FLEET - STARLUX Airlines is expanding its fleet with the Airbus A350-1000, with a total of 18 ordered.

The first of these aircraft, registration B-58551, has been spotted at the Airbus facility in Toulouse after its maiden test flight in November 2025
Photo: Alain Charpentier

FLEET - Frontier Airlines (US) took delivery of two A321neo aircraft and six PW1100 GTF spare engines during 3Q 2025.

The carrier expects delivery of seven A320neos, three A321neos and 10 PW1100 spares engines in 4Q 2025, all of which are expected to be financed with sale/leaseback transactions.

Aviator / Photos: Alain Charpentier

 

FLEET - SWISS / A350-900 / F-WZGC msn 748

Photo: Alain Charpentier
 

ROUTES / FLEET - First SWISS Airbus A350 makes its first passenger flight

SWISS’s first Airbus A350 made its first flight this (Saturday) morning with revenue passengers aboard. The aircraft departed from Zurich on flight LX2152 to Palma de Mallorca at 07:11 local time. On board were 233 passengers, who were all able to experience the completely new ‘SWISS Senses’ long-haul cabin. The new Airbus A350 will be deployed on selected European routes over the next few weeks of its service entry, to enable SWISS’s pilots for the new aircraft type to complete their conversion training as efficiently as possible.

In flying its first passengers aboard Airbus A350 HB-IFA Lausanne, SWISS has now embarked on a new air travel era. The most advanced aircraft in the SWISS fleet took off from Zurich today for Palma de Mallorca on its first revenue service, marking the formal start of A350 flight operations. As a result, SWISS travelers can now enjoy their first experience of the completely new ‘SWISS Senses’ long-haul cabin – exceptionally on short-haul European flights during the aircraft’s introductory phase.

A new era of SWISS air travel

“This first revenue passenger flight of our new Airbus A350 is the result of many months of hard behind-the-scenes work,” says SWISS Chief Operating Officer Oliver Buchhofer. “Introducing a new aircraft type is always a major undertaking, in technical, operational and commercial terms. Our people both on the ground and in the air have performed painstaking preparations to make this moment happen. And our first A350 passenger flight today is a credit to everyone who works day in, day out to ensure that we maintain safe and reliable flight operations.”

“We are currently investing some CHF 1 billion every year in offering our customers the kind of air travel that we want SWISS to embody and provide: a premium experience with extensive privacy and a typically Swiss warm and friendly service,” adds SWISS Chief Financial Officer Dennis Weber. “Our new Airbus A350 is the most visible evidence of all these investments. Our advanced new twinjet will set new benchmarks in the way our customers fly with us – more comfortably, more efficiently and more sustainably than ever before.”

From training deployments to intercontinental operations

Airbus A350 HB-IFA Lausanne will be rostered for services to and from various European destinations including Prague, Hanover, Düsseldorf, Málaga and Palma de Mallorca over the next few weeks. These deployments on the SWISS short-haul network serve a practical purpose, enabling its cockpit crews to perform a large number of takeoffs and landings with the new aircraft type and thus swiftly familiarize themselves with its operation. Such routine and experience would take much longer to acquire on intercontinental routes, in view of their longer flying times.

All the pilots concerned will have already practiced takeoffs and landings without passengers as part of their A350 base flight training, and operating the aircraft under real flight conditions is the next step in the process. So these shorter European flights are a key element in the service entry of the new A350 before it takes up the long-haul duties for which it is intended. At the same time, they offer SWISS customers a unique opportunity to experience the completely new ‘SWISS Senses’ long-haul cabin on their European air travels.

During this transitional period of short-haul service deployments, Economy and Business Class travel can be booked as usual on the flights concerned, while the seats in the A350’s Premium Economy Class cabin will be offered as Economy Class seats with greater legroom. The First Class cabin will not be bookable on these A350 short-haul flights, because the accompanying service (which accounts for a large part of the new SWISS First experience) will only be provided on the subsequent long-haul operations. These – the next program milestone – are currently scheduled to begin on 20 November, when HB-IFA will perform its first flight on the Zurich-Boston route. The travelers on this flight will also be the first to experience the all-new SWISS Senses cabin in combination with SWISS’s totally renewed long-haul inflight service.

The world’s most advanced long-haul aircraft

The Airbus A350 is the most advanced long-haul aircraft in the world today. With its economical engines and its enhanced aerodynamics, the A350 consumes around 25% less fuel than predecessor models and generates correspondingly lower carbon dioxide emissions. It’s also twice as quiet as its predecessors.

The A350 is also constructed of a material that is more robust and resilient than traditional aluminum. This permits a lower cabin pressure and a higher air humidity to be maintained during the flight, both of which tangibly enhance passengers’ travel comfort.
Nine further Airbus A350s will join the SWISS aircraft fleet between now and 2031.

SWISS / Photo: Alain Charpentier - TLS

 

FLEET / ORDER - Abra Group orders A330-900s and more A320neos

Abra Group, which is the owner of Avianca, GOL and Wamos Air, has announced it has increased its commitments for additional Airbus A320neo-family aircraft and secured a new lease-agreement for A330-900s.

With Airbus, the Group decided to firm options for another 50 A320neo-family aircraft, taking its total number of aircraft on order to 138. All of these should be delivered by 2032.

Abra also signed a lease-agreement with Avolon for seven A330-900s. Interestingly, the lease-agreement was signed by GOL, but an Abra Group statement says that the exact deployment of its new widebodies on order will be decided closer to delivery in 2026.

However, internal GOL-posts shared on X points into the direction that GOL will indeed operate them.

Apart from these new orders the Group also holds open orders for four A350-900s and 96 more Boeing B737MAXs.

The increase of orders is part of Abra Group's effort to expand and go more head-to-head with LATAM Airlines, the biggest carrier of the continent. Part of that plan is also launching a subsidiary in Chile in the coming years.

In January of this year, the Abra Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Azul to merge GOL and Azul but this MoU has been terminated in September 2025, because Azul was still not done with its restructuring and progress was lacking.

CH Aviation / Photo: Alain Charpentier

 

FLEET - AZAL Azerbaijan Airlines took delivery of one A320neo, serial 12764, on lease and powered by LEAP-1A26 engines.

Alain Charpentier
 

ROUTES - Kuwait Airways plans to resume Kuwait City – Madrid route on 26 October 2025, with A321neo.

Photo: Alain Charpentier
 

FLEET / SPECIAL COLOURS - Swiss International Air Lines takes delivery of its first A350-900

Toulouse, France, 10 October 2025 – Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS), member of the Lufthansa Group, has taken delivery of its first of ten A350-900. Supporting the airline’s fleet modernisation programme, the latest-generation widebody is set to become SWISS’s flagship aircraft. The A350 will be operated on long-haul routes from its home base in Zurich to destinations like Boston, strengthening the airline’s global network.

The Airbus A350-900 is the first aircraft in the SWISS long-haul fleet to be equipped with the new SWISS Senses cabin. Designed to provide a more personal and comfortable air travel experience for passengers in all seating classes. The aircraft cabin is configured with a four-class layout, offering three suites up to four seats in First Class, 45 seats in Business, 38 in Premium Economy, and 156 in Economy.

The A350 is the world’s most modern widebody aircraft and has set new standards for intercontinental travel. The A350’s all-new design includes state-of-the-art technologies and aerodynamics delivering unmatched standards of efficiency and comfort. Its new generation engines and use of lightweight materials bring a 25 per cent advantage in fuel burn, operating costs and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, compared to previous generation competitor aircraft. The A350-900 is equipped with a comfortable and spacious Airspace cabin, wide seats, high ceilings and alluring ambient lighting.

As with all Airbus aircraft, the A350 aircraft is already able to operate with up to 50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Airbus is targeting to have its aircraft up to 100% SAF capable by 2030.

At the end of September 2025, the A350 had won over 1,400 orders from 63 customers worldwide.

AIRBUS / Photo: Alain Charpentier - TLS

 

Airbus September 2025 orders & deliveries

September 2025 wasn't the busiest of months for new orders for Airbus, as the manufacturer only received ten of them. The number of delivered aircraft last month was 73. As always, the details can be found below.

Ordered were:

2 ACJ350-900s by a private customer
8 A350-900s by an undisclosed customer

Delivered were:

1 A321neo to Aegean Airlines

2 A321neos to Aer Lingus
1 A320neo to Air Arabia
1 A321neo to AirAsia
1 A220-300 to Air Canada
1 A319neo to Air China
2 A321neos to Air China
1 A330-900 to Air Cote d'Ivoire
1 A220-300 to Air France
1 A220-300 to Air Niugini
1 A320neo to Azerbaijan Airlines
1 A220-300 to Animawings
2 A220-300s to Breeze Airways
2 A320neos to British Airways
3 A321neos to China Eastern Airlines
1 A320neo to China Southern Airlines
2 A321neos to China Southern Airlines
1 A320neo to Condor
1 A220-300 to Croatia Airlines
4 A321neos to Delta Air Lines
1 A330-900 to Delta Air Lines
2 A321neos to Etihad Airways
2 A320neos to flyadeal
1 A320neo to flynas
1 A321neo to Frontier Airlines
1 A320neo to Gulf Air
8 A321neos to IndiGo
3 A321neos to Jet2
2 A220-300s to JetBlue Airways
1 A320neo to Jetsmart Chile
1 A321neo to Jetstar Airways
1 A321neo to Korean Air
1 A320neo to Loong Air
1 A330-900 to Malaysia Airlines
1 A321neo to Pegasus Airlines
2 A321neos to Qatar Airways
1 A320neo to SAS
2 A320neos to Shenzhen Airlines
1 A320neo to Sichuan Airlines
1 A320neo to SKY Express
1 A320neo to TAP Air Portugal
1 A350-900 to Turkish Airlines
2 A321neos to United Airlines
1 A321neo to Viva Aerobus
1 A321neo to Volaris
2 A321neos to Wizz Air

The number of ordered aircraft in 2025 now stands at 610. The number of cancellations is unchanged and is 96, leaving a net of 514 orders. The number of delivered aircraft for this year so far is 507.
Photo: Alain Charpentier

FLEET - AIR CÔTE D'IVOIRE / A330-900 / F-WWYE / msn 2086

Alain Charpentier
 

AIRPORT - Toulouse-Blagnac Airport,

Alain Charpentier
 

AIRPORT - Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, France

 Alain Charpentier

AIRPORT - Toulouse-Blagnac Airport-France

 Alain Charpentier

AIRPORT - Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, France

Alain Charpentier
 

FLEET - KUWAIT AIRWAYS / A321NEO / D-AXXD

Alain Charpentier
 

ROUTES - EMIRATES REVISES 312-SEATER A350 NS25 EUROPE SERVICE ENTRY

Emirates in recent schedule update revised planned 312-seater Airbus A350-900 service debut on selected routes to Europe, namely Bologna and Oslo, during Northern summer 2025 season.


Dubai – Bologna eff 21JUN25 instead of 01JUN25
Dubai – Oslo eff 01OCT25 instead of 01SEP25

Following planned 312-seater A350 service entry on additional routes (not limited to Europe) remain unchanged.

Dubai – Amman eff 01JUN25 (EK905/906)
Dubai – Baghdad eff 03AUG25 (EK941/942, Day 137)
Dubai – Dammam eff 01JUL25 (EK827/828)
Dubai – Ho Chi Minh City eff 01AUG25 (EK364/365)
Dubai – Istanbul eff 01JUL25 (EK117/118)
Dubai – Lyon eff 01JUN25
Dubai – Tunis eff 01JUN25 (Day x2)

Photo: Alain Charpentier

SPECIAL SCHEME - JETSMART / A320NEO / F-WWDR

 Photo: Alain Charpentier

SPECIAL SCHEME - JETSMART / A320 NEO / F-WWDR - Tucan Piquiverde / Toucan à bec vert

Alain Charpentier

FLEET - MALAYSIA AIRLINES / A330-900 / F-WWCO msn 2088

Alain Charpentier
 

SPECIAL LIVERY - IBERIA REGIONAL / CRJ1000 / EC-MLO / "Thank you for the help - Valencia floods 2024"

Photo: Alain Charpentier