service to its second point in Vietnam this week, Hanoi (HAN).

The 7,413-kilometre sector from Istanbul Atatürk (IST), inaugurated on 27 June, will see non-stop operation twice-weekly (Mondays and Wednesdays) on the Star Alliance member’s A330-300 fleet. Overall the route will be served five times weekly, with three of the five weekly services (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays) operating via the carrier’s existing Ho Chi Minh service. Turkish Airlines is the only carrier to operate between Turkey and Vietnam, meaning no other carrier competes on these services. Turkish Airlines launched a second route on 27 June, a 2,976-kilometre link between Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) and Abu Dhabi (AUH). Operated on the airline’s 737-800 fleet four times weekly, the route will face direct competition from Etihad Airways, with itself commencing service on the airport pair from 1 July. On 21 June, the airline also launched a 2,411-kilometre link between the Turkish capital, Ankara (ESB), and Stockholm Arlanda (ARN). A route also served four times weekly, the Turkey-Sweden capital link will be flown on the carrier’s A320 fleet facing no direct competition according to OAG Schedules Analyser data.
Aenna

terça-feira, 28 de junho de 2016

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES - A350-900 - F-WZGM

Alias Charpentier - TLS

NATIONAL - B747-400F - N919CA

FPP - Lisboa

AZUL lINHAS aéreas Brasileiras - A330-200 - PR-AIT


FPP - Lisboa

AIR EUROPA EXPRESS - ERJ-195 - KYO

FPP - LPPT

BLUE AIR - B737-800W - YR-BME

FPP - LPPT

AZUL Linhas Aereas Brasileiras - A330-200 - PR-AIWPedro

Pedro Filipe - LPPT

ISRAIR - A320-200Sharklets - 4X-ABI

FPP - Lisboa

Tianjin Airlines launches UK-China route

Airline's inaugural flight departed London Gatwick Airport on Saturday


Chinese carrier Tianjin Airlines is celebrating the launch of its first flight from the UK to China which departed from Gatwick on Saturday.

The service departs from London Gatwick and travels via Chongqing to Tianjin in China. Flights operate every Wednesday and Saturday using an Airbus A330-200 aircraft with 18 business class and 242 economy class seats. The total flight time is 11.5 hours to Chongqing and 17 hours to Tianjin.

Tianjin Airlines, a subsidiary of HNA Group, currently operates a fleet of more than 90 aircraft to more than 100 destinations throughout China from its eight hubs: Tianjin, Xi’an, Hohhot, Urumqi, Haikou, Sanya, Guiyang, and Dalian.

Jointly established by Tianjin Government and HNA Group, Tianjin Airlines is the youngest 4-star airline in the global civil aviation industry. Through its extensive route network across China and neighbouring countries, Tianjin Airlines also serves destinations including: Shanghai, Dalian, Haikou, Shenyang, Hangzhou, Chifeng, Ningbo, Xiamen, Wenzhou, Ordos, Jinan, Wenzhou, Harbin, Taiyuan, Nanchang, Yantai, Haikou, Sanya, and Changchun.

Mr Robert Chen, UK General Manager for Tianjin Airlines, said: “We are thrilled that our first ever flights from London to China have now launched. We’re proud to be helping British passengers to explore the relatively unknown destinations of Tianjin and Chongqing in China. As well as falling in love with our beautiful country – which we’re sure they will – we hope British travellers enjoy Tianjin Airlines’ high quality service and unbeatable price. We look forward to welcoming you onboard soon.”

RELATED ITEMSWritten by:Gemma Greenwood

Tunisia's Express Air Cargo eyes mid-3Q launch date

Express Air Cargo (Enfidha) has revised its launch plans ahead of a revised launch date of August this year. Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Anis Riahi, told Cargo Facts that the start-up would use a pair of converted B737 freighters for its initial operational requirements with three turboprop freighters (either ATR 72s or BAe ATP(F)s) and a B737-400(F) to arrive during the first half of 2017.

Network-wise, Express Air Cargo will develop Enfidha into a regional conduit handling traffic between North Africa and destinations in Europe such as Cologne/Bonn, Marseilles, and Paris. The network will also be extended south of the Sahara to reach countries in West and Central Africa as well, Riahi added.
ch aviation

Air Caraïbes Atlantique outlines initial A350 operations

Air Caraïbes Atlantique  is tentatively planning to commence revenue A350-900 operations during the first quarter of next year ch-aviation analysis of schedule data has revealed.

Configured with eighteen in Business Class, forty-five in Premium Economy, and 326 in Economy Class, the twinjet will initially be deployed on 4x weekly Paris Orly-Pointe à Pitre, Guadeloupe and a 3x weekly Paris Orly-Fort de France, Martinique services effective March 1.


The Air Caraïbes (TX, Pointe à Pitre) subsidiary has a total of three A350-1000s on order from Airbus Industrie (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac), the first of which is due in 2020 while the first of three A350-900s, on lease from AerCap, is due to arrive in December this year.
ch aviation

Kyrgyzstan suspends Air Bishkek's AOC


The Kyrgyz Civil Aviation Authority (KgCAA) has suspended Air Bishkek's Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) after the carrier failed to demonstrate it had at least one airworthy aircraft as required by local law.

Air Bishkek (KR, Bishkek) suspended operations in February this year citing financial difficulties. Following that, its sole aircraft, A320-200 EX-32002 (cn 386), was ferried to Zhytomyr for maintenance but has yet to return.

According to Central Asian Aero News, the KgCAA has given the carrier until September of this year to get itself up to regulatory compliance or risk the outright revocation of its certificate.

Air Bishkek operated scheduled passenger flights between Bishkek and Osh in Kyrgyzstan and to Moscow Domodedovo, Irkutsk, and Surgut in Russia and Urumqi in China.
ch aviation

SriLankan to axe France, Germany flights in 4Q



SriLankan Airlines has revised its international longhaul network plans with service to both France and Germany to be discontinued during the last quarter of the year.

The carrier said in a statement issued Monday, June 27 that its 4x weekly service to Frankfurt Int'l would end on October 30, while its 4x weekly service to Paris CDG would end on November 6. Daily flights to London Heathrow will, however, be retained.

Last year, management planned to scrap both services only to retain them in the hopes a decline in fuel prices would help offset either route's continued losses. However, following a meeting last week with the carrier's owner, the Sri Lankan government, the decision was taken to axe both routes given Colombo's unwillingness to sustain further losses.

"Addition of capacity to the Colombo Int'l market, particularly by Middle Eastern carriers, accompanied by a drop in airfares in European markets, has seen the contribution of the European network's drop in comparison to other routes. This has been further exacerbated by the depreciation of the Euro against the Dollar," the statement read.

In line with plans to focus more on regional services to India, the Gulf, and China, SriLankan has decided to scrub its planned order for seven A350-900s. Three of the aircraft were to have leased from AerCap with the remaining four ordered direct from Airbus Industrie .
ch aviation

JetSmarter Launches First Intercontinental Private JetShuttle Service from New York to London

Private Jet Booking App Reinvents First-Class Transatlantic Travel With Single-Seat Scheduled ServicesNEW YORK, June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- 

JetSmarter, the world's leading private jet company, has announced today the launch of the first transatlantic JetShuttle, the feature that offers single-seat trips for its members between New York City and London. For the first-time ever in the private aviation industry, consumers seeking to jet set across the pond in supreme luxury between both cities now have the opportunity to reserve seats on direct, scheduled flights with total travel time faster than the Concorde.

The Intercontinental JetShuttle flights will depart New York on Fridays at 9AM and will return from London on Sundays at 6PM. All flights will be on a luxurious and spacious Gulfstream GIV-SP and Bombardier Global Express. The first flight will fly out from New York to London on Friday, August 26.

"Due to the high demand for a transatlantic flight, we are expanding the JetShuttle service to connect two of our most popular regions, the US and Europe. We expect our flights on this route to save fliers 3-4 hours each way," said Sergey Petrossov, Founder and CEO of JetSmarter. "With the popularity of our US and European routes growing exponentially, we are proud to be the first to offer intercontinental shared private flight options to our members."

Currently, JetShuttles are available across Europe and the Middle East in cities including London, Paris, Nice, Moscow, Ibiza, Milan, Geneva, Dubai, Kuwait, Jeddah, Riyadh, and more, with plans to continue expansion throughout 2016.

Reservations for the Intercontinental JetShuttle service are available now and can be made through the JetSmarter app, available for iOS and Android devices. New York City to London flights are JetSmarter Inc. public charters operated by Advance Air Management, Inc. For more information on JetSmarter or to become a member, visit www.jetsmarter.com.

Air Canada and Bombardier Finalize Landmark C Series Order for up to 75 Aircraft



Agreement includes firm order for 45 CS300 and options for an additional 30 Bombardier Commercial Aircraft and Air Canada announced today that they have finalized a firm purchase agreement consistent with the Letter of Intent (LOI) announced in February 2016. The purchase agreement includes a firm order for 45 CS300 aircraft and options for an additional 30 CS300 aircraft.

“I’m pleased to officially welcome Air Canada to our CS300 family of operators as one of our largest customers and early adopters,” said Alain Bellemare, President and Chief Executive Officer, Bombardier Inc. “As an innovative operator, admired for successfully reinventing itself and, like Bombardier based in Québec, Air Canada and the C Series aircraft are a perfect match.

“This order is a major statement of support for Canada’s aerospace industry and will help support thousands of C Series related jobs,” Mr. Bellemare continued. “It also serves as an important catalyst for renewed interest and subsequent orders.”

“Over the past few years, we’ve been making transformative moves to boost our competitiveness and customer satisfaction to better position us for growth and continued success. Finalizing the CS300 order is a key element to Air Canada’s strategy to build one of the world’s youngest and most fuel efficient fleets,” said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer, Air Canada. “This order also will help establish a Centre of Excellence for C Series maintenance work in Québec. Following a rigorous evaluation of its capabilities, we’re confident that the C Series aircraft’s superior range, economics and seating capacity will provide a stellar passenger experience and contribute significantly to our development plans to expand our network and increase point-to-point service to Canadian and transborder markets.”

Deliveries are scheduled to begin in late 2019 and extend to 2022. At list price, the firm order for 45 CS300 aircraft is valued at approximately $US 3.8 billion. This amount would increase to $US 6.3 billion should Air Canada exercise all 30 option aircraft.

“We are proud to have Air Canada, one of the world’s most respected airlines, as a C Series customer and look forward to building upon our long-standing partnership,” said Fred Cromer, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “Finalizing this order ensures the strong momentum we’ve achieved with the C Series continues and further highlights the tremendous value the aircraft provides to our airline customers.”

segunda-feira, 27 de junho de 2016

INTERJET - A320-200neos - F-WWDU

Alain Charpentier - TLS

Air Serbia names A330 aircraft



Air Serbia prepares for its New York launch

Air Serbia recently named its Airbus A330 aircraft which will fly between Belgrade and New York after legendary Serbian scientist and inventor Nikola Tesla.

The name of the wide-body jet was officially unveiled at a special ceremony in Belgrad.

Nikola Tesla (1856 – 1943) is celebrated as one of the greatest minds of the 20th century, and is credited with developing many inventions including alternating-current electricity system, radio technology, x-rays and early models of electric motors. He lived most of his live in New York.Written by:Charmaine Fernz / Travel News

Emirates deploys A380 on longest route



Emirates has unveiled plans to deploy its largest aircraft, the Airbus A380, on its longest route, Dubai-Auckland.

The airline first launched the non-stop New Zealand service on 1 March 2016, which became the world’s longest scheduled air route at 14,203km. Emirates currently serves the route using a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, but effective 30 October 2016 the daily flights will be upgraded to the double-decker A380.
Emirates will fly its three-class A380 to Auckland

This will become the fourth daily A380 flight Emirates operates to Auckland, with three existing services operating via Australia. It also operates daily B777 flights to Christchurch.

The direct A380 flights to Auckland will depart Dubai International Airport daily at 1005 and arrive in New Zealand’s largest city at 1110 the next day. The return flights will then take-off from Auckland International Airport at 2115 and arrive back in Dubai at 0535 the following morning.

Emirates is the world’s largest A380 operator, with 80 of the aircraft now in its fleet. This accounts for more than 40% of all A380s operating in the world today. These aircraft now serve 40 global destinations, with the 41st – Vienna – scheduled to launch on 1 July.

Emirates configures its A380s with three different seating layouts. The Dubai-Auckland route is likely to feature the airline’s “ultra-long-haul” configuration, which offers first and business cabins on the upper deck and economy class seating on the lower deck.Written by:
 
Mark Elliott / Travel News

Eurowings Europe commences operations



Eurowings Europe (EWE, Vienna) has officially commenced operations roughly a week after it secured its AOC from the Austrian authorities.

The start-up said in a statement that its maiden flight was Vienna-Alicante on Thursday, June 23 operated using its sole current aircraft, A320-200 (sl) OE-IEW (cn 7148). Going forward, the carrier will begin flights to Bastia, Rome Fiumicino, Hanover, Palma Son Sant Joan, Valencia Manises, and London Stansted by the end of the month.

Then, in late July and late October, two more A320s will be added to its fleet in line with the introduction of services to Fuerteventura, Pisa, and Jerez de la Frontera.

Previously, all Eurowings (EW, Dusseldorf) aircraft based out of Vienna were operated by Eurowings' mainline German operation.
ch aviation

sexta-feira, 24 de junho de 2016

SINGAPORE AIRLINES - A350-900 - F-WZGF

Alain Charpentier - TLS

Air Transat commenced service on two transatlantic services this week, starting on 14 June with a connection between Toronto Pearson (YYZ) and Zagreb



The 7,070-kilometre sector will be served weekly (Tuesdays) facing no direct competition. A second route was launched by the Canadian carrier on 17 June between Vancouver (YVR) and Rome Fiumicino (FCO). The 8,996-kilometre city pair will also be flown weekly (Fridays), again facing no incumbent. “Thanks to Air Transat, Vancouver has a direct link to one of the world’s most renowned and ancient connecting hubs – Rome,” said Craig Richmond, President & CEO of Vancouver Airport Authority. “This service opens up exciting new opportunities to explore an amazing country, known for its rich culture and stunning attractions.” Both of Air Transat’s new transatlantic services will both be flown by the carrier’s A330-200 fleet. The latest launches mean that Air Transat offers 17 transatlantic routes from Pearson, and six from Vancouver. While Zagreb is a new destination for Air Transat, the airline already serves Fiumicino from Pearson.
Aenna / FPP - Lisboa

NewLeaf to launch in early 3Q


NewLeaf (Winnipeg Int'l) has announced a revised launch date of July 25 with budget flights connecting twelve Canadian cities.


In a statement, the virtual carrier said it would offer regular scheduled flights to: Abbotsford; Edmonton Int'l; Fort St. John; Halifax; Hamilton, ON; Kamloops; Kelowna; Moncton; Regina; Saskatoon; Victoria Int'l and Winnipeg Int'l.

Service is on-board B737-400s chartered from technical partner, Flair Airlines (F8, Kelowna).

NewLeaf had originally planned to commence flights in February of this year only be thwarted by a Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) review of regulations governing virtual carriers.

Though the CTA did eventually rule that virtual carriers do not require an Air Operators Certificate (AOC) in order to offer commercial air transport services, local airline consumer advocate Gabor Lukacs has now sought to overturn the ruling. He argues that as virtual carriers are not bound by the same rules and regulations that govern actual certified carriers, such as in the areas of ticket refund policies, they should not be allowed to operate, let alone sell tickets given the increased risk to passengers.

The application is currently before the Canadian courts.
ch aviation

Thai VietJetAir starts Thailand-Vietnam scheduled flights

Thai VietJetAir (VZ, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi) has commenced scheduled operations following a near three-year delay Nguyen Thi Thuy Binh, the vice-president of VietJet Aviation Joint Stock Company, has said.

Speaking to The Bangkok Post, Binh said the carrier was looking to issue an official statement in the coming two months with own regular flights to begin shortly after. In the meantime, Thai VietJetAir has assumed its parent VietJetAir's Bangkok Suvarnabhumi to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City routes before expanding to Da Nang, Dalat, and Haiphong later this year. No plans for domestic Thai services have yet been revealed.




Though operational for over a year, Thai VietJetAir has only carried out charter flights between Thailand and Vietnam for and on behalf of tour operators. It currently has a pair of A320-200s on its books.


Just prior to their original planned launch of regular services in March last year, former majority shareholder and Thai national, Somphong Sooksanguan, moved to divest both himself and Kan Air (K8, Chiang Mai) parent, Kannithi Aviation, of their combined 51% stake in the carrier. Somphong blamed his exit on differences in managerial style with that of 49% shareholder, VietJetAir (VJ, Hanoi).
ch aviation

quinta-feira, 23 de junho de 2016

Alaska Resumes Portland OR – Orlando Service from March 2017



Alaska Airlines starting Spring 2017 is resuming Portland OR – Orlando service, as the airline scheduled daily service from 16MAR17. This route will be operated by Boeing 737-900ER aircraft.

AS782 PDX0640 – 1515MCO 739 D
AS781 MCO1615 – 1935PDX 739 D

Alaska last operated this route in August 2008.
Duncan Stewart - LAX

AWAS orders 15 A320 Family aircraft

Confirms continuing healthy appetite for best-selling A320 Family



AWAS, the Dublin-based leading global aircraft leasing company has announced an order for an additional 15 A320 Family aircraft, comprising 12 A320ceo and three A321ceo aircraft.

Dave Siegel, AWAS CEO remarked on the deal, “AWAS is pleased to continue our long-term relationship with Airbus in reaching this deal for the order of 15 A320 CEO Family aircraft which will include a mix of both A321 and A320 aircraft. AWAS is bullish on the A320 and A321 CEO family as its value proposition to airlines remains strong which is evident in the continued global demand for Airbus single aisle aircraft. AWAS is pleased to be able to offer our customers new production CEOs in support of their fleet plans.”

“We are pleased to see leading lessor AWAS come back for more of our best-selling A320 Family aircraft,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “This is a clear signal of the continuing strong demand for our modern, fuel-efficient A320 Family which day in, day out, delivers profitability to its owners and a great travel experience to the passengers.”
Including this latest purchase agreement, AWAS’ cumulative orders to date for A320 Family aircraft have reached a total of 95, comprising 89 A320 and six A321 aircraft.




The A320 Family is the world’s best-selling single aisle product line with over 12,500 orders since launch and more than 7,000 aircraft delivered to some 400 customer and operators worldwide. Thanks to their widest cabin, all members of the A320 Family offer unmatched comfort in all classes and Airbus’ 18” wide seats in economy as standard. With one aircraft in four sizes (A318, A319, A320 & A321), the A320 Family, seating from 100 to 240 passengers, seamlessly covers the entire single-aisle segment from low to high-density domestic to longer range routes.

Nordic Aviation Capital to Acquire 19 E190s from Delta


By Linda Blachly, ATW Daily News

Danish lessor Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) has agreed to purchase 19 Embraer E190 aircraft from U.S.-based Delta Air Lines. This new acquisition will bring NAC's fleet to 357 aircraft, which includes 89 Embraer and Bombardier regional jet aircraft. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2016.

"We are investing heavily in growing the business both organically and through strategic acquisitions such as this one with Delta Air Lines," NAC chairman Martin Moller said. "NAC's investment in this attractive portfolio of aviation assets underlines our confidence in the long-term growth prospects of the regional jet market. We have already agreed to sell two of these aircraft and have prospective clients for all remaining aircraft."

China Southern to Receive Last of 10 Boeing 777-300ER

By Lena Ge, China Aviation Daily
China Southern Airlines is set to take delivery of its 10th Boeing 777-300ER aircraft soon, which is also the last one the Guangzhou-based carrier ordered in 2012.
According to a Weibo post by FATIII, the 77W, Registration B-7588, is scheduled to be delivered to China Southern by Boeing in Seattle on July 21. After a delivery flight, it will touch down at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport on June 23.


As ChinaAviationDaily fleet data base CADAS shows, China Southern now operates 77 wide-body aircraft including 37 Airbus A330s, 25 Boeing 777s, 10 787s and five A380s.

Qatar Airways Airbus A350 Long-Haul Review: Inaugural Service to Boston


By Blaine Nickeson, Airline Reporter

Qatar Airways has been growing rapidly, both in terms of their fleet and their route network. I recently got to experience an example of both when I joined Qatar for their inaugural flight to Boston Logan Airport (BOS), utilizing the new Airbus A350-900 XWB. It was a pretty special trip.

After a rather disappointing first experience on Qatar when flying in from Los Angeles, I was really hoping to see Qatar's best when departing from their home hub of Doha. Sometimes, operating from outstations with once-daily service can be very challenging.

This would be my first time flying the Airbus A350 as well - just a few days before our Editor-in-Chief David Parker Brown. I wanted to make sure to take the chance to remind him of that (thanks Blaine ^David).

Overall, my flight was great. The service was up to snuff and the food tasty. But the star of the show was the A350. Wow, what a ride. Read on!

Qatar Airways has been expanding quite a bit over the last few years into new U.S. markets. The new service to Boston, New England's economic hub, comes on the heels of new service to Los Angeles, and an upcoming new route into Atlanta. New York has also been upgraded to twice-daily flights. Just like the other members of the "ME3" (Emirates and Etihad), Qatar Airways has found geography on its side, making for one-stop connections around the world, particularly to places like India.

All of that growth requires a fleet to support it. Qatar has invested heavily in the Boeing 787 and also the Airbus A350, of which they were the inaugural customer. While I've flown the Dreamliner a number of times, I had yet to try the A350.

We arrived at Doha's beautiful Hamad International Airport. It mirrored the rest of the modern city of Doha that I saw. It was constructed recently just next to the old international airport, and is something that Qatar Airways should be proud to call home. Unfortunately, there were some miscommunications within my travel group, and we were unable to visit the (from what I've heard, excellent) Al Mourjan Business Lounge. That's ok, though, as it gave me more time to drool over the amazing A350 sitting at our gate.

It's important to remember that the A350-900 is much larger than the smallest version of the 787 family. I had to keep reminding myself that this isn't an apples-to-apples comparison. While the 787 roughly competes (in size, not range) with the Boeing 767 and Airbus A330, the A350-900 fights in a different weight class - it is almost exactly the same size as the Boeing 777-200.

Boarding was chaotic. There was no special mention of the inaugural Boston flight or any kind of gate celebration, but they did give away items to commemorate the flight. Each passenger got a special certificate for the occasion, along with a Qatar Airways polo shirt and a Qatar-branded battery power pack (while a nice touch, I'm not sure if adding 300+ cheap lithium ion batteries to a flight is such a solid idea). While business class was trying to board, I saw grandmas with their elbows out and heads down, pushing as hard as they could to the front of the line. Alright, alright, but we're all going the same place, right?

Once in my seat, my excitement really ramped up. Wow, was this plane gorgeous or what? I had a great view out of my window of the massive-looking Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, as well as the artful curled-up winglet that sported Qatar's Oryx logo. The business class cabin feels extremely airy, as they have foregone the center overhead bins in favor of a wide, flat ceiling. Between the front business cabin and rear section (where I sat) was a wide-open space, with a small bar but no visual obstructions. Combined with artful LED mood lighting and that "new plane smell", this felt like plane heaven.

The plane also had optional in-window electric mini blinds, at least in business class, that offered an opaque shade to allow some natural light, but also a blackout shade for sleeping time. While I loved the look and function of it (but can't imagine the poor mechanic that has to fix it), I actually prefer the Boeing 787's electrochromic dimming system. I prefer that system's ability to let me look out the window without brightening the entire cabin. To each their own, however.

We pushed from our gate right on time with a mostly full flight. A handful of folks, like myself, were on board to celebrate the inaugural - you could spot them as the ones walking around with cameras and big grins on their faces. Other folks were just regular passengers, unaware that they were on any type of special flight. The passenger in front of me was a two-million-mile American Airlines elite, and for him this was just another flight.

I got immense joy from watching the A350's tail camera on my in-flight entertainment display. This is the first plane I've been on with it, and the skies had cleared from the earlier rain, allowing for a great view. Watching the takeoff roll was impressive!

Once we were in flight, the service kicked in to high gear. We were offered our choice of a hot or cold towel, and the crew set up the modest mid-cabin business class bar, which offered champagne and some fresh fruit. While it looked nice, I didn't actually see anyone use it during the flight.

I changed in to my provided pajamas, and then decided to order some food. Given that we didn't visit the lounge as I had expected, I was pretty hungry. Just like on my inbound flight from Los Angeles, the menu is a la carte - you can order whatever food you'd like at any time during the flight. I started with something from the "Lighter Options" menu, a very tasty Thai marinated beef and glass noodle salad, served cold. I moved on to the roasted tomato soup with basil; it was good, but nowhere near as good a the roasted corn soup on my flight to Doha.

Adhering to the "when in Rome" mentality, I then had the Arabic mezze. When I was growing up, an Armenian friend's mom would send tabbouleh with his lunch, which I remember fondly. This definitely wasn't as good as that, but the platter was tasty.

For my main course, I selected the seared red snapper with saffron cream sauce and asparagus. It was a great dish, and the fish was cooked perfectly (it always amazes me when a carrier can manage that on an airplane!) Throughout my meal, I tried a number of wines from the extensive list. It was a great meal.

After stuffing myself, I decided to get some sleep. I wasn't really tired, but knew I had a long day ahead of me; we would arrive to Boston at around 3:00 p.m. local time, and then I had a four-hour layover and a four-hour (economy) flight back to Denver. Sleep was going to be important. I made up my bed with the provided duvet, and managed to get about five hours of sound sleep - the smooth and quiet A350 had a lot to do with that.

The in-flight entertainment (IFE) system had an extensive selection of movies and shows. I watched The Martian for the what has to have been the fifth time, and then enjoyed a few episodes of Mythbusters - I'm really going to miss that show. Unlike Qatar's Boeing 777 fleet, the new A350 features satellite-based WiFi service, so I was able to keep up with work while flying. That can both be a good and bad thing.

Soon, we were getting close to Boston. I guess after my 16-hour flight from Los Angeles, the relatively-short 12-hour flight had flown by (pun intended). It was a beautiful day, so once again the tail camera on the IFE system was put to good use. This was my first inaugural, so I was hoping we'd have a warm welcome waiting for us on the ground.

I wasn't disappointed. As we landed, I could see a few airport fire trucks lined up on the taxiway, waiting to greet us with a water cannon salute. That was a pretty cool experience, and those non-AvGeeks seemed to finally realize there was something special about this flight. As we taxied up to the gate, there were tons of folks standing all around the apron, phones and cameras lifted high in the air. While I'm sure they were excited to welcome new service to Doha on Qatar Airways, I honestly think most of them were there to see the beautiful Airbus A350. It was fun to wave back at the excited crowds from my big windows.

Qatar Airways' expansion to Boston makes a lot of sense. Boston is a hub for Qatar partner JetBlue, which can provide a domestic feed for Qatar. Emirates already serves the city, so Qatar is able to offer some competition on flights to the Middle East. Boston is a world-class, diverse city, and should be able to support both business and leisure traffic. The economical Airbus A350 helps make the business case better as well.

While the A350 is still a rare sight in North America, I hope it becomes more common as production ramps up. Trust me - you're going to like flying it.



Note: I was a guest of Qatar Airways for this flight review. All opinions are my own, however.

Hainan Airlines to Relaunch Beijing-Cairo Service





   

China's Hainan Airlines is aiming to return to the Africa/Middle East market with the relaunch of the Beijing-Cairo route in December, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.



The Haikou-based carrier plans to fly an Airbus A330 on the 3X-weekly service. The last time it operated this route was in 2012.

The airline used to operate Beijing-Dubai-Khartoum (Sudan) and Beijing-Abu Dhabi-Luanda (Angola) service, but suspended the routes because of operating losses and the unstable political situation.

However, Hainan Airlines still showed an interest in the Africa/Middle East market in 2012 when it launched Ghana's Africa World Airlines (AWA), a joint venture with the China-Africa Development Fund, Ghana SAS Financial Group and Ghana Social Security and National Insurance Trust.

As part of Beijing's national "One Belt, One Road" policy in recent years, Chinese carriers have again begun exploring the Africa/Middle East market.
By Katie Cantle, ATW Daily News

quarta-feira, 22 de junho de 2016

Cobalt board member's shady past comes to light

The Swiss Attorney General's Office has confirmed it has three indictments pending against Urs Meisterhans, a member of the board of start-up carrier Cobalt (CO, Larnaca).

The Cyprus Business Mail says indictments for “aggravated money laundering, securities fraud and negligence in financial operations,” would date back to May last year and stem from Meisterhans' alleged dealings at Sinitus AG, a Swiss financial services company.

Basing its case on US court cases against the Swiss national, the AGO alleges Meisterhans, who was the founder and principal of Sinitus AG, colluded with his ex-wife and a German national to defraud US-based investment management firm Absolute Capital Management of more than USD200 million from at least September 2004 to September 2007.

Meisterhans has denied the reports stating categorically that he has never been indicted in any country.

For its part, the Cypriot Ministry of Transport, whose various departments are responsible for vetting and ensuring compliance with local and EU laws, has said it was unaware of any criminal proceedings pending against any Cobalt board members at the time it issued its Air Transport Services License. Given the report and its evidence, investigations have now been launched.

The Cypriot Air Transport Licensing Authority (ATLA) has the power to revoke an airline's license should any one of its board members or executive leadership be found to have committed illegal acts or have acted unprofessionally. As such, the ATLA has said it may ask for Meisterhans' removal from Cobalt's board. 
ch aviation
Photo:Pedro Filipe  - LPPT




Though technically operational, Cobalt will only begin regular, scheduled passenger services to Europe later next month.