NEW FLEET - Air Canada to fly every model in 787 Dreamliner family, orders 18 Boeing 787-10s

- Canada's largest airline chooses 787-10, with its market-leading environmental performance to replace older, less efficient widebody aircraft

- The only complete widebody family, the 787 Dreamliner maximizes network coverage with outstanding range, flexibility and commonality

- Fuel-efficient Dreamliner reduces CO2 by up to 25%, supporting Air Canada's commitment to a sustainable future

SEATTLE, Sept. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Air Canada announced today the carrier is selecting the 787 Dreamliner to further modernize and grow its fleet with an order for 18 787-10 widebody jets, with the option to purchase 12 more. The flag carrier of the country, Air Canada will deploy the new fuel-efficient airplanes as part of its broader strategy to reduce carbon emissions while expanding its global route network.

"Air Canada has made investing in the passenger experience a core priority. Our experience shows customers greatly enjoy flying on the Dreamliner, so we are pleased to offer them a larger version of this popular aircraft, which will premiere a new, state-of-the-art interior cabin design. As importantly, the 787 is highly fuel efficient and will generate operational savings as well as support our sustainability goals of reducing emissions," said Michael Rousseau, president and CEO of Air Canada.



View File
Download File


ACN 787 10 In flight 1 

Reducing fuel use and improving efficiency by up to 25% compared to previous generation jets, the 787 helps advance Air Canada's ambitious environment goals over the next several decades. The carrier is positioned to optimize its fleet as it adds international routes in new and existing markets, further benefiting from the Dreamliner family's route flexibility and operating economics.

"With the 787 Dreamliner family, Air Canada will soon operate one of the most modern, efficient widebody fleets in the world," said Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "The 787-10 will provide Air Canada with greater flexibility and commonality across its expansive network, connecting Canadians to destinations around the world."                                     

Air Canada currently operates a fleet of 38 787s, including eight 787-8 and 30 787-9 jets. The largest model in the family, the 787-10, can carry up to 336 passengers with a range of 6,330 nautical miles (11,730 km).

With the selection of the 787 Dreamliner family, Air Canada is supporting economic growth and jobs across the Canadian aviation industry. Canada is among Boeing's largest international supply bases with more than 550 suppliers. There are more than a dozen Canadian suppliers supporting the 787 program, including Boeing's aerospace composite manufacturing facility in Winnipeg. Each year, Boeing contributes CAD ~$4 billion in economic benefit to Canada while supporting more than 14,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Since revenue service began in 2011, the 787 family has opened more than 370 new nonstop routes around the world and received more than 1,760 orders from 87 customers – including more than 870 repeat orders from 56 repeat customers. Over the last year, the 787 has received more than 295 orders and commitments. Nearly half of all 787 Dreamliner operators fly more than one variant and four airlines operate, or will operate, fleets with all three variants.

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

 

NEW FLEET - Air France-KLM to place large A350-order

On 25 September 2023, Air France-KLM announced it has the intention to place a large order for the Airbus A350. In total, the Group is set to order 50 A350s and will also secure purchase options for 40 additional A350s. Deliveries are set to start in 2026 and will be completed in 2030.

Air France-KLM has said the exact type (-900 or -1000) and number per airline will be decided closer to the production slot time. However, the Group has said that it will use these new widebodies to replace eighteen Boeing B777-200ERs at Air France, fifteen B777-200ERs at KLM, fifteen A330-200s at Air France, six A330-200s, and five A330-300s at KLM.

Air France-KLM already held orders for 41 A350-900s for Air France (22 have so far been delivered), as well as eight A350Fs (four for Air France, four for Martinair). With this latest order for 50 additional A350s, Air France-KLM is set to become the largest operator of the type.

Illustration by Air France-KLM.

Air Belgium files for bankruptcy protection

On 18 September 2023, Air Belgium announced it has filed for a judicial reorganization by way of amicable agreement, basically a form of bankruptcy protection. At the same time, the airline announced it will end its unprofitable scheduled passenger-flights as of 3 October 2023 and will soley focus on providing ACMI- (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) services and cargo-flights.

According to Air Belgium, the company is facing financial difficulties due to a combination of external matters like the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, rising costs of fuel and wages, and reduced spending power of customers.

Earlier this year, the airline attracted new investments with the Chinese Hongyuan Group acquiring 49% of the shares but since then no new capital have been raised.

Air Belgium was founded in 2016 and commenced operations two years later. It employs about 500 co-workers and the fleet is currently made-up of:

OE-LAC A330-243 (1486), in the fleet since November 2022 and currently operational.

OE-LAJ A330-243P2F (717), in the fleet since January 2023, operated for the Hongyuan Group but parked at Ostend since July 2023.

OE-LAL A330-243P2F (832), in the fleet since August 2022 and operated for the Hongyuan Group and currently operational.

OE-LCL A330-243 (1521), in the fleet since October 2022 and currently operational.

OE-LFC B747-87UF (37562), in the fleet since May 2022, operated for the Hongyuan Group but at Xiamen since 15 September 2023.

OE-LFD B747-87UF (37563), in the fleet since April 2022, operated for the Hongyuan Group and currently operational.

OE-LFI B747-83QF (60118), in the fleet since January 2023, operated for the Hongyuan Group but stored at Marana (AZ) since August 2023.

OO-ABF A330-941 (1844), in the fleet since December 2021 and parked at Brussels since 11 September 2023.

OO-ABG A330-941 (1861), in the fleet since September 2021 and currently operated for British Airways.

OO-SEA A330-243F (1594), in the fleet since March 2021 and operated for CMA CGM Air Cargo.
Air Belgium

 

FLEET - Emirates' Fleet Will Change In Five Years

Emirates has had a relatively simple fleet consisting of Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s, but this will change as they introduce new aircraft types like the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787.

The airline's fleet used to be more diverse, with multiple aircraft types, including Airbus A330s and A340s, but these have been phased out over the years.

Emirates has a significant number of new aircraft on order, including 50 Airbus A350-900s, 115 Boeing 777Xs, and 30 Boeing 787-9s, which will add complexity to their fleet composition.

New aircraft types are on Emirates' horizon. This will re-introduce levels of diversity and fleet complexity not seen by the airline since the mid-2010s.
So, what's on Emirates' order book at the moment? Well, in terms of future passenger aircraft, data from ch-aviation.com states that the carrier has the following aircraft on its order books:

50 Airbus A350-900
115 Boeing 777X
30 787-9

The latest timeline
Amid all these changes, where do new aircraft timelines currently sit? Here's what we know so far:
Airbus A350-900s: An Emirates statement in January 2022 regarding an onboard broadband deal noted that the A350 is scheduled to enter service sometime in 2024. Months later, a Reuters report specified that the first delivery would come in August 2024, "more than a year later than initially announced.""
Boeing 787-9s: As per One Mile At A Time, the o"cial timeline for the 787s sees the first airframe arriving in 2024. However, Emirates President Tim Clark says that he doesn't anticipate the planes to be delivered until 2025.
Boeing 777-9s: When it comes to the drawn-out saga that has been the 777X's entry-into-service, Aviator reported that the Emirates president anticipates the first of these jets to arrive in the last quarter of 2025.
 

AIRPORT - EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg - 09/2023

Paul Bannwarth

SPECIAL COLORS - LATAM / B787-9 / CC-BGS - in Santiago 2023 Panam Sports special livery

José Ramon Valero - MAD
 

FLEET - Qantas welcomes 1st A330-200P2F (First GE-powered A330 freighter)

Qantas took delivery of its first of two Airbus A330-200P2F (Passenger-to-Freighter) converted aircraft. The A330, VH-EBF (853), arrived at Cairns from Busan via Singapore. It had been under conversion at Dresden since November 2022.

The Airbus will be operated by Qantas-subsidiary Express Freighters and deployed for Australia Post, hence the titles. The second A330 will be operated for Qantas Freight. Express Freighters currently operates a fleet of three A321P2Fs, three Boeing B737-300BDSFs, one B737-400SF, and one B767-300F.

Photo: Daniel Wilson

L3 Harris Technologies / B757-228A / N473AP / (c/n 24473, l/n 301)

Photo: Mark Piacentin
Edinburgh [EDI/EGPH], Scotland

SPECIAL COLORS - Cougs or Dawgs? Alaska Airlines unveils new aircraft in honor of Washington State University and the University of Washington

This fall we’re bringing not one, but two brand new aircraft into our fleet with fresh paint highlighting our commitment to Washington state’s largest universities. Alaska also expands support of WSU, becoming the official airline partner of WSU Athletics.

We’re taking college pride to new heights with the debut of two newly themed aircraft showcasing Washington State University (WSU) and the University of Washington (UW).

Just in time for the fall semester with football season in full swing, our E175 “Go Cougs” aircraft will take to the skies on Saturday, Sept. 23, from Seattle (SEA) to Pullman (PUW) ahead of WSU’s matchup against the Oregon State Beavers. On Oct. 3, the “Go Dawgs” special UW-themed aircraft will be introduced to fans departing Seattle (SEA) to Portland (PDX).

N661QX (“Go Cougs”)
“The new Go Cougs aircraft celebrates the productive partnership between Washington State University and Alaska Airlines,” said WSU President Kirk Schulz. “We are proud to have Alaska Airlines as a continued supporter of our educational programs and research pursuits, particularly in the development and adoption of sustainable aviation fuels. Together, we will help transform the future of air travel across the state, region, and world.”

N662QX (“Go Dawgs”)“Our shared values and commitment to our region are why the UW is proud to partner with Alaska Airlines, and we are thrilled to see the purple and gold on their aircraft. This is another exciting step in the UW’s continued partnership with Alaska Airlines, an innovative and deep-rooted Pacific Northwest company that adds so much to our local and state economy, as well as fostering connections across the world as a member of the oneworld Alliance,” said Ana Mari Cauce, president of the University of Washington.


This is the third iteration of both special aircraft dedicated to the universities. The planes, tail numbers #N661QX (“Go Cougs”) and #N662QX (“Go Dawgs”), will be flown by Horizon Air, Alaska Airlines’ regional sister carrier. These college-themed aircraft (liveries) are one of many ways guests can celebrate their school spirit year-round.

Since launching our first university-themed livery almost 20 years ago, we know that few things get local fans as excited as seeing their school’s colors on the side of the hometown airlines’ airplanes,” said Joe Sprague, Horizon Air president.
Our commitment to education and expanding our support of WSU  


We’re proud to fly to all five cities across Washington and Oregon where WSU has campuses nearby: Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities, Everett and Portland (near the Vancouver, WA campus).


We believe in strengthening and supporting the communities our employees, neighbors and guests call home, and in Eastern Washington, we’ve been honored to support those communities for more than 40 years. Caring for the communities we serve extends far beyond making air travel accessible. It’s about forging connections, fostering job opportunities, volunteering, donating miles to nonprofits and inspiring the next generation of aviation.

Photos by Joe Nicholson

As part of our new sponsorship with WSU Athletics for the 2023-2024 school year, Alaska will be the athletics department’s official airline partner. We look forward to special gameday giveaways — at basketball and football games — that include sweepstakes for a chance to win tickets and air travel to the 2023 Apple Cup on November 25th. 


“We are thrilled to sponsor WSU Athletics, ensuring that fans can continue to rally behind their beloved Cougs,” said Sprague.


For over a decade, we’ve partnered with WSU on several initiatives to advance the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) — a key part of our goal to be carbon net zero by 2040. 


In 2015, we partnered with the WSU-led Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA) to produce and use SAF from forest residuals (tree limbs and branches that remain after a forest harvest), which led to Alaska making history by becoming the first airline to fly a commercial flight powered by this type of SAF. Last year, WSU was named as the academic partner in Alaska’s innovative corporate SAF program, aimed at fostering education and raising awareness about opportunities to enhance the sustainability of business travel.

On Oct. 3, the “Go Dawgs” special UW-themed aircraft will fly its first flight between Seattle (SEA) to Portland (PDX).

In 2016, Alaska proudly became the official airline of the University of Washington. Since then, we’ve expanded our support across various aspects of the university, including UW Athletics, the Foster School of Business and various campus initiatives, reinforcing our commitment to advancing education within the communities we serve. 

As always, it’s an absolute thrill to witness the Huskies in action, facing off against rival teams, whether on the iconic Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium or within the electric atmosphere of the Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. 

A new era of aircraft 

While the two universities have graced the outside of Q400s operated for Alaska by its sister carrier, Horizon Air, the airline has transitioned to an all-jet fleet of modern Embraer E175 aircraft. Horizon has 41 jets and by the close of 2026 is scheduled to have 50 of them. 

The E175 jets include a range of benefits:

The jet aircraft has three classes of service, just like our Boeing 737s.
Our elite members can enjoy upgrades to First Class and Premium Class.
All seats are window or aisle – there are no middle seats.
It provides a quieter flight than the Q400 turboprop.
There’s inflight entertainment and Wi-Fi connectivity on board.
There are larger overhead bins for stowing carry-ons.
It flies faster than the Q400.

Alaska Airlines

FLEET - ASKY AIRLINES RECEIVED TWO B737 MAX

 ET-BAR

Aircraft manufacturer Boeing has welcomed the Togo based carrier, ASKY Airlines, to the 737 MAX family following the delivery of two new jets.

The African airline, which operates across 25 countries in West and Central Africa, confirmed on September 1, that it had officially received two Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

ASKY celebrated the new arrivals with a welcoming ceremony at Lomé–Tokoin International Airport (LFW), where the two new jets were blasted with the traditional water salute.

 ET-BAQ

Photo:Sander in West-Africa
Accra-Kotoka - DGAA, Ghana

FLEET - HiSky to expand with an A330

HiSky from Romania announced on 19 September 2023 that it will expand the fleet with its first widebody-aircraft. The airline has signed a lease-agreement with Air Lease Corporation for the lease of a first Airbus A330-200. The aircraft is expected for delivery later this year. It's currently unclear which airframe is involved and which route(s) it will serve.

HiSky was launched as a low-cost airline in 2021 and is flying regular and charter passenger flights. It has a fleet of four A320s, and two A321-200NXs. It also has a subsidiary in Moldova which operates a single A319.

Illustration by HiSky.

 

FLEET - Edelweiss Air to add six A350-900s

 Edelweiss Air (WK, Zurich) has confirmed that it will replace its existing fleet of five A340-300s with six A350-900s. Deliveries will begin in the Summer 2025 season with the entire fleet rollover expected to conclude by the end of 2026.

The airline said the initial four aircraft will be ex-LATAM Airlines Brasil (JJ, Sao Paulo Congonhas) units and will be delivered in the Brazilian carrier's configuration albeit with "slight modifications to the cabin and Edelweiss design" due to supply chain issues affecting the global MRO sector. They will seat up to 339 passengers with 30 business class, 63 economy plus, and 246 economy class seats. The Swiss leisure specialist, a subsidiary of Swiss (LX, Zurich), plans to eventually reconfigure the aircraft to its own specifications but did not provide any dates.

The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows the aircraft will be N285BN (msn 35), N286BN (msn 45), N287BN (msn 79), and N264AR (msn 363). All four are currently stored at Victorville, following the retirement of the type by LATAM Airlines Group, and are owned by Deucalion Aviation Funds.

"The other two aircraft were also originally ordered by LATAM Airlines. They will be in service with another operator until the transfer to the Lufthansa Group. For this reason, the MSNs will only be announced at a later date," the airline told ch-aviation.

LATAM Airlines Brasil operated thirteen A350-900s, but the other nine aircraft have already been taken over by Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson).

According to the ch-aviation fleets history module, the airline operated up to six widebody aircraft between 2018 and 2021 which, at that time, comprised four A340-300s and two A330-300s. Edelweiss Air retired the A330s during the COVID-19 pandemic, transferring them to fellow leisure specialist EW Discover (Frankfurt International). Besides the A340s, the airline continues to operate thirteen A320-200s.

The airline said it would deploy the A350s on existing routes but eventually plans to use their superior range to launch new services from Switzerland.

CH Aviation

FLEET - Maldivian orders two incremental ATR42-600s

Maldivian (Q2, Malé) has placed an incremental order with ATR - Avions de Transport Régional for two ATR42-600s as part of its turboprop fleet renewal plan.

The state-owned carrier did not disclose any delivery dates. In July 2023, it sought financing for the aircraft, seeking a partner for a 15-year finance lease agreement. It did not respond to ch-aviation's request for comment regarding the outcome of the tender.

The two ATR42-600s will join Maldivian's existing fleet of one ATR42-600 and two ATR72-600s. The incoming aircraft will replace some of the older-generation turboprops, which the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows includes one DHC-8-200, one DHC-8-Q200, and seven DHC-8-Q300s.

Maldivian also operates eleven DHC-6-300s through its seaplane division and one A320-200. It is in talks with the government about launching a sister carrier focused on long-haul operations.

CH Aviation

Air Peace Embraer E195-E2

Having recently secured its UK Third Country Operator (TCO) authorisation, Air Peace (P4, Lagos) has demanded access to London Heathrow, citing the reciprocity principle in the bilateral air services agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

"It took seven years for them [the UK] to come and do the audit. Now we have got the approval. The next thing is slots, and they are telling us to go to London Stansted or take London Gatwick. I'm not going to Stansted or Gatwick. You come to the primary airport in Nigeria, and by BASA, you enjoy the two primary airports. So, you will give me your own primary airport. It must be Heathrow or nothing," Chairman Allen Onyema told The Whistler newspaper.

The 1988 agreement authorises designated Nigerian carriers to fly to London - without specifying an airport - and Manchester International while designated British carriers are allowed to fly to Abuja and Lagos. Currently, British Airways (BA, London Heathrow) flies daily to each of the Nigerian airports and Virgin Atlantic (VS, London Heathrow) flies daily to Lagos. Both UK carriers depart from Heathrow.

The disagreement over Heathrow access caused a diplomatic spat in 2011 when Nigeria threatened to withdraw the permission for British airlines after Arik Air was unable to get slots at Heathrow and refused to serve another airport in the London metro area. The dispute was eventually resolved and Arik Air continued to serve Heathrow through 2017, when it cut the route amidst serious liquidity issues.

Slots at Heathrow are managed by Airport Coordination Limited, an independent organisation, and the British government cannot enforce slot allocation to a specific carrier at the notoriously slot-restricted hub.

Air Peace is currently the only Nigerian airline certified to operate to the UK, the Civil Aviation Authority confirmed when contacted by ch-aviation. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has only authorised business charter operator ANAP Jets (AJP, Lagos).

Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Musa Shuaibu Nuhu, told local media that OmniBlu Aviation and United Nigeria Airlines were also authorised by the UK, but the CAA denied this, saying that no other applications except Air Peace were pending. The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development designated United Nigeria Airlines for routes to London, Amsterdam Schiphol, Rome Fiumicino, Dubai International, Houston Intercontinental, and Dublin International. The carrier, which only operates E145s, will have to secure authorisation before it can launch any of those services.

CH Aviation

 

AIRPORT - EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg - 09/202

 Paul Bannwart