Seaplanes to fly between the capitals of the Canary Islands from autumn

 On January 31, a first presentation flight will be carried out between the ports of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and La Palma, in an exercise that aims to demonstrate “the viability of a Canarian project to revolutionise the inter-island transport system“



The company Surcar Airlines plans to reinstate the use of seaplanes in Spain from next autumn with routes in the Canary Islands aimed at a potential public of some 15,000 passengers, and which would link the capitals of the archipelago in journeys of just 30 minutes.

Surcar Airlines, the first Spanish seaplane airline, will thus resume the use of this means of transport in the Canary Islands, a region that already had a regular seaplane route with the British port of Southampton until the 1950s.

Seaplane transport is an instrument to improve connectivity, social cohesion and the development of the islands, as has been demonstrated in cities such as Copenhagen, Vancouver or Seattle, where seaplanes have been important agents of the regional transport system for more than 30 years old, says Surcar Airlines in a statement released this Thursday.

Surcar is an airline with majority Canarian capital, authorised by the Canarian Special Zone and created with the participation of Nordic Seaplanes, the only operator in Europe with a regular route in Denmark.

Its purpose, according to the company, is to improve connectivity between the islands with faster transport -30 minutes between Santa Cruz and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria- with more agile and more sustainable security controls, as it will save up to 30% on emissions simply by avoiding trips to the airport, he says.

The launch of Surcar is accompanied by a new regulation for this type of activity by the State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA), and a technical report commissioned from INTA -an organisation belonging to the Ministry of Defence- in which it is analysed: “The use of passenger seaplanes in the ports of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Safety and non-affectation of port traffic“.

The first operations, which will begin next autumn, will focus on the Santa Cruz de Tenerife-La Palma and Santa Cruz de Tenerife-Las Palmas de Gran Canaria routes and will target a consumer niche focused on the business traveller, who prioritises time over price, and tourist passengers during the weekends, some groups that are estimated to be around 15,000 passengers per year.

aviation24.be/

Air Malta to restructure

The Finance Minister of Malta has announced Air Malta is set to go through a restructuring which will see the termination of up to half of its workforce, a reduction of routes and the abandoning of planned long-haul flights. The airline, which was already unprofitable before the pandemic, has since 2005 lost a total of 258 million USD.

Most notable for the outside world is that the airline will introduce a new and simple livery as the current one is very complex and therefore expensive to maintain. As for the fleet, due to not moving forward with the plan of flying long-haul, the airline has adjusted the plan to obtain two A321neoLRs into a planned lease for three additional A320neos. The trio is set to replace Air Malta's remaining three A320s by 2024, resulting in an all seven-strong A320neo-fleet.

Illustration via Twitter.

First Airbus A320neo with Airspace Cabin delivered to SWISS

Toulouse, 20 January 2022 – SWISS has taken delivery of its first Airbus A320neo featuring the new Airspace cabin configuration.

The new Airspace cabin features include: slimmer sidewall panels for extra personal space at shoulder level; better views through the windows with their redesigned bezels and completely integrated window shades; the largest overhead bins for 60% more bags; the latest full LED lighting technologies; LED-lit ‘entrance area’; and new lavatories with hygienic
touchless features and antimicrobial surfaces.

SWISS is a long standing Airbus customer,operating Airbus A220 and A320 Family Aircraft
on its European network and in addition A330s and A340s globally. In 2018 Lufthansa Group, the parent company of SWISS, chose to equip more than 80 of its new A320 Family aircraft on order from Airbus with Airspace cabins.

The A320neo Family is the most successful aircraft family ever and displays 99,7% operational reliability rate. The A320neo provides operators with 20% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The A320neo Family incorporates the latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklet wing tip devices. 

The Airbus’ A320neo Family offers unmatched comfort in all classes and Airbus’ 18-inch wide seats in economy as
standard.

At the end of December 2021, the A320neo Family had received nearly 7,900 orders from over 120 customers worldwide.

Fly Arna unveils corporate identity

The new national airline of Armenia, Fly Arna, has unveiled its new corporate identity, including its livery. The airline is planning to launch its flights in May when it has obtained its Air Operators Certificate (AOC).

Fly Arna will be a low-cost airline and is a joint-venture between the Armenian National Interests Fund (ANIF) and the Air Arabia Group. ANIF owns 51% of the shares and Air Arabia Group the rest. The airline will be based at Yerevan and will utilise aircraft sourced from Air Arabia.
Scramble
Illustration by Fly Arna.

JAPAN AIRLINES / A350-900 / F-WZNL / 543 / LFBO -

 Alain Charpentier

Uganda Airlines again wins the "ch-aviation World's Youngest Aircraft Fleet Award 2022."

 

Uganda's national carrier Uganda Airlines operates the world's youngest aircraft fleet for the second year in a row. Boasting an average aircraft age of only 1,95 years, they have been named the winner of the "ch-aviation World's Youngest Aircraft Fleet Award 2022".

For the first time, ch-aviation also recognises Aircraft Leasing companies with the "ch-aviation World's Youngest Aircraft Portfolio Award 2022". The Aircraft Leasing company managing the youngest fleet is CMB Financial Leasing, with an average age of 3,91 years.

The ch-aviation Youngest Aircraft Fleet Award was conceived to honour Airlines and Aircraft Leasing companies worldwide who maintain young and efficient aircraft. Keeping a modern fleet and portfolio by using new generations of aircraft contributes significantly to the decrease of CO2 within the aviation industry and helps achieve better fuel efficiency. This represents a huge step forward for sustainability, and ch-aviation has decided to give them the recognition they deserve.

To determine which airlines currently operate and which lessors manage the youngest aircraft fleet, ch-aviation maintains an extensive aircraft fleet database consisting of more than 4,700 active airlines, more than 65,000 aircraft, and 1,000 lessors worldwide.

Thomas Jaeger, the CEO of ch-aviation, said of the Award:

"The ch-aviation Youngest Aircraft Fleet Award recognises Airlines and Aircraft Leasing companies worldwide that operate young fleets and manage young portfolios, respectively. The efficient newer aircraft generations are vital for lowering CO2 emissions and making flying more environmentally friendly, and we commend the winners for their effort. It is essential to say that this award is entirely based on non-manipulable fleet data. There is no jury or any other subjective parameter involved. "

Here are the Top 5 youngest aircraft fleets worldwide:

Ranking	Operator	Continent	Average aircraft age	Fleet Size
1	Uganda Airlines	Africa	1,95 years	6
2	SKY Airline	South America	1,99 years	28
3	SalamAir	Asia	2,39 years	7
4	Viva	South America	2,45 years	21
5	flyadeal	Asia	2,76 years	16

The Award also acknowledges:

· The Top 5 youngest aircraft fleets worldwide in the category of airlines with 100 or more aircraft in their fleet

· The Top 5 youngest aircraft fleets from Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America

· The Top 5 Aircraft Leasing companies worldwide (<100 aircraft) managing the youngest aircraft fleet

· The Top 5 Aircraft Leasing companies worldwide managing 100 or more aircraft in their portfolio

Top 5 youngest aircraft fleets with 100 or more aircraft in their fleet:

Ranking	Operator	Continent	Average aircraft age	Fleet Size
1	Frontier Airlines	North America	4,15 years	112
2	IndiGo Airlines	Asia	4,28 years	278
3	Wizz Air	Europe	5,20 years	147
4	flydubai	Asia	5,25 years	123
5	Spring Airlines	Asia	6,14 years	111

 

Asia's youngest aircraft fleets:

Ranking	Operator	Average aircraft age	Fleet Size
1	SalamAir	2,39 years	7
2	flyadeal	2,76 years	16
3	Vistara	2,96 years	54
4	Hunan Airlines	3,35 years	16
5	Colorful Guizhou Airlines	3,51 years	15

 

Africa's youngest aircraft fleets:

Ranking	Operator	Average aircraft age	Fleet Size
1	Uganda Airlines	1,95 years	6
2	Jambojet	3,59 years	6
3	Air Seychelles	5,07 years	7
4	Air Austral	6,30 years	11
5	Air Tanzania	6,56 years	13

 

Europe's youngest aircraft fleets:

Ranking	Operator	Average aircraft age	Fleet Size
1	airBaltic	2,87 years	33
2	Azimuth	3,79 years	15
3	Helvetic Airways	3,81 years	16
4	Pobeda	4,50 years	44
5	BRA - Braathens Regional Airways	4,93 years	12

 

North America's youngest aircraft fleets:

Ranking	Operator	Average aircraft age	Fleet Size
1	Frontier Airlines	4,15 years	112
2	Flair Airlines	4,42 years	12
3	VivaAerobus	5,29 years	52
4	Volaris	5,61 years	99
5	Swoop	6,21 years	10

 

 

 

Oceania's youngest aircraft fleets:

Ranking	Operator	Average aircraft age	Fleet Size
1	Fiji Link	5,28 years	7
2	Fiji Airways	5,67 years	13
3	Air Tahiti	6,09 years	9
4	Air New Zealand	8,46 years	111
5	Jetstar Airways	10,74 years	69

 

South America's youngest aircraft fleets:

Ranking	Operator	Average aircraft age	Fleet Size
1	SKY Airline	1,99 years	28
2	Viva	2,45 years	21
3	JetSMART	2,93 years	14
4	EasyFly (Colombia)	4,32 years	17
5	Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras	7,12 years	153

 

The Top 5 Aircraft Leasing companies worldwide (<100 aircraft), managing the youngest aircraft fleet:

Ranking	Lessor	Average aircraft age	Fleet Size
1	CMB Financial Leasing	3,92 years	59
2	Kunlun Financial Leasing	4,15 years	19
3	International Airfinance	4,63 years	55
4	SkyCo Leasing	5,18 years	22
5	GOAL	5,19 years	40

 

The Top 5 Aircraft Leasing companies worldwide (100+ aircraft), managing the youngest aircraft fleet::

Ranking	Lessor	Average aircraft age	Fleet Size
1	BOC Aviation	5,36 years	435
2	Jackson Square Aviation	5,76 years	195
3	SMBC Aviation Capital	5,79 years	454
4	CALC	5,97 years	175
5	CDB Aviation

...