Tag: jets (Page 13 of 13)

Iran Airlines Need 500 Airplanes

December 13, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran needs some 500 planes and would likely back buying the Sukhoi Superjet 100 if Russia is willing to sell them to its airlines, Iranian news agencies reported the country’s top civil aviation official as saying on Wednesday.

Iran needs to upgrade its ageing passenger fleet and is seeking to avert U.S. sanctions on Tehran.

The U.S. Treasury has revoked licences for Boeing Co (BA.N) and Airbus (AIR.PA) to sell passenger jets to Iran after President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement in May and reimposed sanctions.

Most modern commercial planes have more than 10 percent in U.S. parts, the threshold for needing U.S. Treasury approval.

But Russian officials have been reported as saying Sukhoi is working on reducing the number of U.S. parts in the hopes of winning an Iranian order for up to 100 aircraft.

“If the Iranian airlines want to use this aircraft (Superjet 100 ) and the seller is willing to sell it to Iran, the Civil Aviation Organization is ready to issue its final comment on this aircraft,” the semi-official Fars news agency quoted Ali Abedzadeh, head of the Civil Aviation Organization, as saying.

“But this aircraft has adhered to world standards and is flying currently, therefore there is no reason for us to reject it,” Abedzadeh told Fars.

Flag-carrier IranAir had ordered 200 passenger aircraft – 100 from Airbus, 80 from Boeing and 20 from Franco-Italian turboprop maker ATR (LDOF.MI) before U.S. licences were revoked.

“The airlines have proposals for plane purchases and we are trying to devise regulations that will ease their aircraft imports. Considering Iran’s very large market, we need 500 planes now,” Abedzadeh was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Alexander Smith

Image from http://www.scac.ru/en/

Icelandair Group’s Acquisition Of Wow Air Cancelled

November 30, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

Icelandair has released the following statement regarding the mutual decision to cancel Icelandair’s takeover of Wow Air:

November 29, 2018 04:00 ET | Source: Icelandair Group hf.

The acquisition of Icelandair Group of Wow air, based on a purchase agreement signed on November 5th, has been cancelled. Both parties agree on this outcome.

Icelandair Group hf. issued a stock exchange release last Monday, November 26th, stating that the company estimated that it would be unlikely that all of the conditions in the share purchase agreement would be fulfilled by the shareholders’ meeting on November 30th. That situation remains unchanged.
Therefore, it is unlikely that the Board of Directors of Icelandair Group can recommend to the shareholders that they agree to the purchase agreement. Furthermore, the Board does not intend to submit to the shareholders’ meeting a proposal to postpone decision-making on the purchase agreement.

Due to this this situation, both parties agree to abandon the aforementioned purchase agreement.
Icelandair Group will hold its shareholders’ meeting on Friday, November 30, as previously announced. An authorisation proposal for the Board to increase the share capital of Icelandair Group is on the agenda of the shareholders’ meeting.

Bogi Nils Bogason, Interim President & CEO of Icelandair Group:
“The planned acquisition of Icelandair Group of Wow air will not go through. The Board of Directors and management of both companies have worked on this project in earnest. This conclusion is certainly disappointing. We want to thank WOW air‘s management for a good cooperation in the project during recent weeks . All our best wishes go out to the owners and staff of the Wow air. “

Skúli Mogensen, CEO and Founder of Wow air:
“It was clear at the outset that it was an ambitious task to complete all the conditions of the share purchase agreement in this short period. We thank the Icelandair Group’s management team for this challenging project, and also wish the management and staff of Icelandair Group all the best.”

Further information:
Bogi Nils Bogason, Interim President & CEO
bogi@icelandairgrop.is

Following the news of the cancelled deal, it has been reported that budget airline roup Indigo Partners has agreed to buy a stake in the struggling discount carrier.

Click the link below for the full Indigo Partners-Wow Air story!

Indigo Partners invests in Wow Air

Airbus To Resume Deliveries To HNA Group

November 26, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

TOULOUSE, France (Reuters) – Airbus (AIR.PA) is poised to resume stalled deliveries of jets to China’s debt-laden HNA Group, an Airbus schedule showed on Monday, but deliveries of over $1 billion of large jets remain behind schedule after months of wrangling over late payments.

Visitors to an Airbus delivery center in Toulouse on Monday saw at least two Airbus A330 aircraft and one smaller A320-family jet in position for handover to HNA-affiliated airlines. An electronic sign welcomed crew for an imminent A320 delivery.

“Some (HNA) planes will be delivered,” an industry source said.

However, another six A330 aircraft painted in flame-red HNA tail liveries remained parked in long-term storage elsewhere in Airbus’s Toulouse base, according to Reuters journalists, who were attending an event at the facility for the first delivery of the upgraded A330neo version to TAP Portugal.

“Deliveries are ongoing. Contractual terms are confidential,” an Airbus spokesman said, when asked about HNA deliveries.

Companies belonging to the Chinese aviation-to-finance conglomerate delayed payments earlier this year, leading Airbus to suspend deliveries rather than step in to provide delivery financing itself, Reuters reported in July.

Airbus said last month it hoped to resolve by year-end an unidentified commercial issue surrounding current-generation A330 airplanes, which industry sources afterwards linked to the HNA payments stand-off.

Under pressure from Beijing, HNA Group is in the process of selling some $20 billion of assets, according to Reuters calculations and media reports, following a $50 billion acquisition spree.

Airbus aims to deliver a total of 782 aircraft this year including the stored HNA aircraft.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher. Editing by Jane Merriman)

Image from www.hainanairlines.com

Delta Confirms Order for 10 A330neo’s, Defers 10 A350’s

November 16, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

Move to expand A330-900neo order book to 35 from 25 addresses Delta’s near-to-medium-term widebody needs and reinforces commitment to fuel, economic and sustainable efficiency.

Delta Air Lines is adding 10 Airbus 330-900neo aircraft to its fleet under an agreement with Airbus and Rolls-Royce, expanding its order of the next-generation widebody jet from 25 to 35. The first delivery of the state-of-the-art aircraft, which is powered by next-generation and fuel-efficient engine technology, is expected next year.

“Expanding our A330 order book not only ensures that Delta’s near-to-medium-term widebody needs are taken care of, but also drives our strategic, measured international growth,” said Gil West, Delta’s Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “The next-generation engine technology from Rolls-Royce which powers the A330neo provides compelling operating economics, superior fuel performance and the range and coverage for our transoceanic needs going forward.”

These changes are consistent with Delta’s long-term philosophy of investing 50 percent of operating cash flow back into the business, West said.

Delta will be the first U.S. airline to operate the next-generation A330-900neo, which will offer the latest in innovative design and technology for customers. It will be the first Delta aircraft to feature all cabins – Delta One suites, Delta Premium Select, Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin. The jet also will be the first Delta aircraft to feature memory foam cushions throughout the aircraft for hours of comfort, and the first Delta widebody aircraft featuring its new wireless in-flight entertainment system in every seat.

Simultaneously, Delta has agreed to terms with Airbus to reduce its near-term A350-900 purchase commitment to a total of 15 aircraft from 25. The 10 previously on order A350 aircraft have been deferred to 2025-26 with certain flexibility rights including the right to convert these orders to A330-900s.

“The A350 has been a great success for our customers and our business,” West said. “A fleet of 15 of these world-class aircraft is the right current fit for Delta’s industry-leading global network, operational reliability and award-winning products and services.”

Delta currently operates 11 A350-900 aircraft and expects to take delivery of two A350s in 2019 and two in 2020.

In addition, Delta plans to retire older Boeing 767-300ERs in the years ahead as the aircraft reach the end of their serviceable life cycle.

Story from delta.com image from www.airbus.com

American Airlines Buys Additional Embraer E175 Jets

November 5, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

São José dos Campos, Brazil, November 5, 2018 – Embraer and American Airlines Inc. signed a firm order for 15 E175 jets in a 76-seat configuration. The contract has a value of USD 705 million, based on current list prices, and will be included in Embraer’s 2018 fourth-quarter backlog. Deliveries will take place in 2020.

Combined with the airline’s previous orders for the E175, this new contract results in a total of 104 E175 jets for American Airlines since 2013. The most recent order took place in May 2018 for 15 aircraft.

American Airlines selected Envoy, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group, to operate the 15 aircraft, which will be configured with a total of 76 seats, being 12 in First Class and 64 in Main Cabin, including Main Cabin Extra seats.

“This new order from American Airlines continues to show the value that airlines place on our best-selling E175 aircraft,” said Charlie Hillis, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, North America, Embraer Commercial Aviation. “We are fully committed to providing fleet solutions that have a positive bottom line impact, and our E175 leads the charge with over 80 percent market share in the North American market.”

Including this new contract, Embraer has sold more than 435 E175s to airlines in North America since January 2013, earning more than 80% of all orders in this 76-seat jet segment.

Embraer is the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial jets up to 150 seats. The Company has 100 customers from all over the world operating the ERJ and E-Jet families of aircraft. For the E-Jets program alone, Embraer has logged more than 1,800 orders and 1,400 deliveries, redefining the traditional concept of regional aircraft.

image and story from www.embraer.com

VietJet Signs $6.5 bln Deal For 50 Airbus Jets

November 2, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

HANOI, Nov 2 (Reuters) – VietJet Aviation signed a $6.5 billion agreement on Friday to buy 50 Airbus A321neo jets, the Vietnamese budget carrier said.

The agreement, signed during a visit to Hanoi by French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, is part of aggressive investment in the Vietnamese airline’s fleet, which has provided lucrative business for both European aerospace group Airbus and its U.S. rival Boeing.

VietJet said the order is in line with its growth strategies and will enhance the airline’s operational efficiency and capacity, especially on international routes.

In addition to the aircraft, Airbus will deploy pilot and technician training programmes and fight management and flight safety management for VietJet.

In a separate statement, VietJet said it had also signed a memorandum of understanding with CFM International on a $5.3 billion deal for long-term jet engine maintenance.

VietJet, Vietnam’s biggest private airline, currently operates 60 Airbus jets with more than 385 flights daily within Vietnam and to countries such as Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, China, Thailand, Myanmar and Malaysia.

CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao told Reuters this week that VietJet plans to maintain an average fleet age of only three years to minimise fuel and maintenance costs.

It placed provisional orders for the A321neo jets and 100 Boeing 737 MAX jets at the Farnborough air show and has been in negotiations to complete the deals, with deliveries expected between 2020 and 2025.

(Reporting by Khanh Vu Editing by David Goodman)

Image from Airbus

Embraer Delivers 15 Commercial, 24 Executive Jets In Q3

October 19, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

Embraer has released the following press announcement on its website:

São José dos Campos, Brazil, October 19th, 2018 – During the third quarter of 2018 (3Q18), Embraer (NYSE: ERJ; BM&FBOVESPA: EMBR3) delivered 15 jets to the commercial aviation market and 24 business jets, being 17 light jets and 7 large jets. On September 30, Embraer’s firm order backlog totaled USD13.6 billion.

Regarding the commercial aviation market, Embraer forecasted in its Market Outlook a demand for 10,550 new aircraft with up to 150 seats worldwide over the next 20 years,. The in-service fleet is set to increase to 16,000 aircraft, up from the 9,000 aircraft currently in operation. Market growth will drive 65% of this demand, while the remaining 35% of the projected demand will be to replace ageing aircraft.

Embraer and Helvetic Airways signed a contract for a firm order of 12 E190-E2 jets during 3Q18. The agreement was announced at the Farnborough Airshow in July as a Letter of Intent. The contract also includes purchase rights for another 12 E190-E2 aircraft, with the possibility of conversion to the E195-E2 model, raising the order potential for up to 24 aircraft. Deliveries should occur between the end of 2019 and 2021. Also in Farnborough, United Airlines made a firm order for 25 E175 jets in a 70-seat configuration. Deliveries will begin in the second quarter of 2019.

In 3Q18, Embraer also signed a contract with an undisclosed customer for up to five E195-E2s, being three firm orders and two purchase rights. This agreement was previously announced as a Letter of Intent (LoI) during the Farnborough Airshow. In addition, the Company continues to work on finalizing its recent LoI signed at the Farnborough Airshow for 100 E175 aircraft for Republic Airways, with the expectation that a significant portion of these jets should enter the Company’s backlog by the end of 2018.

A total of 134 jets were removed from Embraer’s backlog in 3Q18. The majority of these planes belong to an order placed by Skywest for 100 E175-E2s, and were removed largely due to IFRS accounting changes. Given current timing uncertainty of the scope clause changes in the U.S. market to allow the heavier E175-E2 to be flown by regional airlines under capacity purchase agreements (CPAs) for mainline airlines, Embraer has proactively adopted best practices to align with the latest IFRS principles and remove the order from backlog given its conditionality terms. Skywest remains committed with the E175-E2 order and its terms are unchanged. The other 34 jets that were removed from the Company’s backlog in 3Q18 are related to cancellations, including an order for 24 E190 jets that were cancelled by JetBlue following its recent fleet renewal decision.

In the business jets segment, Embraer first exhibited the Phenom 100EV, Phenom 300E and Legacy 650E aircraft with full interior at Labace, the largest Latin American executive aviation fair which took place in São Paulo in August. Embraer also delivered its first Phenom 300E in Asia Pacific.

Embraer Services & Support signed relevant agreements in Europe and Africa during the quarter. LOT Polish Airlines, the national carrier of Poland and leading airline in Central Europe, signed an extension of its pool agreement to support LOT’s fleet of 34 Embraer E-Jets. Kenya Airways also joined a service program whereby Embraer will take over the planning and replenishment of a sizeable portion of Kenya Airways’ spare parts stock covering the 15 Embraer E190 aircraft operated by the airline. Sahara Africa Aviation also signed a multi-year Pool Program Agreement for spare parts and support covering more than 500 components for their two recently acquired Embraer ERJ 145 jets.

Story and image from http://www.embraer.com