PARIS, June 17 (Reuters) – Europe’s Airbus agreed on a deal to sell 14 A330neo wide-body passenger jets to Virgin Atlantic on Monday valued at $4.1 billion, the companies announced at the Paris Airshow on Monday, with an option for the airline to order six more.
The British-based airline based placed firm orders for the upgraded A330 model, which it had been evaluating against the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
The jets, which will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, will replace the airline’s A330ceos from 2021, Virgin Atlantic said.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout, editing by Louise Heavens)
PARIS (Reuters) – Airbus has broken records by launching the longest-range narrow-body jetliner at the Paris Airshow, but planemakers are having to rethink their mantra on comfort as they squeeze ever more miles out of jets designed for shorter trips.
Airbus and Boeing have been promoting new carbon-fibre long-haul aircraft such as the 787 Dreamliner and A350, which offer roomier cabins and help passengers avoid jet lag by providing a cabin pressure closer to that felt on the ground.
But they have also been adding more range and capacity to older and narrower models such as the A320neo family and the 737 MAX as airlines demand more flexibility with the advantages of highly efficient single-aisle planes, supporting low fares.
Airbus pushed that further on Monday by adding a longer stride to the A321neo with its new A321XLR, whose range of 4,700 nautical miles leapfrogs the out-of-production Boeing 757 and nudges it into the long-jump category enjoyed by wide-body jets.
It also eats into a range category targeted by a possible new mid-market twin-aisle jet, the NMA, under review by Boeing.
But there is a debate over whether passengers will enjoy flying longer distances in medium-haul planes, or at what price.
Airline bosses on the long-haul low-cost panel at the Paris Air Forum on Friday differed over whether extended-range narrow-body jets or wider twin-aisles were best suited for their growing industry.
In particular, the rise of the single-aisle long-distance jet involves revisiting years of industry marketing about the benefit of escaping jet lag and fatigue on long trips.
Aircraft cabins are pumped to a higher pressure than the ultra-thin outside air at cruising altitude. But the pressure is still lower than at sea level due to structural limitations.
That’s not a problem for shorter trips but travel experts say the higher altitude setting on older planes can contribute to jet lag on long flights, worsening the effect of time zones.
WELL BEING
Although Airbus stresses the 1980s-designed A320 fuselage is wider than the competing 737 MAX and therefore has roomier seats, it also has a lower cabin pressure than modern long-haul alternatives like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner or Airbus A350.
On those airplanes the cabin is pressurised at a level equivalent to 6,000 feet compared with 8,000 feet for the A320 and most other metal-built jets of all sizes.
For the Airbus A330neo wide-body jet the cabin altitude is above 7,000 feet but still below 8,000 feet.
“XLR cabin pressure could be an issue,” said an airline executive who has studied the plane, asking not to be named.
The company itself set out the disadvantages of flying with a high cabin altitude on long journeys when it launched the business-jet version of the A320neo family in 2015.
“A lower cabin altitude makes most sense on long flights, especially towards their end, when an aircraft is able to reach its highest cruising altitude,” Airbus said then on its website.
For the business jet version, Airbus was able to lower the cabin altitude below 6,400 feet. But it could only do so by reducing the maximum number of trips, which matters relatively little to luxury operators but is less attractive to airlines.
That said, cabin pressure is one of many factors influencing the feel of a cabin and is rarely marketed separately.
“Everyone is pushing the ‘well being’ trend … but an A321XLR will arguably be more comfortable than a 9-abreast Boeing 787,” passenger experience expert John Walton said, referring to denser seat configurations used by some airlines.
Placing the first order for the XLR, leasing magnate Steven Udvar-Hazy, executive chairman of Air Lease Corp, said: “We are working on a number of improvements in the cabin to accommodate long-haul operations”.
The A321XLR is expected to be able to fly around eight hours in most cases, linking U.S. eastern cities deep into Europe.
The head of International Airlines Group’s low-cost long-haul carrier Level, Vincent Hodder, told the Paris Air Forum the XLR could be configured to fly as long as 10 hours. Level and others are studying it, he said.
Airbus is chasing potential customers including American Airlines and JetBlue for the XLR and aims to grab up to 200 orders. It is expected to announce a deal with U.S. airline investor Indigo Partners later this week.
(Reporting by Tim Hepher, Editing by Louise Heavens and Mark Potter)
LE BOURGET, France June 17 (Reuters) – Boeing Co said on Monday it would supply parts for A320 jetliners made by its competitor Airbus to supply British Airways, the first such agreement by the U.S. planemaker to support an Airbus aircraft.
Under the agreement announced at the Paris Airshow, Boeing will manage and maintain a global exchange inventory of parts for Airbus’ A320 and A320neo single-aisle aircraft.
The deal reflects a push by the world’s largest planemaker into the higher-margin services business that includes aircraft parts and analytics, which Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg aims to grow to $50 billion in revenue in a decade.
“We were happy to put our hat in the ring and give a choice to British Airways,” Boeing Global Services Chief Executive Stan Deal told reporters.
British Airways also signed a deal for three landing gear exchanges for its 777 widebody fleet, Boeing said.
Separately on Monday, Boeing signed an agreement through its subsidiary Jeppesen to provide United Airlines with analytics services to help the carrier optimize crew planning operations through its entire fleet.
(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson and Tim Hepher; Editing by Alexander Smith and Mark Potter)
ATLANTA, June 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — ExpressJet Airlines, a United Express carrier, today began service with its newest aircraft type – the Embraer E175. The first flight, UA4042 departed Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
“For ExpressJet and its 3,000 aviation professionals, the Embraer E175 is more than a new, high-tech aircraft,” said Chairman and CEO Subodh Karnik. “It is a symbol of ExpressJet’s future as a growing and trusted United Express partner.”
ExpressJet is adding 25 new E175s to its fleet in 2019. To date, the airline has taken delivery of four E175’s, and will continue adding new aircraft throughout the year. Additionally, ExpressJet recently expanded its crew training capabilities with the addition of an E175 full-motion flight simulator and a cabin door trainer at its Houston Training Complex.
To support its rapid growth, ExpressJet has hired more than 350 new pilots since the start of the year and will double that number by year end. Pilots who sign on with ExpressJet can expect a quick selection process, an immediate class date, and to bid for flying within three months. Pilots interested in signing on with ExpressJet should apply at expressjet.com/pilots or on airlineapps.com.
About ExpressJet Airlines ExpressJet Airlines operates as United Express, on behalf of United Airlines (UAL), to serve more than 100 airports across the United States, Canada and Mexico, with over 3,300 weekly flights from bases in Chicago, Cleveland, Houston and Newark. ExpressJet’s fleet includes more than 110 Embraer E175, Embraer ERJ145 and Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft, with 25 new Embraer E175s being added in 2019. ExpressJet pilots enjoy top-tier pay and quality of life and a career path to United Airlines. ExpressJet is a subsidiary of ManaAir, LLC. ManaAir is majority-owned by KAir Enterprises and minority-owned by United Airlines. For further information, contact 404-856-1199, corpcomm@expressjet.com.
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ:JBLU) reported its preliminary traffic results for May 2019. Traffic in May increased 5.7 percent from May 2018, on a capacity increase of 5.4 percent.
Load factor for May 2019 was 86.0 percent, an increase of 0.2 points from May 2018. JetBlue’s preliminary completion factor for May 2019 was 99.7 percent and its on-time (1) performance was 77.6 percent. JetBlue expects second quarter revenue per available seat mile (RASM) to range between 2.0 and 4.0 percent.
(1) The U.S. Department of Transportation considers on-time arrivals to be those domestic flights arriving within 14 minutes of schedule.
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.
PARIS (Reuters) – Saudi Arabian Airlines is close to placing a multi-billion-dollar order for aircraft at least partly involving Airbus jets, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
The carrier, known as Saudia, has been negotiating with both Airbus and Boeing for wide-body jets for months and its chief executive told Air Transport World in March that a decision for planes like the Airbus A350 or Boeing 787 was expected soon.
The order for wide-body aircraft, which could also include a number of smaller A320-family narrow-body aircraft, may be announced at the Paris Airshow, the people said.
Airbus declined comment.
Saudia Arabian Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Airbus and Boeing are battling for wide-body aircraft orders worth well over $10 billion as the clock ticks towards next week’s Paris Airshow, industry sources said on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Tim Hepher, Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Defense has a “handshake” agreement with Lockheed Martin Co to cut 8.8 percent from the price of its latest order of F-35A fighter jet, shaving a year from the time frame in which each aircraft will cost less than $80 million, a Pentagon official said on Monday.
The Pentagon said over three years the agreement will be worth $34 billion for 478 F-35 fighter jets. It is preliminary and a final deal is expected to be sealed in August for the 12th batch of jets, one of the most expensive aircraft ever produced.
The preliminary agreement details the first year, and lays out agreed upon options for two additional years. The options are there because official purchases cannot be made until the U.S. Congress approves an annual budget for those years.
This year’s agreement will lower the cost of each F-35A, the most common version of the aircraft, to $81.35 million, Under Secretary of Defense Ellen Lord said, down from $89.2 million under a deal inked in August 2018.
Under the options covering the second and third years of the purchase, the price of each jet will drop below $80 million, Lord said. In those later years production would be around 160 jets per year.
The F-35 program has long aimed at growing the fleet to more than 3,000 jets and bringing the unit price of the F-35A below $80 million through efficiencies gained by ordering larger quantifies.
“I am proud to state that this agreement has achieved an estimated 8.8% savings from Lot 11 to Lot 12 F-35A’s, and an estimated average of 15%” reduction across all variants from Lot 11 to Lot 14, Lord said in the statement. That savings exceeded expectations in a RAND Corp study.
“The unit price for all three F-35 variants was reduced and the agreement will include an F-35A unit cost below $80 million in Lot 13, exceeding the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin’s long-standing cost reduction commitment earlier than planned,” the Lockheed Martin F-35 program general manager Greg Ulmer said in a statement.
While being a major part of Lockheed’s revenue, the F-35 has recently been holding competitions to find less expensive subcontractors to help control costs.
The new pricing could encourage more foreign customers to join the F-35 program. Lockheed executives have said that any country with an F-16 jet, the predecessor to the F-35, is a potential customer. This could put the market size at about 4000 jets, Lockheed CEO Marillyn Hewson recently told an investor conference.
Vice Admiral Mathias Winter, the head of the Pentagon’s F-35 office, has testified to Congress, that “future potential foreign military sales customers include Singapore, Greece, Romania, Spain and Poland.”
Foreign military sales like those of the F-35 are considered government-to-government deals where the Pentagon acts as an intermediary between the defense contractor and a foreign government.
Other U.S. allies have been eyeing a purchase of the stealthy jet including Finland, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.
(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Bill Rigby and David Gregorio)
FILE PHOTO: A Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II aircraft takes part in flying display during the 52nd Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris
Duluth, Minn. and Knoxville, Tenn. (4 June 2019) – Cirrus Aircraft announced today that Zean Nielsen has been selected to succeed Co-founder Dale Klapmeier as its next Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Nielsen has held senior leadership roles at a range of global world-class organizations, including Tesla Motors, James Hardie and Bang & Olufsen.
“Cirrus Aircraft has a remarkably bright future ahead,” noted Dale Klapmeier, Co-founder and National Aviation Hall of Fame member. “We are fortunate to have someone of Zean’s caliber and experience to lead us into the next era of growth. I am looking forward to moving into a Senior Advisory role and continuing to work with our exceptional team on reinventing the future of personal transportation.”
“I am honored and humbled to join this team of experienced general aviation leaders and a world-class workforce as we continue to bring game-changing products and services to market,” said Zean Nielsen, CEO of Cirrus Aircraft. “Our mission is to deliver an aviation experience that is the pinnacle of innovation, quality and safety to our customers – and that is exactly what we will continue to do for many years to come.”
Zean most recently served as the Executive Vice President of North American Sales at James Hardie, a leading industrial building materials company. Prior to his role at James Hardie, Nielsen ran all aspects of Tesla Motors worldwide sales operations efforts as the Vice President of Global Sales Operations. Zean began his career at Bang & Olufsen, the luxury electronics maker, where over a 17 year career he ascended to more senior roles before he ultimately became the President of Bang & Olufsen North and South America, prior to joining Tesla Motors.
Nielsen assumed the CEO role at Cirrus Aircraft on 3 June 2019.
About Cirrus Aircraft
Cirrus Aircraft is the recognized global leader in personal aviation and the maker of the best-selling SR Series piston aircraft and the Vision JetTM, the world’s first single-engine Personal JetTM, as well as the recipient of the Robert J. Collier Trophy. Founded in 1984, the company has redefined performance, comfort and safety in aviation with innovations like the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System® (CAPS®) – the first FAA-certified whole-airframe parachute safety system included as standard equipment on an aircraft. To date, worldwide flight time on Cirrus aircraft has passed 10.5 million hours and 172 people have returned home safely to their families as a result of the inclusion of CAPS as a standard feature on all Cirrus aircraft. The company has four locations in the United States, located in Duluth, Minnesota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, Knoxville, Tennessee and McKinney, Texas.
Emirates Airline Selects Cirrus Aircraft SR22 for Flight Training Academy Fleet
Defence Minister says $1.2 bln is a reasonable price
Final talks to start once Bulgaria gets draft contract
Cost will be based on final Bulgarian requirements-U.S. Embassy (Adds defence minister comment, U.S. embassy to Sofia)
SOFIA, June 4 (Reuters) – NATO member Bulgaria expects the United States to offer to sell it eight new F-16 fighter jets for its air force at a discounted price of $1.2 billion, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.
The U.S. State Department approved the possible sale of eight F-16 aircraft and related equipment at an estimated cost of $1.67 billion, a Pentagon agency said on Monday.
Bulgaria, which is also a member of the European Union, is looking to replace its ageing Soviet-made MiG-29s and improve compliance with NATO standards.
A deal for Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Block 70 would be the Balkan country’s biggest military procurement since the fall of Communist rule some 30 years ago.
The defence ministry said the U.S. approval outlined the upper threshold of the cost and it expected a draft contract from Washington within two weeks.
“There is a two-week timeline in which the U.S. government will present to Bulgaria a draft Letter of Offer and Acceptance in which the expected price for the eight jets with a package of necessary related equipment will be within $1.2 billion,” the ministry said in a statement.
The expected price comes above the initial estimate for the deal at 1.8 billion levs ($1 billion) but the Bulgarian parliament has given the defence ministry a green light to go over that.
Defence Minister Krasimir Karakachanov said that the deviation from the initial budget should not be big.
“About 2 billion levs ($1.2 billion) is the upper threshold of a reasonable price,” he told reporters.
The U.S. Embassy in Sofia said that the Departments of State and Defense allow for a margin in all notifications to the U.S. Congress and that the actual cost will be based on Bulgaria’s final requirements.
Final talks on the deal will start once Sofia receives the draft contract. The cost’s reduction would most likely be achieved by scaling down some of the related equipment, local analysts say.
“At that stage…the Bulgarian government may re-scope and re-define the requirements before arriving at the ultimate cost,” the embassy said in a statement. ($1 = 1.7397 leva)
(Reporting by Tsvetelia Tsolova Editing by Keith Weir)
Airline could place an order for A350 or 777X by year end
21-hour flight would be the world’s longest
Qantas plans economy class section, including stretching zone (Adds details on aircraft configuration)
SEOUL, June 3 (Reuters) – Qantas Airways Ltd has asked Airbus SE and Boeing Co to present their “best and final offer” for planes capable of flying 21-hours non-stop from Sydney to London by August, the airline’s chief executive said on Monday.
“Hopefully by the end of the year … we will come to a conclusion one way or another,” Qantas CEO Alan Joyce told reporters on the sidelines of an airline industry conference in Seoul. “If the business case works we will put in an order.”
Qantas is aiming for the planes to be delivered from late 2022, with the first Sydney-London flights likely in 2023, he said. The route would be the world’s longest commercial flight and Qantas is examining A350 and 777X models.
The airline is in talks with pilots about changing a labour contract to increase productivity to help support the business case for an order, Joyce said.
Qantas plans to have four service classes on the airplane, including first, business, premium economy and economy, with a zone for economy and premium economy-class passengers to stretch and hydrate, he said.
Singapore Airlines Ltd has only business class and premium economy on the world’s current longest route, from Singapore to New York.
Joyce said Qantas’ success in selling around 90% of economy-class seats on its Perth-London flights showed there was demand for economy class on the even longer Sydney-London route.
“There still will be a large economy,” he said.
Qantas also planned other routes with the new jets such as Melbourne-London, Sydney-New York and possibly flights from the east coast of Australia to other cities in Europe, the U.S. east coast and Brazil, he said.
(Reporting by Jamie Freed; Editing by Stephen Coates)
