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Ryanair Co-Founder Plans Third Latin Airline

  •  Low-cost Viva Air plans NYSE listing within two years
  •  Budget carriers are disrupting transport across Latin America
Rendering of an Airbus A320neo Viva Air aircraft Source: Airbus SE

Viva Air, the Latin American group of carriers owned by a founder of Ireland’s Ryanair Holdings Plc, has plans for a third airline in the region plus an initial public offering, to cash in on strong demand for discount air travel.

The company aims to sell shares in New York within two years, Viva’s biggest shareholder, Declan Ryan, said in an interview in Lima. The shares could also be listed on another exchange, such as Colombia’s, he said.

Click the link for the full story from Bloomberg!

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-10/ryanair-co-founder-plans-third-latin-airline-followed-by-an-ipo

ACJ319neo Sets Record During Test Flight

The first ACJ319neo successfully completed a 16-hr. and 10-min. test flight on 26th April, setting a new record for the longest A320 Family flight by an Airbus crew.

It flew from Toulouse to northern Greenland and back, in an endurance flight that included a simulated diversion under 180 min ETOPS rules, for which the A320 airliner family is already certified.

The aircraft is due to be delivered to K5 Aviation of Germany in the coming months, after ACJ319neo flight trials are completed.

“We want to fly customers to their destination using the quickest routes, as well as delivering unsurpassed comfort and service, and it’s impressive to see such long-range capability at first hand,” said K5 Aviation CEO and Chief Pilot Erik Scheidt, who participated in the flight.

The ACJ319neo is derived from the A320neo airliner family, which features new engines and wingtip-mounted Sharklets.

“Airbus’ modern aircraft family takes the world in its stride with robust reliability, and corporate jet operators are natural beneficiaries of this airliner heritage, which also brings comparable operating costs to traditional business jets,” said ACJ President Benoit Defforge.

K5 Aviation’s ACJ319neo is fitted with five additional centre tanks (ACTs) in its cargo-hold, and includes improvements such as a lower cabin altitude for greater passenger comfort.

Corporate jet orders and commitments for A320neo Family-derived aircraft now total 14.

Airlines and corporate jet customers have ordered almost 15,000 A320 Family aircraft to date, with more than 700 of the new A320neo version already serving airlines worldwide.

Around 200 Airbus corporate jets are in service worldwide, flying on every continent, including Antarctica.

@ airbus #ACJ319neo #ACJ

Airbus Sees Bombardier’s Belfast Plant as ‘Key Supplier’

PARIS (Reuters) – Airbus on Thursday declined to say whether it was interested in buying Bombardier’s Belfast plant after the Canadian firm put it up for sale, but described the Northern Ireland facility as a “key supplier”.

An Airbus spokesman noted the plant makes wings for the A220, formerly known as the CSeries, which Airbus bought from Bombardier last year, and some engine casings for the Airbus A320 family.

Industry sources say the plant uses new technology for carbon fibre wings that could interest Airbus for a future A320 replacement and other long-term projects.

Bombardier’s sale of its Belfast wing and structure-making operation, the largest high-tech manufacturer in Northern Ireland, has stunned workers. They have called on the British government to retain jobs, with the plant employing 3,600 people.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Matthias Blamont)

Pratt & Whitney Powered A319neo Makes Maiden Flight

From http://www.airbus.com

The last of the A320neo variants, an Airbus A319neo, has completed its maiden flight powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF engines for the first time. The A319neo test aircraft took off from Toulouse at 12:30 local time and landed at 15:20. It was flown by a crew of five including Captain Philippe Castaigns, First Officer Shaun Wildey, flight test engineers Frank Hohmeister, David O’Nions, and Test flight engineer Cedric Favrichon.

The aircraft, MSN 6464, will perform an extensive flight test campaign in order to achieve its certification with P&W GTF engines by Q4 2019. The same aircraft had originally been powered with CFM International LEAP-1A engines for that variant’s full certification test campaign, which began on 31 March 2017 prior to FAA/EASA certification in December 2018.

The A319neo is the smallest member of the A320neo family. This family is the world’s best-selling single aisle aircraft, with over 6,500 orders from some 100 customers since its launch in 2010. It has pioneered and incorporated the latest technologies, including its new-generation engines and the industry’s reference cabin design, delivering 20% fuel cost per seat savings alone. The A320neo Family also offers significant environmental benefits with a nearly 50% reduction in noise footprint compared to previous generation aircraft.

#A319neo #WeArePW #Airbus

TAP Air Portugal Takes Delivery of its First A321LR

Lisbon-based TAP Air Portugal has taken delivery of its first of twelve A321LRs on order, becoming the first airline to operate a combined A330neo and A321LR fleet. The A321LR is the world’s most flexible and capable large single-aisle aircraft. Powered by CFM engines, TAP’s A321LR is configured with 171 seats (16 full flat Business, 48 Eco Premium and 107 Ecomomy seats).

The combination of the A321LR and the A330neo within a single fleet provides operators a powerful lever to cover the needs of the medium- to long-haul market. With both newest-generation single-aisle (20% fuel burn reduction) and widebody aircraft (25% fuel burn reduction), airlines benefit from an unrivalled commonality for operations while passengers experience a higher and harmonised comfort standards.

“The A321LR is critical for TAP’s expansion plans. With its superior range we can comfortably explore markets in North America, South America and Africa from Portugal, and it’ll fit in seamlessly with our A330neos,” said Antonoaldo Neves, CEO, TAP Air Portugal. “In North America it allows us to explore markets on the East Coast, such as New York, Boston, Montreal or Washington. In Brazil the A321LR can open new markets in the Northeast and complement existing services to cities like Recife, Natal, Fortaleza or Salvador,” he added. “The aircraft are equipped with the latest-generation full flat business class and high comfort economy seats, a full suite of in-flight entertainment (IFE) and connectivity, as well as free messaging services”.

TAP’s A321LR will be operated on the Lisbon-Tel Aviv route at its entry into service.

“We applaud TAP Air Portugal for becoming the first airline to leverage the benefits of the A321LR and the A330neo in a common fleet. The A321LR and A330neo working in tandem have the middle market segment nicely covered. The ‘Airbus NEO Midsize Aircraft’ – let’s call them the ‘A-NMA’s,’ are a winning, seamless combination – unprecedented capacity and transatlantic range with single aisle cost with the A321LR, and unbeatable unit costs and flexibility for true long haul with the A330neo. Both with the most contemporary technology and cabin comfort in their class,” said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer.

TAP currently operates an Airbus fleet of 75 aircraft comprising five A330neo, 13 A330ceo,4 A340s, and 45 A320 Family aircraft. The single-aisle fleet includes 21 A319ceo, 20 A320ceo, four A321ceo, two A320neo and six A321neo.

The A321LR is a member of the A320neo Family, with over 6,500 orders by more than 100 customers. It delivers 30% fuel savings and nearly 50% reduction in noise footprint compared to previous-generation competitor aircraft. With a range of up to 4,000nm (7,400km) the A321LR is the unrivalled long-range route opener, featuring true transatlantic capability and premium wide-body comfort in a single aisle aircraft cabin.

The A330neo is a true new-generation aircraft building on the A330’s success and leveraging A350 XWB technology. It incorporates the highly-efficient new-generation engines, new wings and new sharklets derived from A350 XWB technology.

@TAPAirPortugal @Airbus #A321LR

Story and images from http://www.airbus.com

Airbus Shares Take Off After Bumper Beijing Order

The Airbus logo is pictured at Airbus headquarters in Blagnac near Toulouse

FILE PHOTO: The Airbus logo is pictured at Airbus headquarters in Blagnac near Toulouse, France, March 20, 2019. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

PARIS (Reuters) – Airbus shares rose on Tuesday after the European planemaker won a deal worth tens of billions of dollars to sell 300 aircraft to China.

Airbus was up 2.7 percent by 1208 GMT, with the stock having risen nearly 40 percent so far in 2019.

French officials said the deal was worth some 30 billion euros (25.6 billion pounds) at catalogue prices. Planemakers usually grant significant discounts.

The Chinese order was announced late on Monday, coinciding with a visit to Europe by Chinese President Xi Jinping and matching a China record held by U.S. rival Boeing.

Investment bank Citigroup kept its “buy” rating on Airbus.

“We do not have details of the delivery schedule of this order, but China has been taking about 20-25 percent of Airbus production per year and given the A320 family is sold out at announced production rates out to 2024/25, we believe this increases the probability of Airbus moving to a production rate of 70 per month,” wrote Citigroup.

That positive view was echoed by Morgan Stanley, which kept an “overweight” rating on Airbus shares.

“Clearly finalisation of this order is a positive for Airbus, and continues to underpin strong order book coverage and rising production rates in narrowbody,” Morgan Stanley said.

The larger-than-expected order, which matches an order for 300 Boeing planes when U.S. Donald Trump visited Beijing in 2017, follows a year-long vacuum of purchases in which China failed to place significant orders amid global trade tensions.

It also comes as the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX has left uncertainty over Boeing’s immediate hopes for a major jet order as the result of any warming of U.S.-China trade ties.

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Leigh Thomas and Jane Merriman)

Garuda Indonesia Plans to Cancel Boeing 737 MAX 8 Order

JAKARTA/OSLO (Reuters) – Indonesian airline Garuda plans to cancel a $6 billion order for Boeing 737 MAX jets, it said on Friday, saying some passengers would be frightened to board the plane after two fatal crashes, although analysts said the deal had long been in doubt.

The news came as another 737 MAX customer, Norwegian Air, played down the significance of a move by Boeing to make a previously optional cockpit warning light compulsory.

Norwegian said that, according to Boeing, the warning light would not have been able to prevent erroneous signals that Lion Air pilots received before their new 737 MAX plane crashed off Indonesia in October, killing 189 people.

Indonesia’s national carrier Garuda is the first airline to publicly announce plans to scrap an order since the world’s entire fleet of 737 MAX planes was grounded last week, following an Ethiopian Airlines crash that left 157 people dead.

“Many passengers told us they were afraid to get on a MAX 8,” Garuda CEO Ari Askhara told Reuters on Friday.

However, the airline had been reconsidering its order for 49 of the narrowbody jets prior to the Ethiopian crash, including potentially swapping some for widebody Boeing models.

Southeast Asia faces a glut of narrowbody aircraft like the 737 MAX and rival Airbus A320neo at a time of slowing global economic growth and high fuel costs.

“They have been re-looking at their fleet plan anyway so this is an opportunity to make some changes that otherwise may be difficult to do,” CAPA Centre for Aviation Chief Analyst Brendan Sobie said.

Indonesia’s Lion Air has also said it might cancel 737 MAX aircraft, though industry sources say it is also struggling to absorb the number of planes on order.

Both crashes are still being investigated. But regulators have noted some similarities between the two, and attention has focused on whether pilots had the correct information about the “angle of attack” at which the wing slices through the air.

No direct link has been proven between the accidents.

RETROFITS

Boeing now plans to make compulsory a light to alert pilots when sensor readings of the angle of attack do not match – meaning at least one must be wrong -, according to two officials briefed on the matter.

Investigators suspect a faulty angle-of-attack reading led the doomed Lion Air jet’s computer to believe it had stalled, prompting the plane’s anti-stall system, called MCAS, repeatedly to push the plane’s nose down.

The Lion Air plane did not have the warning light installed because it was not compulsory. Ethiopian Airlines did not immediately comment on whether its crashed plane had the alert.

But the Ethiopian carrier, whose reputation along with Boeing’s is at stake, issued a statement on Friday emphasising the modernity of its safety and training systems, with more than $500 million invested in infrastructure in the past five years.

The Ethiopian crash has set off one of the widest inquiries in aviation history and cast a shadow over the Boeing 737 MAX model intended to be a standard for decades.

Boeing did not comment on the plan to make the safety feature standard, but separately said it was moving quickly to make software changes and expected the upgrade to be approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in coming weeks.

Chicago-based Boeing will also retrofit older planes with the cockpit warning light, the officials told Reuters.

Experts said it could take weeks or months to be done, and for regulators to review and approve the changes. Regulators in Europe and Canada have said they will conduct their own reviews of any new systems.

Norwegian said its 18 737 MAX jets did not have the cockpit warning light, but it would follow any recommendations made by Boeing and aviation regulations. The airline said last week it would seek compensation from Boeing for the cost of grounding its 737 MAX planes, which makes up 11 percent of its fleet.

Since the Ethiopian crash, Boeing shares have fallen 12 percent and $28 billion has been wiped off its market value.

Pressure has mounted on the company from U.S. legislators, who are also expected to question the FAA. The company faces a criminal investigation by the U.S. Justice Department as well.

Several lawsuits have already been filed on behalf of victims of the Lion Air crash referring to the Ethiopian accident. Boeing declined to comment on the lawsuits.

( By Cindy Silviana and Terje Solsvik, Additional reporting by Jamie Freed in Singapore, Bernadette Christina Munthe in Jakarta, Maggie Fick and Jason Neely in Addis Ababa, Tim Hepher in Paris, and Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Writing by Sayantani Ghosh, Georgina Prodhan and Ben Klayman; Editing by Mark Potter)

JetBlue Introduces Core Experience on Airbus A320 Aircraft

Second and Final Phase of Airbus A320 Interior Cabin Restyling Ushers in New Era of Comfort and Connectivity for JetBlue Customers.

The Most Legroom in Coach® Now Features the Widest, Most Comfortable A320 Seats, Larger Seatback TVs with Even More Entertainment, Expanded Gate-to-Gate High-Speed Internet on Nearly Every JetBlue Route—and More!

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190320005524/en/

The restyling effort has been several years in the making, with the latest aircraft marking the first to receive this all-new 2019 design. The aircraft, named “If You Can Read This, You’re Blue Close,” re-joins JetBlue’s fleet today, with roughly a third of JetBlue’s A320 aircraft scheduled for restyling completion by the end of the year.

“JetBlue rocked the airline industry in 2000 with seatback television and all leather seats. In our first makeover since, this incredible new onboard experience represents what the founders would have done if they were launching JetBlue today,” said Marty St. George, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, JetBlue. “The new experience brings together technology, entertainment, and comfort with the great service JetBlue customers love so much.”

For most of the airlines 100+ destinations the A320 restyling will bring the upgraded JetBlue experience to their city for the first time.

A major focus of the restyling is keeping customers connected throughout their flight, including a new inflight entertainment system, high-definition seatback televisions, in-seat power outlets with USB ports and continued free gate-to-gate Fly-Fi high-speed internet with an expanded coverage area – including throughout the Caribbean and Latin America where Fly-Fi had not been available until now.

The Widest Seat Available For the A320

In 2019, JetBlue will outfit its A320 aircraft with the Collins Meridian seat, customized for the airline’s needs and featuring a number of design elements with customer comfort in mind:

  • Expanded seat width of more than 18 inches, the widest available for the A320.
  • The most legroom in coach of any U.S. airline (a).
  • Enhanced cushion comfort.
  • Adjustable headrests, a new feature for JetBlue’s A320.
  • Contoured seatback design at knee level creating additional living space for every customer.
  • Redesigned seatback stowage options, including an innovative elastic grid to accommodate a variety of customer items.
  • At least two easy-to-reach power connections at every seat.

“We are proud to partner with JetBlue on its A320 restyling project by supplying our Meridian Seat,” said Cynthia A. Muklevicz, Vice President, Account Management, Interiors for Collins Aerospace. “Meridian offers passengers industry-leading comfort and living space through an intense focus on ergonomic design supported by optimization of the underlying seat structure.”

IFE

Also in 2019, JetBlue will build on its reputation as an industry leader in inflight entertainment options with Thales AVANT and ViaSat-2 connectivity. With this system, JetBlue will offer customers aboard its restyled A320s expanded entertainment choices in nearly every region the airline flies (b). JetBlue is the only major U.S. airline with seatback entertainment screens at every seat on every aircraft.

  • 10.1 inch, 1080P high definition screen at every seat.
  • More than 100 channels of live television with DVR-like pause and rewind functionality.
  • Expanded collection of on demand movies, TV shows and video content, plus new gaming features.
  • Destination-specific content allowing customers to enhance their travel experience.
  • Picture-in-picture function
  • Enhanced, 3D flight map offering multiple ways to track time to destination.
  • Personal handheld device pairing capabilities for use as a remote or gaming controller.
  • Expanded Fly-Fi connectivity, providing coverage to nearly the entire JetBlue network.

“Thales is proud to have been a business partner with JetBlue since the beginning of their IFE evolution. The airline has reimagined the flying experience, and with our custom-designed AVANT IFE solution, we’ve helped JetBlue reimagine their customer experience on the A320 platform,” said Philippe Carette, Chief Executive Officer, Thales InFlyt Experience. “We look forward to collaborating with the airline to create new opportunities that wow their customers with a unique and personalized inflight experience.”

“Thales is proud to have been a business partner with JetBlue since the beginning of their IFE evolution. The airline has reimagined the flying experience, and with our custom-designed AVANT IFE solution, we’ve helped JetBlue reimagine their customer experience on the A320 platform,” said Philippe Carette, Chief Executive Officer, Thales InFlyt Experience. “We look forward to collaborating with the airline to create new opportunities that wow their customers with a unique and personalized inflight experience.”

“JetBlue continues to be an industry leader in its approach to inflight internet—bringing free, high-speed connectivity to every customer onboard,” said Don Buchman, vice president and general manager, Commercial Aviation, Viasat. “We’re honored to once again partner with JetBlue on inflight connectivity, giving them access to ViaSat-2, the world’s most advanced satellite network, enabling all JetBlue customers to enjoy fast Fly-Fi service on more routes where JetBlue flies.”

Completing The 2018 Phase

The first phase of JetBlue’s A320 interior cabin restyle began in spring 2018 and modernized the airline’s so-called “classic interiors” with products that matched those found on the airline’s newer A321 aircraft – features such as more modern seats and larger seatback TVs. More than a dozen A320 aircraft have been restyled with these products so far and several more are scheduled for completion in the coming weeks. This spring the restyling will fully transition to the 2019 version of onboard products for all aircraft going forward.

About JetBlue Airways

JetBlue is New York’s Hometown Airline®, and a leading carrier in Boston, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Los Angeles (Long Beach), Orlando, and San Juan. JetBlue carries more than 42 million customers a year to 100+ cities in the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America with an average of more than 1,000 daily flights. For more information please visit jetblue.com.

(a) JetBlue offers the most legroom in coach based on average fleet-wide seat pitch for U.S. airlines.

(b) Fly-Fi is available on all JetBlue-operated flights. On ViaSat-2 equipped aircraft, Fly-Fi may not be available on portions of some routes. On all other aircraft Fly-Fi may not be available while operating outside of the contiguous U.S., or until the aircraft returns to the coverage area.

JetBlue Corporate Communications
Tel: +1.718.709.3089
corpcomm@jetblue.com

Source: JetBlue

Konnichiwa! All Nippon Airways Receives its Initial A380

ANA becomes Japan’s first carrier with Airbus’ double-deck jetliner and joins airlines that use A380s to serve the Tokyo Narita – Honolulu route

Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) today took delivery of its initial A380, which will serve the popular Japan-to-Hawaii routing – and is appropriately painted in a special livery depicting the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle, also known as the Honu.

ANA becomes the world’s 15th operator – and Japan’s first – of this widebody passenger aircraft. It has ordered a total of three A380s.

Powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines, the jetliner features ANA’s very latest in-flight entertainment systems, as well as full connectivity in all classes. It will enable the airline to almost double the capacity between Japan and the U.S. island state of Hawaii, generating value for the airline.

As the world’s largest and most spacious passenger aircraft, the A380 will be operated on ANA’s popular Japan-to-Hawaii route.

“This marks a new milestone in our relationship with ANA – our longest-standing customer in Japan,” said Tom Enders, Airbus Chief Executive Officer, during today’s delivery ceremony at Toulouse, France. “We are confident the A380 will be a huge success in service with All Nippon Airways, and we remain committed to supporting the airline’s A380 operation – as we will for all operators of this magnificent aircraft.”

Each of ANA’s A380s will feature the special livery depicting the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle. The no. 1 aircraft is blue, the second will be green and the third orange. This elaborate paint scheme covers a surface of 3,600 square metres and took the Airbus team 21 days to paint, using 16 different shades of colour.

With this character design of Honu, All Nippon Airways aims to raise awareness about environmental issues and contribute to saving sea turtles and the environment.

Shohei Hattori, ANA Corporate Planning Manager

“Customers around the world were asked to create an attractive design to be painted on Japan’s first A380 as part of a contest – and the Honu, a symbol of good luck and prosperity in Hawaii, was among the numerous ideas,” explained Shohei Hattori, the ANA Corporate Planning Manager. 

Airbus’ longstanding relationship with Japan

The relationship between Airbus and Japan’s All Nippon Airways began in 1986, when the airline placed its first order for 20 single-aisle A320s, the first of which entered service in 1991. Since then, ANA has operated a fleet of A320 Family aircraft, consistently ranking among the top Airbus operators for technical performance and achieving more than 99.5% operational reliability with its latest A321neo fleet.

In recent years, Airbus also extended its operator base in Japan with ANA subsidiaries Peach Aviation and Vanilla Air, both of which exclusively fly Airbus A320 Family aircraft.

At the end of 2018, Airbus reached a milestone with 100 of its aircraft in Japanese operators’ service, representing 20% of total fleet flying in the country – with a target to reach 30% by 2020, and 50% in the long term.

As the first Japanese customer for Airbus’ double-deck jetliner, ANA’s no. 1 A380 bears the representation of a Hawaiian turtle – and will be part of promotions to save sea turtles and the environment.

The unique A380 experience

More than 230 A380s have been delivered to 15 airlines worldwide, with the jetliners operated on 120-plus routes and 60 destinations.

An estimated250 million passengers already have flown aboard the double-deck aircraft – and people actively seek out A380 flights for the unique travel experience. To assist passengers, Airbus created a dedicated iflyA380 website, where travellers can search and book their preferred flights – which now also include those operated by ANA.

Some 50% of weekly global A380 flights take place in Asia-Pacific – with flights performed within the region, to or from it, demonstrating that the jetliner offers the best solution for traffic growth in Asia.

As the world’s largest and most spacious passenger aircraft, the A380 is a favourite among travellers, with unmatched comfort and wider seats. For airlines, the jetliner has the lowest cost per seat of any competing widebody, delivering comfort and economic benefits and maximising revenue. With passenger traffic doubling every 15 years, the A380 is the solution to transportation growth and airport congestion, carrying more people with fewer flights at lower cost and reduced emissions.

As the first Japanese customer for Airbus’ double-deck jetliner, ANA’s no. 1 A380 bears the representation of a Hawaiian turtle – and will be part of promotions to save sea turtles and the environment.

Story and images from http://www.airbus.com

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