Category: Airplane News (Page 4 of 91)

Virgin Australia increasing regional network with Link Airways

January 21, 2024 / WIL BALDWIN

January 19, 2024 – Regional Australians are set to benefit under a new codeshare partnership with Link Airways that will increase Virgin Australia’s footprint in Australia from today by approximately 45%.

Seventeen new regional codeshare services operated by Link Airways, the equivalent of 90 flights per week, will be added to Virgin Australia’s domestic network under the partnership. The flights will go on sale today through Virgin Australia’s travel agency partners and will be available to book directly on the Virgin Australia website from March.

The partnership will also bring added benefits to Velocity Frequent Flyer’s almost 12 million members who will now be able to earn both Points and Status Credits on Virgin Australia codeshare services operated by Link Airways to some of the most important regional centres in the country. Velocity Platinum, Gold and Silver members will also earn bonus Points and receive an additional baggage allowance when travelling on any Virgin Australia codeshare service operated by Link Airways. Eligible Velocity members can also access Virgin Australia lounges when travelling on these Virgin Australia codeshare services.

Virgin Australia customers will now be able to travel seamlessly for the first time to 42 Australian destinations on a single booking (with through check-in and baggage transfer), including destinations such as Inverell, Wollongong and Biloela, which are not serviced by any other major airline.

New regional routes available as Virgin Australia codeshare (in both directions):

Brisbane <-> Coffs Harbour (BNE-CFS)
Brisbane <-> Bundaberg (BNE-BDB)
Brisbane <-> Biloela (BNE-ZBL)
Brisbane <-> Inverell (BNE-IVR)
Brisbane <-> Narrabri (BNE-NAA)
Brisbane <-> Dubbo (BNE-DBO)
Brisbane <-> Orange (BNE-OAG)
Brisbane <-> Tamworth (BNE-TMW)
Brisbane <-> Armidale (BNE-ARM)
Brisbane <-> Wollongong (BNE-WOL)
Sydney <-> Narrabri (SYD-NAA)
Sydney <-> Inverell (BNE-IVR)
Melbourne <-> Dubbo (MEL-DBO)
Melbourne <-> Orange (MEL-OAG)
Melbourne <-> Wollongong (MEL-WOL)
Canberra <-> Hobart (CBR-HBA)
Canberra <-> Newcastle (CBR-NTL)

Akasa Air orders 150 more Boeing 737 MAX aircraft

January 19, 2024 / WIL BALDWIN

Hyderabad, India, January 18, 2024 – Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Akasa Air announced today the Indian carrier has placed a follow-on 737 MAX order, confirming 150 more fuel-efficient jets in its order book. The purchase of 737-10 airplanes and additional 737-8-200 jets by India’s all-737 operator was revealed at the Wings India 2024 airshow.

Akasa Air will leverage the 737 MAX family to expand its domestic and international network in the coming years. Since launching operations in 2022, the airline has captured approximately 4% of India’s domestic market, serving 18 destinations with a fleet of 22 737 MAX jets. Both 737 MAX variants will provide Akasa Air with added capacity and range on new and existing routes, while reducing fuel use and carbon emissions by 20% compared to older-generation airplanes.

As Akasa Air looks to expand its network in India and South Asia, Boeing’s 2023 Commercial Market outlook forecasts delivery of 2,705 new commercial airplanes over the next 20 years for the region, of which nearly 90% will be single-aisle jets. This order finalized in December 2023 and was unidentified on the Boeing Orders & Deliveries website.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including expected delivery dates. Such statements are based on current expectations and projections about our future results, prospects and opportunities and are not guarantees of future performance. Such statements will not be updated unless required by law. Actual results and performance may differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including those discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

QANTAS to fly from Darwin to Singapore

January 16, 2024 / WIL BALDWIN

Qantas has announced it is launching a second international route from Darwin, with direct flights from the Northern Territory to Singapore.

Commencing in December, the new Qantas flights will add more than 60,000 seats on the route each year and provide visitors to Australia with a convenient gateway to access to some iconic Top End experiences.

The flights will provide Territorians with a direct Qantas option to Singapore and also a seamless connection to London on QF1, as well as other destinations across Europe or Asia with partner airlines. Qantas customers travelling from Darwin will save around five hours in flying time by no longer having to fly via other Australian capital cities to get to London.

Starting on December 9, 2024, flights will initially operate five days per week with the dual-class Embraer E190 aircraft. Service will increasing to daily starting in March of 2025.* The new route has been made possible by the establishment of the E190 base at Darwin Airport, with the size, range and economics of the aircraft opening up routes that that wouldn’t be viable with larger aircraft, including the launch of international flights to Dili in 2022.

Cargolux launches aerial firefighting unit

January 16, 2024 / WIL BALDWIN

Luxembourg, 12 January 2024 – Cargolux is pleased to announce that it has launched a new business unit, Aquarius Aerial Firefighting (Aquarius AFF). This new venture marks a new chapter in Cargolux’ history.

The aerial firefighting unit will operate a fleet of 12 Air Tractor AT-802F Fire Boss aircraft which will be acquired over a three-year period. The first 3 aircraft have already been delivered. These three aircraft are expected to be ready for deployment by May 2024. Through its entrance into this activity, Aquarius AFF will alleviate some of the capacity shortfall for aerial firefighting in Europe and further afield.

Aquarius AFF aims to provide assistance in the fight against devastating wildfires that threaten human lives, natural resources and significantly contributes to global CO2 emissions. Cargolux is strongly committed to sustainability and this new venture will enable the company to lead a solution-oriented project, tackling one of the root causes of CO2 emissions.

Aquarius AFF will build on Cargolux’ experience and high safety standards to develop its aerial firefighting activity. True to its pioneering spirit, Cargolux is venturing into new territory for an all-cargo airline.

Embraer delivers Ipanema agricultural airplane number 1,600

January 15, 2024 / WIL BALDWIN

Botucatu, Brazil, January 15, 2024 — Embraer SA (ADR-NYSE: ERJ) Agricultural Aviation Division delivered 65 Ipanema airplanes in 2023, an increase of 18% compared to the previous year. As a result, in December, the company reached the milestone of 1,600 units produced and delivered over the aircraft’s five decades of uninterrupted production.

Since the launch of the new version of the EMB-203 model in 2020, the company has seen continuous growth in sales and plans to increase production to 70 planes this year.

As the leader in the Brazilian aerial applications market, the Ipanema brings innovations and improvements that increase robustness with low operating costs and carbon emissions. The Ipanema is the only agricultural airplane certified and produced in series to fly on ethanol, a renewable energy source that provides increased power to the aircraft’s engine.

Forward-Looking Statements

LATAM group presents special collection of aircraft in South American colors

January 14, 2024 / WIL BALDWIN

Santiago, Chile, January 12, 2024 – With the aim of celebrating the local pride of the leading airline group in Latin America, LATAM group unveiled its latest project, which involves adorning five aircraft with the respective national flag colors of the countries where the affiliates operate domestic flights.

The idea, extending throughout 2024, is to gradually introduce the five painted aircraft into the domestic flights of the affiliates. It will begin on January 11 with LATAM Airlines Brasil, debuting an Airbus A320neo in green and yellow colors, followed by planes representing the colors of the affiliates in Colombia, Chile, Peru, and finally, Ecuador.

The special paint scheme, applied by 30 workers from the Brazilian affiliate, maintains the characteristics of the LATAM logo already present on its aircraft, with only the colors being modified. The design of the LATAM Airlines Brasil A320neo started this Monday at the São Carlos facility in Sao Paulo, the largest maintenance center of the LATAM group.

Currently, the airline group has 332 aircraft, including 56 Boeing passenger planes (models 767, 777, and 787) and 256 Airbus planes (models A319, A320, A320neo, A321, and A321neo).

Additionally, LATAM Cargo has 20 cargo planes.

Dassault Aviation releases order intakes, deliveries and backlog as of December 31, 2023

January 14, 2024 / WIL BALDWIN

AIRCRAFT ORDERED IN 2023

60 Rafale (*) were ordered (42 France, 18 Indonesia), compared with 92 Export Rafale in 2022.

(*) The order for an additional 18 Rafale for Indonesia entered into force on January 8, 2024 and is therefore not part of the 60-Rafale order intake for 2023.

23 Falcon were ordered, compared with 64 in 2022.

AIRCRAFT DELIVERED IN 2023

13 Rafale (11 France, 2 Export) were delivered, while 15 had been guided.
14 Rafale (13 Export, 1 France) were delivered in 2022.

26 Falcon were delivered, while 35 (*) had been guided.
32 Falcon were delivered in 2022.

(*) Certified on August 22, 2023, Falcon 6X, integrating post certification upgrades approved by EASA, has entered into service at the end of 2023.

AIRCRAFT IN BACKLOG

As of December 31, 2023, the backlog includes:

211 Rafale (*) (141 Export, 70 France) compared with 164 Rafale as of December 31, 2022,
84 Falcon compared with 87 Falcon as of December 31, 2022.
(*) The order for an additional 18 Rafale for Indonesia entered into force on January 8, 2024 and is therefore not part of the 211-Rafale backlog of December 31, 2023.

UPCOMING FINANCIAL RELEASE

Dassault Aviation Group will release on March 6, 2024 its full year results.

The above figures relate only to the number of new aircraft. The Group points out that amounts in euros will be published on March 6, 2024.

Rafale B de l’Armée de l’Air Française en opérations extérieures (Opération Serval) – Vue en vol au dessus du Mali. Equipé de la nacelle Damoclès et de GBU-12.

SKY express grows regional fleet with two additional ATR 72-600’s

January 13, 2024 / WIL BALDWIN

Toulouse, France, January 11, 2024 – Leading Greek airline SKY express took delivery of an ATR 72‑600 in December 2023, as part of a firm order for two brand new aircraft from the IOGR group. This marks another important step in SKY express’ development, as the airline is growing its regional fleet from six to eight ATR 72-600 and six ATR -500 for a total of 14 ATR aircraft. The airline is planning further fleet modernisation in 2024.

Greek communities and tourists will both benefit from the reinforced connectivity across the region, as SKY express intends to offer additional flights each year, taking advantage from the aircraft family’s versatility, short runway capabilities, low operating costs and reduced CO2 emissions.

https://www.skyexpress.gr/el

Lockheed Martin Photography By Garry Tice 1011 Lockheed Way, Palmdale, Ca. 93599 Event: X-59 - Glamour Shoot Day Date: 12/12/2023 Additional Info:

Skunk Works® Rolls Out X-59, NASA’s Newest X-Plane

January 12, 2024 / WIL BALDWIN

Palmdale, California, January 12, 2024, PRNewswire – Lockheed Martin Skunk Works^® (NYSE: LMT) rolled out the X-59, a unique experimental aircraft designed to quiet the sonic boom, at a ceremony in Palmdale, California. The ceremony marked a significant milestone in Lockheed Martin’s and NASA’s decades-long journey to solve one of the most persistent challenges of supersonic flight, the sonic boom.

Rollout ceremonies are a long-standing aviation tradition, and in the case of the X-59, it celebrated technical advancements, collaboration and innovation that stemmed from years of research, development and production of a one-of-a-kind technology demonstrator aircraft that will reduce the loudness of sonic booms to a gentle thump.

Next, the aircraft will complete ground tests including engine-run and taxi tests before its next major milestone, first flight, later this year. After the aircraft is validated in initial flight tests, it will move into the acoustic testing phase. This phase will include flights over populated areas to provide U.S. and international regulators with statistically valid data required to help approve new rules that could allow quiet commercial supersonic flight over land. This would cut commercial flight times to half of what they are today, transforming travel for people around the world.

Forward-Looking Statements

Rolls-Royce welcomes EVA Air as new customer

January 12, 2024 / WIL BALDWIN

Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (London: RR) today announces it has signed a Letter of Intent for a TotalCare® maintenance agreement with Taiwanese airline EVA Air for 36 Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines that will power 18 new Airbus A350-1000 aircraft. The agreement provides the airline with predictability as well as a known cost for the services and maintenance of the fleet.

This will be the first time EVA Air includes the Rolls-Royce Trent engine in its fleet. Rolls-Royce is delighted to welcome EVA Air as a new customer.

TotalCare is designed to provide operational certainty for customers by transferring time on wing and maintenance cost risk back to Rolls-Royce. This industry-leading premium service offering is supported by data delivered through the Rolls-Royce advanced engine health monitoring system, which helps provide customers with increased operational availability, reliability and efficiency.

Forward-Looking Statements

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