AirAsia has taken delivery of its first A330neo aircraft, to be operated by its long-haul affiliate AirAsia X Thailand. The aircraft was delivered via lessor Avolon and is the first of two A330neos set to join the airline’s fleet by the end of the year.
With its enhanced economics, the A330neo will bring a step-change in fuel efficiency for AirAsia’s long-haul operations. The new-generation A330neo will be based at Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport in Thailand, supporting the airline’s growth and network expansion plans to key markets such as Australia, Japan and South Korea.
The AirAsia X Thailand A330-900 features 377 seats in a two-class configuration, comprising 12 Premium Flatbeds and 365 economy class seats.
AirAsia’s long-haul affiliate, AirAsia X currently operates 36 A330-300 aircraft and is the largest customer for the A330neo with 66 on firm order.
The A330neo is the true new-generation aircraft building on the most popular wide-body A330’s features and leveraging on A350 XWB technology. Powered by the latest Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, the A330neo provides an unprecedented level of efficiency – with 25% lower fuel burn per seat than previous generation competitors. Equipped with the Airbus Airspace cabin, the A330neo offers a unique passenger experience with more personal space and the latest generation in-flight entertainment system and connectivity.
Dassault Aviation has appointed Carlos Brana Executive Vice President, Civil Aircraft.
After graduating from the Ecole Centrale de Paris and from France’s HEC, Carlos Brana began his career at Dassault in 1984 as a design engineer on the Rafale, Mirage F1 and Mirage 2000 combat aircraft programs. He was later assistant manager for the Mirage 2000 program, then contract manager for the Qatar and Taiwan Mirage 2000-5 contracts.
After joining the foreign military sales force in 1998, he led the negotiating team for the Rafale proposal in South Korea before being named Director of Military Sales for the Middle East.
Carlos Brana moved to Dassault Aviation’s business jet operation in 2005. He began as Director of Sales for Asia at Dassault Falcon Jet (DFJ). He was later named Vice President for Contracts & Specifications, and subsequently Senior Vice President for DFJ Operations, with responsibility for customer service, finance and contract management. He also oversaw activities at the Dassault Aircraft Services (DAS) affiliate, which manages company-owned service centers in the Americas.
Since 2016 Carlos Brana served as Olivier Villa’s deputy as Senior Vice President, Civil Aircraft with a special focus on worldwide Falcon business jet sales and marketing.
PARIS, France, June 18, 2019 – Today Air Lease Corporation (NYSE: AL; “ALC”) announced the long-term lease placement with Korean Air for ten new Boeing 787-10 aircraft. Scheduled to deliver to the airline starting in 2021 through 2023 from ALC’s order book with Boeing, these ten 787-10s from ALC are the first -10 Dreamliner aircraft to be placed in Korean Air’s fleet.
“As a launch customer for the 787-10, ALC is thrilled to announce this major lease placement introducing the 787-10 to Korean Air’s fleet, a project we have worked on with Korean and Boeing for a long time. The 787-10 will bring new levels of Korean Air’s outstanding service to its passengers, and provide significant revenue benefits to Korean’s global network,” said John L. Plueger, Chief Executive Officer and President of Air Lease Corporation.
“As we continue to innovate our product offering, the 787 Dreamliner family will become the backbone of our long-haul fleet for many years to come,” said Walter Cho, Chairman of Korean Air. “In addition to 25 percent improved fuel efficiency, the stretched 787-10 offers around 15 percent more space for passengers and cargo than our 787-9s, which will be critical to our long-term business goals.”
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including expected delivery dates. Such statements are based on current expectations and projections about our future results, prospects and opportunities and are not guarantees of future performance. Such statements will not be updated unless required by law. Actual results and performance may differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including those discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
About Air Lease Corporation (NYSE: AL)
ALC is a leading aircraft leasing company based in Los Angeles, California that has airline customers throughout the world. ALC and its team of dedicated and experienced professionals are principally engaged in purchasing commercial aircraft and leasing them to its airline customers worldwide through customized aircraft leasing and financing solutions. For more information, visit ALC’s website at www.airleasecorp.com.
About Korean Air
Korean Air is both the flag carrier and the largest airline of South Korea, with global headquarters located in Gonghang Dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Korean Air’s international passenger division and related subsidiary cargo division together serve 130 cities in 45 countries, while its domestic division serves 20 destinations. It is among the top 20 airlines in the world in terms of passengers carried and is also the top-ranked international cargo airline. Incheon International Airport serves as Korean Air’s international hub.
HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnamese carrier Bamboo Airways has signed a firm
deal to buy 50 Airbus A321Neo planes, its chairman Trinh Van Quyet said
on Thursday.
The first of the planes will be delivered in 2022, Quyet told Reuters.
He said Bamboo Airways will conduct its first international flights late next month, to Japan, Singapore and South Korea.
(Reporting by Khanh Vu; editing by David Evans)
FILE PHOTO: An Airbus A321 aircraft of Bamboo Airways taxis at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, Vietnam January 16, 2019. REUTERS/Kham
HANOI, Vietnam, Feb. 27, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Bamboo Airways today confirmed an order for 10 787-9 Dreamliners valued at $3 billion
according to list prices. The order for the super-efficient and
longest-range member of the Dreamliner family was unveiled during a
signing ceremony in Hanoi, witnessed by U.S. President Donald Trump and General Secretary and President of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong.
“We are excited to be adding the new 787 Dreamliner to our growing fleet,” said Mr. Trinh Van Quyet, Chairman of FLC Group and owner of Bamboo Airways. “Our long-term vision is to connect Vietnam with key markets in Asia, Europe and North America
and the Dreamliner will enable us to launch these long-haul operations.
The 787’s superior operating economics and efficiency, as well as the
passenger pleasing interior of the Dreamliner, will allow us to
successfully grow our business while enabling us to better serve our
customers.”
This order was previously unidentified on Boeing’s Orders & Deliveries website.
Bamboo Airways, a startup airline founded in 2017, began commercial
operations in January, offering flights linking the capital of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with cities in Vietnam.
The airline plans on offering up to 40 domestic routes in 2019.
Additionally, Bamboo is preparing to launch international service to Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan and Australia, before broadening service to other destinations in Asia, Europe, and North America.
“The 787 Dreamliner’s unmatched efficiency, range and flexibility
make it the perfect airplane for Bamboo Airways to achieve its
long-range ambitions. We are excited to advance the partnership between
Boeing and Bamboo Airways and we look forward to helping them connect Asia with Europe, North America and beyond,” said Kevin McAllister, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
The 787 Dreamliner family allows airlines to fly long ranges while
reducing fuel costs by more than 20 percent compared to previous
widebody jets. The Dreamliner’s superior efficiency and range have
allowed airlines to open more than 210 new non-stops routes around the
world since it entered service.
At 63 meters (206 feet), the 787-9 can fly 290 passengers, in a
typical two-class configuration, up to 7,635 nautical miles (14,140
kilometers). The airplane is 6 meters longer than the original
Dreamliner and is capable of carrying more passengers and flying
farther.
The 787 Dreamliner is the fastest-selling widebody airplane in
history with more than 1,400 orders from 75 customers since its launch.
Nearly 800 Dreamliners have entered service around the world, helping
airlines save 33 billion pounds of fuel.
Bamboo Airways is wholly-owned by the FLC Group, a Vietnamese multi-industry company, focusing on aviation, real estate, resorts, farming, and golf.
HANOI
(Reuters) – Fast-growing Vietnamese budget airline VietJet Aviation JSC
is expected to sign a major jet deal with Boeing Co on the sidelines of
next week’s Trump-Kim summit, according to sources familiar with the
matter.
U.S.
President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will hold
their second summit in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi on Feb 27-28.
Holding
a signing ceremony during Trump’s visit would help emphasise
strengthening economic and military ties between the United States and
Vietnam.
VietJet,
while not government-owned, increasingly uses state visits to showcase
major plane orders balanced between Boeing and Airbus SE. It signed a
deal to buy 100 Boeing 737 MAX narrowbody jets when former U.S.
President Barack Obama visited Hanoi in 2016.
The
airline is likely to finalise next week a separate provisional deal
agreed last year at the Farnborough Airshow to buy another 100 Boeing
737 MAX jets worth almost $13 billion at list prices, sources said on
condition of anonymity due to an expected announcement by VietJet.
The
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration declared last week that Vietnam
complied with international aviation standards, in a move that would
allow Vietnamese carriers to fly there for the first time and codeshare
with U.S. airlines.
VietJet
said last week it planned to purchase widebody jets capable of U.S.
flights to open routes to cities with large Vietnamese communities in
the United States, such as in California.
It might be too early for VietJet to place a widebody order, said one of the sources.
Another
source briefed on the matter said the deal for 100 737 MAX jets was
already on Boeing’s books, having been firmed up earlier and listed as
an unidentified customer.
Boeing declined to comment. VietJet did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
VietJet
finalised a deal in November with Airbus for 50 A321neo jets during a
visit to Hanoi by French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe that had also
been announced provisionally at the Farnborough Airshow.
VietJet
operates 385 flights daily within Vietnam and to places such as Japan,
Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, China, Thailand, Myanmar and
Malaysia.
However,
industry analysts have questioned whether the airline will take
delivery of all the aircraft on order as the aerospace industry reaches
the peak of an extended growth phase.
(Reporting by James Pearson in Hanoi; Additional reporting by Tim Hepher in Paris; Writing by Jamie Freed; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
