Toulouse, 18 February 2021 – Air Côte d’Ivoire, Ivory Coast’s flagship carrier based in Abidjan, has taken delivery of its first A320neo, becoming the first operator of the type in the West-African region. This latest generation aircraft will join Air Côte d’Ivoire’s existing Airbus fleet of six aircraft.
With improved levels of efficiency, this new aircraft will be deployed on Air Côte d’Ivoire’s regional network to serve Senegal, Gabon, and Cameroon. Destinations like South Africa will be added at a later stage, highlighting the operational flexibility of the A320neo. Powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines, the aircraft is configured in a comfortable two-class layout with 16 seats in Business and 132 seats in Economy Class. Passengers will benefit from the widest cabin of any single-aisle aircraft, high-speed Internet connectivity and latest generation in-flight entertainment system.
Air Cote d’Ivoire’s first A320neo took off from Toulouse carrying 1 tonne of humanitarian goods including medical equipment and toys. In partnership with Aviation sans Frontières and the Airbus Foundation, the mission is part of Air Côte d’Ivoire’s corporate social responsibility initiative. The transported goods will serve local NGOs in Abidjan, thus supporting the education and health sector in the country.
Air Cote d’Ivoire has a fleet of 10 aircraft, including three A319s and three A320s, serving 25 domestic and regional destinations in West and Central Africa.
The A320neo Family incorporates the very latest technologies including new generation engines, Sharklets and aerodynamics, which together deliver 20% in fuel savings and CO2 reduction. The A320neo Family has won 7,450 orders from nearly 120 customers.
The Lufthansa Innovation Hub, the central digitalization unit of the Lufthansa Group, spins-off the startup RYDES. Forward31, the company builder of Porsche Digital, is contributing with its expertise and resources to the venture. Both Porsche and the Lufthansa Group are now strategic minority shareholders in the startup.
“The spin-off and subsequent funding from RYDES has been a great success. Once again, we are proving that startups from corporate digital units can adapt to market conditions. With Forward31, Porsche’s company builder, we have gained an important strategic partner that shares and further enhances our vision of a seamless mobility chain,” says Gleb Tritus, Managing Director Lufthansa Innovation Hub.
“The Lufthansa Innovation Hub is an authority on the development of new business models. Together with such a strong partner and the founding team, we look forward to continuing the successful development of RYDES in the future,” says Christian Knörle, Head of Company Building at Porsche Digital.
The aim of RYDES is to redefine and simplify access to modern mobility. For this purpose, the startup bundles existing mobility offers in one app and makes them accessible via the “Mobility Budget”. The new product allows companies to provide their employees with a monthly budget that they can use for various mobility services. These include car and bike sharing services, e-scooters, shared taxis, and public transport services. The different mobility providers are integrated into the RYDES app and users can use the app to book their trips and manage their budget. All journeys booked through RYDES are offset via the “Compensaid” platform and therefore CO2 neutral.
One-stop shop for mobility as B2B offer
RYDES focuses on companies that want to offer mobility to their employees as an additional benefit. In this way, RYDES is also meeting the demand for mobility services that is emerging in the context of “new work” and the trend towards flexible and decentralized employment. RYDES’ first customer is the flex-office provider WeWork. Companies and freelancers who have a membership with WeWork can use the RYDES offer. WeWork will make the offer available as soon as possible under the relevant Corona guidelines.
The “Mobility Budget” will initially be available in German-speaking countries. In order to drive further growth as well as the startup’s internationalization, Martin Miodownik is expanding the founding team. Martin Miodownik’s who was employee number one at GetYourGuide later assumed the role of VP Global Sales. In this position, he was responsible for the global expansion of the Berlin-based unicorn.
RYDES was founded in 2018 as part of the Lufthansa Innovation Hub. The company’s initial business idea focused on developing a loyalty program that rewards people for using different mobility services. With the ‘Mobility Budget’, RYDES now goes one step further and combines the booking of services in one app, making travel much more convenient.
Airbus (Paris: AIR.PA) has signed a contract to provide a digital services focus for the maintenance of the Air Refueling Boom System (ARBS) on the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport (A330 MRTT) fleet.
Based on the Airbus suite of digital services SmartForce, this service is intended to support the operator in reducing maintenance costs and improving fleet availability by optimizing the fault diagnosis and troubleshooting tasks for the ARBS of the tanker aircraft, based on data analytics applications.
The Central Data System plays a key role, allowing operators to draw on the flight data recorded by the Mission Recording System and provides information outputs about issues registered during the flight and recommended maintenance actions to fix them.
Within the KC-30A Enterprise, the Central Data System is a joint development built upon a successful long-standing collaboration among Airbus, the Commonwealth of Australia (CoA) and the Australian KC-30A Through Life Support (TLS) provider Northrop Grumman Australia, in sharing data and defining the architecture of the system.
Future proposed development of the capability will allow customers which apply this technology to their fleet to be able to extend the ARBS analytics to entire aircraft level diagnostics.
SmartForce is a suite of services enabling military operators to exploit aircraft data to improve troubleshooting, optimize maintenance effort, predict maintenance actions and plan smartly for material demand and improving the fleet availability. SmartForce capitalizes on the new power of big data analytics coupled to secured connectivity to maximize mission readiness.
Southwest Airlines Company (NYSE: LUV) today shared its intention to bring service to Santa Barbara Airport and Fresno Yosemite International Airport in the second quarter of 2021.
“Our arrival in the Heart of California, both on the Central Coast and in the Central Valley, will round out nearly four decades of investment in our California Customers and communities,” Southwest Airlines Chief Commercial Officer & Executive Vice President Andrew Watterson said. “While other airlines seem to fall in and out of love with the state, we’re focused on increasing the reach of our low fares and flexible policies in places where we expect them to make a difference.”
“For years residents and businesses throughout Central California have expressed a desire for Southwest service and connectivity to their vast network of destinations and renowned customer service,” said Kevin Meikle, Director of Aviation for Fresno Yosemite International Airport. “Southwest will expand the Central Valley’s air transportation gateway to Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, and we look forward to our new partnership with Southwest and their arrival in the spring.”
“We salute Southwest’s bold decision to enter one of the most vibrant and beautiful regions in California, bringing visitors to our sweeping coastline to experience our mild Mediterranean climate and distinctive Spanish-influenced architecture,” said Mayor Cathy Murillo of Santa Barbara. “For our residents, our partnership with Southwest will energize the economic rebound to come in 2021.”
Along with Palm Springs, which received its first Southwest flight on Nov. 19, 2020, the addition of Fresno and Santa Barbara will position Southwest Airlines as an option in 13 California airports before summer 2021, further deepening the carrier’s commitment to the Golden State. Southwest long has carried more air travelers to, from, and within California than any other carrier, a legacy sustained in the most recent reporting of U.S. Department of Transportation data on airline passengers traveling nonstop.
MEXICO CITY, /PRNewswire/ — Volaris (NYSE: VLRS and BMV:VOLAR), the ultra-low-cost airline serving Mexico, the United States and Central America, reports September2020 preliminary traffic results.
Volaris is well positioned for a continuing post Covid-19 traffic recovery and is regaining capacity at a fast pace, due to its strong ultra-low-cost business model focused on the VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives) and leisure segments in the domestic and US-transborder markets. Volaris also continues to see success from its efforts to convert first time flyers through its bus switching marketing campaigns in Mexico.
In September 2020, capacity measured by ASMs (Available Seat Miles) was 84.2% compared to the same month of last year. Demandmeasured by RPMs (Revenue Passenger Miles) was 75.6% of last year. This represents an increase of 2.4% versus August 2020. Volaris transported a total of 1.3 million passengers during September 2020, an increase of 4.1% versus August 2020. Booked load factor for September 2020 was 74.4%, an increase of 1.8 pp versus August 2020. No shows were back to normal levels.
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Boeing [NYSE: BA], Honeywell Aerospace and Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd. have reached an agreement to provide in-service support of the T-55 engine should the government of Germany select the H-47 Chinook for its Schwerer Transporthubschrauber (STH) heavy-lift helicopter requirement.
Since the forming of the Chinook Germany Industry Team in 2018, originally comprised of nine German companies, Boeing continues to build a strong industry team to provide the Luftwaffe with local long-term services support, maintenance and training of the Chinook over the next several decades. In addition, Boeing’s industrial plan will foster German economic growth while creating highly skilled jobs in country.
“The partnership between Honeywell, Rolls-Royce Deutschland and our industry team members provides an established local supply base for around-the-clock parts availability, NATO interoperability and streamlined aircraft maintenance procedures,” said Michael Hostetter, vice president of Boeing Defense, Space & Security in Germany. “The Luftwaffe will have access to training and sustainment solutions that ensures the H-47 Chinook’s readiness for any mission.”
Under the agreement, Honeywell will license Rolls-Royce Deutschland as its partner in Germany to perform depot-level maintenance of the Chinook T-55 engine operated by the Luftwaffe.
Our partnership with Boeing and Rolls-Royce Deutschland will provide the Luftwaffe with access to a world-class maintenance and repair and overhaul facility for the T-55 in Germany. The in-country location will also ensure fast and flexible reactions to cater to the demanding needs of the Luftwaffe.
The H-47 Chinook is the most advanced transport rotorcraft in the United States Army inventory. With a proven track record of performance and versatility unmatched by any other heavy-lift aircraft, the Chinook provides Germany with the most modern, affordable solution ready to operate today. As chosen by NATO nations Canada, Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States, the Chinook gives Germany interoperability that other helicopters cannot while meeting a wide range of mission needs.
Boeing has an established and growing presence in Germany. The company is a strong contributor to the German economy with more than 1,000 employees at 11 sites from Hamburg to Munich and sustains thousands of additional jobs through its supply chain and other activities. Boeing and its supply-chain partners spend almost $1.2 billion a year with its established network of suppliers located across Germany. Germany is a key market for Boeing to invest in research and technology partnerships. Boeing has established two research sites in Germany, the Research & Technology Office in Munich and the Digital Solutions & Analytics Lab Frankfurt and invests in a growing portfolio of research and technology projects with German industry, universities and research organizations.
Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading provider of commercial airplanes, defense, space and security systems, and global services. As a top U.S. exporter, the company supports commercial and government customers in more than 150 countries. Boeing employs more than 160,000 people worldwide and leverages the talents of a global supplier base. Building on a legacy of aerospace leadership, Boeing continues to lead in technology and innovation, deliver for its customers and invest in its people and future growth.
Emirates and flydubai have announced that customers of both airlines can once again access a wider range of travel options around the world, connecting seamlessly and safely through Dubai.
Following the progressive resumption of passenger flights to global destinations, the two Dubai-based airlines have revived their successful and strategic partnership to offer customers increased connectivity, convenience and travel flexibility. Emirates customers can now travel on codeshare flights to over 30 destinations on flydubai, while flydubai customers have over 70 destinations they can travel to on Emirates. Some of the favourite flydubai destinations for Emirates passengers include: Belgrade, Bucharest, Kyiv, Sofia and Zanzibar.
Commenting on the renewal of the partnership, Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer said: “We are delighted to announce that our customers can once again take advantage of the complementary strengths of Emirates and flydubai to access an enhanced network of cities on a single ticket and integrated loyalty programme, enjoy a safe, smooth and stress-free transfer experience through Dubai and have their baggage checked through to their final destination.
Hamad Obaidalla, Chief Commercial Officer at flydubai said: “We are confident that the demand for travel will continue to increase as more countries gradually start to lift restrictions on international travel. flydubai has restarted operations to 32 points around the network since June and we expect the number to steadily grow over the next few months. Dubai has put strong health and safety protocols in place which has encouraged well informed passengers to travel, whether for business, leisure or to reunite with their loved ones.
Emirates and flydubai will offer travel experiences reflecting their individual brands while keeping the health and safety of customers and employees on the ground and in air as their top priority. The two airlines have each implemented extensive safety measures to combat COVID-19 at every step of the customer’s journey including enhanced sanitisation of all touchpoints and advanced HEPA filters fitted in aircraft cabins to eliminate dust, allergens and germs from the cabin air.
Customers transiting through Dubai go through thermal screening at the airport. Transfer desks at Dubai airport have been fitted with protective anti-microbial screens and airport staff dressed in personal protective equipment (PPE) are available to provide additional assistance. Several of flydubai’s flights to destinations in Africa, Central Asia and Europe operate from Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport, facilitating seamless connections to passengers travelling on Emirates’ flights to and from Dubai.
Alstom has launched the validation test campaign for the Prima T8 AZ8A freight locomotives in Azerbaijan on the main freight transit line, which has recently been converted from 3kV DC to 25kV AC.
In 2014, ADY awarded a contract to EKZ, Alstom’s joint venture with Transmashholding (TMH), for a total 50 electric locomotives, including 40 Prima T8 AZ8A heavy freight locomotives and 10 Prima M4 AZ4A passenger locomotives.
The Prima T8 AZ8A is based on the KZ8A locomotives currently in service in Kazakhstan and ADY’s specific technical requirements and is compliant with GOST[1] standards and specifications.
Alstom’s Prima T8 is one of the most powerful electric locomotives in the world. This model is a 25 tons per axle two-section freight locomotive capable of towing up to 9,000 tons and running at 120 km/h, with installed continuous power of 8.8 Megawatts. The AZ8A is designed to operate in temperatures ranging from -25°C to 50°C. It requires minimum maintenance and provides high reliability levels and low lifecycle costs thanks to its modular design.
Alstom’s Prima range is covering all market segments of locomotives from heavy-haul, freight and passenger operation and shunting or trackwork operation. Over the past 20 years, more than 3,200 Prima locomotives (more than 4,600 sections) have been sold worldwide.
Alstom is present in Western & Central Asia with more than 850 people, three country offices, four depots, repair center and two plants, EKZ in Nur-Sultan for electric locomotives manufacturing and maintenance and production of on-board transformers, and KEP in Almaty to produce point machines. Alstom is a major contributor to the revitalization of country’s mobility industry and the development of its economy.
EKZ, a joint venture between Alstom and TMH[2], employs 700 people and is working on supplying and maintaining the Prima electric locomotives ordered by KTZ, Kazakhstan’s national railway company and export markets, like Azerbaijan.
[1] GOST: Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) technical certification organisation
São José dos Campos, Brazil, May 26th, 2020 – Congo Airways have converted the firm order made in December 2019 for two E175 aircraft, with purchase rights for two more, into a firm order for two E190-E2 jets, with purchase rights for a further two. The new deal has a total value of USD 256 million at current list prices with all purchase rights exercised, and will be included in Embraer’s second quarter backlog.
Desire Bantu, CEO of Congo Airways said, “These new jets will be replacing our legacy turboprops and will allow us to extend our operations within the Democratic Republic of Congo, and regionally to West, Central, and Southern Africa. Despite the current difficult circumstances, the fundamentals of our market have not changed; so we expect the momentum we’ve seen in the past to redevelop. I said in December that we may need to make an additional order for E2s due to the agility required to adapt to market changes – we have now reached that point. As we prepare for future success, we will have the flexibility, and the right sized, most efficient aircraft, to serve our customers as the market returns.”
“It’s great to welcome another airline to the E2 and the Embraer family of operators, especially in Africa where the demand for regional travel had been growing strongly before the current crisis. Africa has long been a market with low frequencies and long thin routes. As airlines start ramp up their operations, the E2 family of aircraft is perfectly positioned to right size routes previously operated by narrowbodies, while keeping frequencies and adjusting capacity to new levels.” said Raul Villaron, Vice President Sales, Africa and Middle East, Embraer Commercial Aviation. “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 96 passengers in total, with 12 staggered business class seats. Deliveries are expected to begin in the second quarter of 2022. This is second E2 order received from an African customer. There are currently 189 Embraer aircraft operating in Africa with 54 airlines in 27 countries.
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.
Delta’s summer schedule continues to be shaped by customer demand, CDC guidelines and government travel regulations. While the June schedule is significantly reduced in comparison to last year, customers will see the return of several major routes, both U.S. domestic and international, which were previously suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Customers traveling with Delta can feel confident in a safe flying experience. In addition to requiring customers and employees to wear face coverings throughout the travel journey, Delta has implemented policies like capping seating between 50 and 60 percent to ensure customer spacing on all aircraft, elevated its cleaning measures to deliver a new standard of clean, and streamlined its in-flight services to decrease touch points on board. Customers also have added flexibility if they need to change their plans.
Here’s a snapshot of where Delta is planning to fly in June. This schedule, including routes and frequency, remains subject to change due to the evolving nature of COVID-19. This page may be updated.
U.S. DOMESTIC
Ensuring connectivity for customers with critical travel needs, Delta continues to provide flights to all U.S. hubs and top markets, though frequency is significantly reduced. While Delta has temporarily consolidated operations in some markets served by multiple airports, the airline is adding more flights to its June schedule in comparison to May, primarily in Atlanta, New York and between hubs.
CANADA
Detroit to Montreal (daily)
Detroit to Ottawa (daily)
Detroit to Toronto (daily)
Minneapolis to Calgary (daily)
Minneapolis to Edmonton (daily)
Minneapolis to Winnipeg (daily)
New York-JFK to Toronto (daily)
Seattle to Vancouver (daily)
LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
Caribbean
Atlanta to Aruba (less than daily service restarts in second half of June)
Atlanta to Bermuda (less than daily)
Atlanta to Bonaire (Saturday only service restarts in second half of June)
Atlanta to Kingston, Jamaica (less than daily)
Atlanta to Montego Bay, Jamaica (daily)
Atlanta to Nassau, Bahamas (daily)
Atlanta to Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands (less than daily)
Atlanta to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (less than daily)
Atlanta to San Juan, Puerto Rico (less than daily)
Atlanta to St. Croix (Saturday only)
Atlanta to St. Lucia (less than daily)
Atlanta to St. Maarten (less than daily)
Atlanta to St. Thomas (less than daily)
New York-JFK to Santiago, Dominican Republic (less than daily)
New York-JFK to San Juan, Puerto Rico (less than daily)
New York-JFK to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (less than daily)
Central America
Atlanta to Liberia, Costa Rica (less than daily service restarts in second half of June)
Atlanta to Panama City, Panama (less than daily)
Atlanta to San José, Costa Rica (less than daily service restarts in second half of June)
Atlanta to San Pedro Sula, Honduras (less than daily)
Atlanta to San Salvador, El Salvador (less than daily)
Mexico
Atlanta to Cancun (daily)
Atlanta to Mexico City (daily)
Detroit to Mexico City (less than daily)
Los Angeles to Los Cabos (less than daily)
Los Angeles to Puerto Vallarta (less than daily)
Salt Lake City to Mexico City (daily)
South America
Atlanta to Bogotá, Colombia (less than daily)
Atlanta to São Paulo, Brazil (less than daily)
TRANS-ATLANTIC
Atlanta to Amsterdam (daily)
Atlanta to Frankfurt (less than daily)
Atlanta to Lagos (less than daily*)
Atlanta to Paris-Charles De Gaulle (less than daily)
Detroit to Amsterdam (daily)
Detroit to London-Heathrow (less than daily)
New York-JFK to Amsterdam (less than daily)
New York-JFK to Paris-Charles De Gaulle (less than daily)
New York-JFK to Tel Aviv (less than daily)
*Delta’s restart of service to Nigeria is subject to foreign government approval.
Delta’s Frankfurt and London flights also double as scheduled cargo service.
TRANS-PACIFIC
Detroit to Seoul-Incheon (daily)
Detroit to Shanghai (daily*)
Seattle to Seoul-Incheon (less than daily)
Seattle to Shanghai (daily*)
Seattle to Tokyo-Haneda (less than daily)
*Delta’s restart of passenger flights to China is subject to government approval. We will also operate cargo-only scheduled service from Shanghai to Atlanta and Los Angeles. Read more on our cargo flights to Asia.
Delta’s second quarter schedule is 85 percent smaller than last year, with reductions of 80 percent in U.S. domestic capacity and 90 percent internationally.
