Tag: mainline (Page 2 of 2)

Congo Airways Signs Order with Embraer for Two E175 Jets

December 10, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, December 10th, 2019 – Embraer and Congo Airways have signed a firm order for two E175 aircraft, with purchase rights for a further two. The deal has a total value of USD 194.4 million at current list prices with all purchase rights exercised, and will be added to Embraer’s 2019 fourth quarter backlog.

Desire Bantu, CEO of Congo Airways said, “These new jets will replace our current turboprop offering and allow us to serve routes both within the Democratic Republic of Congo, and regionally to West, Central, and Southern Africa, from our hub in Kinshasa. We will now have the flexibility and the right sized aircraft to serve our market, which is growing so rapidly an additional order may be required, for which the E2 is a particularly compelling option.”

Raul Villaron, Vice President Sales, Africa and Middle East, Embraer Commercial Aviation, said, “It’s great to welcome another airline to the Embraer family of operators, especially in Africa where the demand for regional travel is growing strongly. We look forward to supporting Congo Airways as they continue to upgrade their offering to their customers.”

The aircraft will be configured in a dual class layout seating 76 passengers in total, with 12 in business class. Deliveries will begin in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Embraer is the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial aircraft up to 150 seats with more than 100 customers across the world. For the E-Jets program alone, Embraer has logged more than 1,800 orders and 1,500 aircraft have been delivered. Today, E-Jets are flying in the fleets of 80 customers in 50 countries. The versatile 70 to 150-seat family is flying with low-cost airlines as well as with regional and mainline network carriers.

CIAF Leasing Signs Order with Embraer for Three E190 Jets

November 17, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

Dubai, UAE, November 17, 2019 – Embraer and Cairo-based CIAF Leasing have signed a firm order for three E190 aircraft. The deal has a value of USD 161.4 million at current list prices and will be added to Embraer’s fourth quarter backlog.

The three new aircraft will join CIAF’s existing fleet of three E170s, two of which are on lease with Jasmin Airways, the other with Air Cairo. CIAF are also due to receive two E195s in mid-November.

Dr. Hassan Mohamed, Chairman and CEO of CIAF Leasing said, “The three new E190s will be an excellent addition to our growing fleet of Embraer E-Jets. With a fleet of E170s, E190s, and E195s, CIAF will have the flexibility to offer to both our wet and dry lease customers a service that fits their needs exactly.”

Raul Villaron, Vice President Sales, Africa and Middle East, Embraer Commercial Aviation said, “CIAF is rapidly increasing its footprint in both wet and dry leasing with the addition of further aircraft to their fleet and the establishment of their own AOC (Air Operator Certificate) in June this year. It’s a pleasure to work with an organisation that’s going from strength to strength by exploiting the benefits a family of aircraft can provide.”

All three aircraft will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2020, in a new livery showing off CIAF’s new visual identity.

Bombardier Confirms 3 Year East Midlands Railway Contract

August 22, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

New contract reaffirms long-standing relationships with Abellio and with Eversholt Rail
Derby Etches Park depot to maintain Bombardier Class 222s for East Midlands Railway mainline services until 2022

Rail technology leader Bombardier Transportation has announced today that it has signed a new Train Services Agreement (TSA) with Abellio and Eversholt Rail for the new East Midlands Railway franchise in the United Kingdom. Under the new agreement which lasts from today until December 31, 2022, Bombardier will maintain Bombardier class 222 diesel-electric multiple unit (DEMU) trains at Derby Etches Park depot for use on East Midlands Railway mainline services. The new agreement follows Bombardier’s previous role in maintaining the 125 miles per hour trains for the former East Midlands Trains franchise. The contract is valued at approximately £133 million GBP ($161 million US, €145 million euro).

Phil Hufton, President, Bombardier Transportation UK said, “We are delighted that we have reached agreement with Abellio to maintain the Class 222 fleet for East Midlands Railway’s mainline services. This important contract win is testament to our team at Derby Etches Park and their hard work and professionalism in continually delivering one of the highest performing and most reliable Intercity fleets.”

Steve Timothy, Client Relations Director, Eversholt Rail said, “We are pleased to be working in partnership with Bombardier Transportation to support the delivery of our Class 222 trains for the Sheffield – London mainline service to Abellio East Midlands Railway from 19th August”.

Under the Train Services Agreement, maintenance of the 27-strong fleet of Class 222 trains will take place at Derby Etches Park depot, where 130 staff are employed, with heavy component maintenance taking place at Bombardier Crewe.

Fuji Dream Orders Two E175’s to Add to its All-Embraer Fleet

June 18, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

Paris, France, June 18, 2019 – Embraer announced today, at the 53rd International Paris Air Show, that it has signed a contract with Japan’s Fuji Dream Airlines (FDA) for a firm order of two E175 jets. The order has a value of USD 97.2 million, based on 2019 list prices, and was already included in Embraer’s 2019 first-quarter backlog as “undisclosed.”

“We are extremely pleased to continuously grow our fleet and our relationship with Embraer,” said Yohei Suzuki, Chairman and CEO of Fuji Dream Airlines. “FDA currently operates 14 aircraft – three E170s and eleven E175s. These new aircraft will give us the ability to grow our capacity, allowing us to add more routes and frequencies, while also offering our passengers the best cabin in its category.”

FDA’s new E175s will be configured in a single-class layout with 84 seats, with deliveries starting in 2019. Embraer delivered the first E-Jet, an E170, to Fuji Dream Airlines in 2009.

“After nearly 10 years of operations, Fuji Dream Airlines has established itself as an exemplary model for sustainable growth with the support of the E175’s unrivaled attributes underpinning the success of their continued network expansion with new point-to-point services,” said Cesar Pereira, Asia Pacific Vice President, Embraer Commercial Aviation. “As a testament to Embraer’s merits, there will be a total of 48 E-Jets flying in Japan by the end of 2019. Of which, FDA’s all-Embraer fleet of 14 aircraft represents the largest of its kind in Asia and has a world leading 99.83% dispatch reliability – yet another example of how Embraer’s products and customer support have been setting new standards in the industry.”

The E175 is the best seller of the E-Jets family with more than 770 orders from airlines and lessors around the world. Since January 2013, Embraer has sold more than 565 E175s to airlines in North America alone, earning more than 80% of all orders in the 70-76-seat jet segment.

FDA and Embraer have also signed an extension of the Pool Program to cover its fleet of E170s and E175s, including these new orders. The program includes the advance exchange and repair management for more than 300 essential line replacement units of the aircraft.

Embraer is the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial aircraft up to 150 seats with more than 100 customers from all over the world. For the E-Jets program alone, Embraer has logged more than 1,800 orders and 1,500 aircraft have been delivered. Today, E-Jets are flying in the fleet of 75 customers in 50 countries. The versatile 70 to 150-seat family is flying with low-cost airlines as well as with regional and mainline carriers.

Amtrak Customers Celebrate 90 Years of Empire Builder Service

June 13, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

Commemorative merchandise now available

CHICAGO – Amtrak today marked the 90th anniversary of the Empire Builder, which travels across the country’s northern tier, allowing customers to experience the grandeur of the Mississippi River Valley, Great Plains, Rockies and the Cascade Range. Daily service between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest provides a vital intercity travel option connecting more than 40 communities in eight states.

Sleeping car customers received wooden train whistles from Amtrak Guest Rewards and all customers departing Chicago received commemorative certificates signed by Amtrak President & CEO Richard Anderson. Prints of a new Empire Builder painting by railroad artist J. Craig Thorpe are available in the Amtrak store and, for a limited time, other items to recognize the anniversary of the service are also availab le from Amtrak.

Inaugurated by the Great Northern Railway (GN), the first westbound Empire Builder departed Chicago on the evening of June 10, 1929, but it was christened the next day in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the GN had its headquarters and where its mainline to Seattle began. The premier service was named for James J. Hill–the “Empire Builder,” who in the late 19th century founded what became the GN.

The GN and three railroads merged in 1970 to form the Burlington Northern, which continued to operate the Empire Builder until May 1, 1971, when newly-formed Amtrak took it over and changed the route to include Milwaukee by using what is now the Canadian Pacific Railway between Chicago and St. Paul. In October 1979, it became the first overnight train to be assigned bi-level Superliner® railcars, setting a higher travel standard that continues today.

Last year, 428,854 customers rode the Amtrak Empire Builder, Trains 7/27 & 8/28.

Delta Flew 2 Million + Customers Memorial Day Weekend Without a Mainline Cancellation

May 30, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

By Adrian Gee

As customers traveled around the globe to be with family and friends during Memorial Day, Delta worked around the clock to deliver a strong operational performance. The airline flew more than 2.1 million customers between Friday and Monday during Memorial Day weekend without a single mainline cancellation¹—Friday had the highest number of enplaned customers at 666,714.

Delta’s three-day cancel-free streak came despite a number of scattered thunderstorms that challenged flights, and complements Delta mainline’s long-standing 31-day no-cancel streak. The airline also secured a 99.93 percent² completion factor ranking, or the measure of flights operated versus scheduled, while notching an on-time arrival score of 77.7 percent² from Friday to Monday.

This latest operational accomplishment comes ahead the airline’s busiest summer travel season, as Delta people around the world work to safely operate more than half a million scheduled mainline and Delta Connection flights in just three months, from June 1 to August 31.

(1) Based on Delta’s internal statistical reporting of all Delta-operated mainline flights scheduled between Jan. 1, 2019 and May 27, 2019.

(2) Based on Delta internal flight operations reporting for May 24 to May 27, 2019, based on flights scheduled and operated across Delta’s mainline and Delta Connection system.