MONTREAL (Reuters) – Airbus <EADSY> sees enough demand for its wide-bodied A330neo passenger jet to keep production stable, Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer told Reuters on Wednesday.
With some airlines seen unlikely to take delivery of all the jets they have ordered, there has been speculation Airbus would have to trim production of the latest version of its most profitable long-range jet despite a recent flurry of new sales.
“Considering the demand I see on the A330neo I see no need to cut production levels,” Scherer told Reuters on the sidelines of an Air Canada <AC.TO> event in Montreal.
“Production is stable on the A330.”
Last year, Airbus secured 99 firm orders for the A330neo including 40 to an unidentified buyer in December.
Scherer said Airbus is also progressing toward reducing costs on its smallest jet, the A220. The company is targeting a double-digit percentage reduction in production costs.
(Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Air Caraïbes (a member airline of Groupe Dubreuil) has taken delivery of its first A350-1000, the largest member of Airbus’ new-generation A350 XWB Family, making it the first French operator of the type. The airline plans to operate its A350-1000s alongside its three A350-900s and six A330s on routes from Paris to the French Caribbean. The new aircraft will seamlessly integrate into Air Caraïbes existing fleet thanks to Airbus’ unique fleet commonality and provide the airline with additional flexibility. In total, Groupe Dubreuil has three A350-1000s on order.
Air Caraïbes’ A350-1000 are configured in a three-class layout with 429 seats (24 “Madras” Business, 45 in “Caraïbes” Premium Economy and 360 in “Soleil” Economy). All A350 XWBs are equipped with a quiet and comfortable Airspace cabin with a new lighting system, which strengthens the sense of passenger wellbeing and relaxation on long-haul flights.
The A350 XWB features the latest aerodynamic design, a carbon fibre fuselage and wings, plus new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce engines. Together, these features translate into unrivalled levels of operational efficiency with a 25% reduction in fuel burn and emissions. The A350 XWB’s Airspace cabin is the quietest of any twin-aisle and offers passengers and crews the most modern in-flight products for the most comfortable flying experience.
At the end of November 2019, the A350 XWB Family had received 959 firm orders from 51 customers worldwide, making it one of the most successful widebody aircraft ever.
FILE PHOTO: A passenger stands in front of a window where Qantas planes are parked at Melbourne Airport, Australia
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Qantas Airways Ltd <QABSY> said on Friday it has chosen Airbus SE <EADSY> as preferred supplier for jets capable of the world’s longest commercial flights from Sydney to London, beating rival Boeing Co <BA> after a hard-fought contest.
The choice of up to 12 A350-1000 planes fitted with an extra fuel tank for flights of up to 21 hours cements Airbus as the leader in ultra-long haul flying globally at a time when Boeing is battling delays on its rival 777X programme and a broader corporate crisis following two deadly 737 MAX crashes.
The Qantas flights would begin in the first half of 2023, but remain subject to reaching a pay deal with pilots, who would need to extend their duty times to around 23 hours to account for potential delays and switch between flying the A350 and the airline’s current A330 fleet. A final decision on an order is expected in March, the airline said.
Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce said the airline “had a lot of confidence” in the market for non-stop services from Sydney to London and to New York based on two years of flying non-stop from Perth to London, where it has achieved a 30% fare premium over one-stop rivals in premium classes.
“The A350 is a fantastic aircraft and the deal on the table with Airbus gives us the best possible combination of commercial terms, fuel efficiency, operating cost and customer experience,” he said.
Singapore Airlines Ltd <SINGY> operates the world’s current longest flight, nearly 19 hours from Singapore to New York, using an ultra-long range version of the smaller A350-900.
Airbus Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer thanked Qantas for its selection in a statement, while a Boeing spokesman said it was disappointed with the decision but looked forward to continuing its longstanding partnership with the airline.
Rico Merkert, a transport professor at the University of Sydney Business School, said the A350-1000 fit the Qantas brief well and was the safer choice, given Boeing has recently reported problems such as the grounding of the 737 MAX, structural cracks in 737 NGs and a fuselage split in a stress test of its 777-9.
“The A350 just seems to be a much safer bet,” he said. “And safety is at the core of everything that Qantas does including its brand.”
Airbus no longer provides list prices for aircraft, but based on its 2018 price list, the Qantas order could be worth up to $4.4 billion before heavy discounts that are standard for airline customers.
Citi on Friday estimated the planes would cost A$3 billion (1.6 billion pounds) to $3.5 billion, with the investment likely to be phased over three years.
The selection of the A350-1000 will add to growing doubts over Boeing’s plans to produce the 777-8 that it had proposed to Qantas for the mission.
Boeing had already said the entry into service for the plane, a smaller, longer-range version of the 777-9, would be delayed beyond 2022 but has declined to give a new date, saying it would be based on customer demand.
Customers Emirates and Qatar Airways have indicated they could switch orders for the 777-8 to the 777-9.
The 777-9 is due to enter service in 2021, following delays associated with its GE <GE.N> engines.
The Boeing spokesman said on Friday the manufacturer was focused on the development of the 777-9 and after that it would complete development of the 777-8, with the first delivery scheduled a few years after that.
(Reporting by Jamie Freed; Editing by Sam Holmes and Stephen Coates)
An Airbus A350-1000 performs at the 53rd International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris
HONOLULU, Nov. 27, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Hawaiian Airlines welcomed guests aboard its inaugural flights between Fukuoka Airport (FUK) and Honolulu’sDaniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) with festive gate-side celebrations in both cities as the carrier marked the start of its four-times-weekly nonstop service with Airbus A330 aircraft.
Pictured L to R at FUK: Principal Officer John C Taylor, US Consulate Fukuoka; Mr. Satoshi ISHIMOTO, Head of Fukuoka Airport Branch, OSA JCAB, MLIT; Ms. Akie Oomagar, Vice Governor of Fukuoka Prefecture; Mr. Hiroaki Mitsuyama, Vice Mayor of Fukuoka City; Mr. Tetsuya Nagasao, CEO of FIAC; Ms. Mitsue VARLEY, Japan Country Director, Hawaii Tourism Japan; Jeff Helfrick, Vice President of Airport Operations, Hawaiian Airlines; Kahu La‘akea Arista.
Hawai’i’s flagship carrier delighted guests with performances by the Hawaiian Airlines Serenaders music and hula troupe, as well as fresh lei and special keepsakes including a canvas tote and luggage tag commemorating the airline’s inaugural flight.
Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Peter Ingram addressed guests in Honoluluto mark the return of service to its sister city. Ross Higashi, deputy director of the State of Hawai’i Department of Transportation – Airports and Koichi Ito, Consul General of Japan also offered congratulatory remarks before the inaugural flight, HA827, departed HNL on Nov. 26 at 11:20 a.m., arriving into FUK at 5:21 p.m.the following day.
In Fukuoka, Theo Panagiotoulias, Hawaiian’s senior vice president of global sales and alliances, and John C. Taylor, principal officer of the U.S. consulate in Fukuoka joined guests in celebrating HA828, which departed FUK at 7:55 p.m. on Nov. 27. The flight’s 8:45 a.m. scheduled arrival at HNL on the same day gives travelers the afternoon to explore O’ahu or connect to one of Hawaiian’s seven neighbor island destinations.
“Fukuoka and Honolulu share a special relationship, so we’re thrilled to bring local residents of Kyushu and Hawai’i one step closer to their vacation with our convenient nonstop service,” said Panagiotoulias. “We’re pleased to now offer 35 weekly flights between Hawai’i and five gateways in Japan with the launch of our new Fukuoka service.”
Guests traveling between Fukuoka and Honolulu will enjoy the roominess and comfort of Hawaiian’s Airbus A330 aircraft, which features 18 fully flat Premium Cabin leather seats arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration tailored for couples, families and honeymooners while offering great functionality to business travelers. Hawaiian also offers 68 of its popular Extra Comfort seats with more legroom and enhanced amenities, in addition to 192 Main Cabin seats. All guests will enjoy Hawaiian’s award-winning hospitality, including island-inspired meals prepared by Hawai’i’s top chefs, as well as new in-flight amenities by Kealopiko, designers of contemporary island apparel.
Hawai’i has strong historical ties to Fukuoka dating back to 1885 when the first 149 immigrants arrived on the ship Yamashiromaru to work in Hawai’i following King David Kalakaua’s signing of a treaty of reciprocity with Japan.
A century later, in 1981, the State of Hawai’i passed a resolution establishing a Sister-State relationship with Fukuoka Prefecture, the first one in Hawai’i’s history. Then- Hawai’i Gov. George Ariyoshi, whose father Ryozo Ariyoshi came to Honolulu from Fukuoka, led the Sister-State initiative.
Fukuoka becomes Hawaiian’s fourth gateway city in Japan, which complements its existing network of nonstop service connecting the Hawaiian Islands with Osaka, Sapporo, and Tokyo’s Haneda and Narita airports. The carrier now operates 35 weekly nonstop flights between Japan and Hawai’i and will begin additional daily service between HNL and Tokyo Haneda on March 28.
Boeing 787 Dreamliner performs air display during the second day of Dubai Air Show in Dubai
DUBAI (Reuters) – After insisting for 15 years that the superjumbo is the future, Emirates airline has been forced by the demise of the A380 to embrace smaller wide-body jets, resulting in a flurry of maneuvers between planemakers at this week’s Dubai Airshow.
The 555-seat A380 is near the end of production, setting off a series of interlocking deals as top buyer Emirates reviews its fleet against the backdrop of fragmenting travel demand. Delays in the 406-seat Boeing 777X also weighed in the shake-up.
“We have to face the reality of the cancellation of the (A380) program and the effect it has on our network, which is why we conducted a root and branch (review),” Emirates President Tim Clark told reporters at the airshow.
The double-decker A380 superjumbo and the big twin-engined Boeing 777, plus mid-sized 787s and A350s, were all spread out in front of VIP chalets – the queens, bishops and knights in a game of industry chess being played out across the globe.
Big jets tend to be profitable especially when full.
Periodically, the industry designs smaller planes that match both the range and efficiency of larger ones, allowing smaller pieces on the industry chess board to topple larger ones.
While reducing its remaining orders for A380s, Emirates placed an expanded order at the show for 50 Airbus A350s but shelved earlier plans to order the 330-seat A330neo, an upgrade of an earlier model.
It substituted part of an order for delayed 777X jets for 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners – 10 fewer than originally planned in a tentative 2017 order – as part of a $25 billion order shake-up.
For passengers, the roughly 300-seat, lightweight mid-sized jets offer more choice and frequencies.
Many airlines say they can fly almost as profitably as the larger models but with less risk to the bottom line.
The downside? Planes fill more quickly and passengers can flee to other carriers. Airport congestion is also a concern.
Emirates insists the superhub model it pioneered – which takes advantage of Dubai’s location to capture global traffic using large aircraft – remains intact despite the new twist.
But the smaller planes allow some of its rivals to fly profitably with fewer commercial risks and this week’s deals imply Emirates no longer feels immune from such pressure.
“Given the changed environment, Emirates has been forced to adapt the tactics of some of the carriers they have been competing with,” said analyst Richard Aboulafia of Teal Group.
STALEMATE
The shift sparked frantic talks by planemakers to ensure their models were included in the new mix of Emirates’ mid-sized jets. Each suffered losses but the result was broadly a stalemate, analysts said.
Airbus suffered a setback with the loss of the A330neo at Emirates and may have to cut output, they said.
But it ensured its own A350 picked up the slack and won a ticket to any future contests to replace A380s still in service.
Boeing <BA.N> cemented a key win for the 787 after two years of uncertainty over the earlier provisional deal. But recent 777X delays opened the door to Emirates readjusting the blend in favor of the Airbus A350, at the expense of the 787.
Emirates’ decision to expand its A350 order coincided with cancellations for the same jet at Abu Dhabi’s struggling Etihad, prompting speculation of a politically balanced adjustment.
Airline officials strongly denied any link and Clark said planners had identified more room for future growth in revenues with the A350 than the A330neo, which would nonetheless remain “in the mix” for the future alongside more 777X purchases.
Analysts said the net result of reducing A380 and 777X orders and switching to smaller models was about 18,000 fewer seats on order than previously planned before the show,
which some analysts described as a response to overcapacity.
“Manufacturers have sold too many airplanes,” Adam Pilarski, senior vice-president at consultancy AVITAS, said.
While the spotlight fell on the Emirates wide-body order rejig, the Dubai show highlighted Boeing’s efforts to shore up confidence in its grounded 737 MAX with fresh sales and changes sweeping the narrow-body markets. Beefed-up single-aisle jets increasingly cover distances reserved for wide-bodies.
Sharjah’s Air Arabia <AIRA.DU> ordered 120 Airbus including 20 of the long-range 200-240-seat A321XLR. Sources say it may leapfrog northern Africa to fly non-stop as far as Casablanca, a mission currently served from neighboring Dubai by an Emirates A380.
“The single aisles are the pawns of the industry but very effective ones,” Rob Morris, head consultant at UK-based Ascend by Cirium, said.
(By Tim Hepher and Alexander Cornwell; Additional reporting by Ankit Ajmera; Editing by Susan Fenton)
Emiratis walk past an airbus A350 displayed at the Dubai Airshow on November 8, 2015. Dubai Airshow took off today to a slow start amid little expectations of major orders to match the multi-billion-dollar sales generated at the last edition of the biennial fair. AFP PHOTO/MARWAN NAAMANI (Photo by MARWAN NAAMANI / AFP)
FILE PHOTO: Emirates Airline Boeing 777 planes at are seen Dubai International Airport in Dubai
DUBAI (Reuters) – An eight-month crisis over the grounding of Boeing’s 737 MAX jets and widespread industrial delays are setting an unpredictable backdrop to next week’s Dubai Airshow, with some airlines reviewing fleet plans even as others look for bargains.
The biennial civil and military expo is a major showcase for wares from jumbo jets to military drones but faces growing questions over demand and the capability of overstretched suppliers, delegates arriving for the Nov. 17-21 event said.
Top of their agenda will be the worldwide grounding of the 737 MAX in the wake of two deadly crashes.
Investors who have pushed up Boeing <BA> shares believe the planemaker is turning a corner after the eight month grounding, with the company predicting commercial flights in January. But it also faces a logjam of undelivered jets that could take 1-2 years to unwind.
State-owned flydubai expects its fleet will now shrink by a third this year, highlighting the cost of the grounding for the biggest MAX customer outside the United States. “Flydubai has very big ambitions … given the scale of those ambitions, there’s little they can do but wait and watch, like everyone else,” said Teal Group analyst Richard Aboulafia.
Boeing lost one potential MAX customer earlier this year as Saudi budget airline flyadeal ditched a provisional order.
Experts say airline frustrations with plane and engine makers could also disrupt plans by the world’s largest jetmakers pushing for order endorsements. The Middle East’s largest aerospace event will give Airbus <EADSY> and Boeing a chance to sit with some of their top customers who have threatened to walk from billions in deals.
The planemakers are struggling to deliver aircraft on time, forcing airlines to delay expansion plans, while engines on some jets are consistently causing issues for carriers.
“This seems to be a systemic issue across the board,” said Novus Aviation Capital Managing Director Mounir Kuzbari.
“As a result, we see stress on the relationship between airlines and the plane and engine makers.” Dubai’s Emirates, by far the region’s biggest airline, has issued a stern warning to plane and engine makers. It will no longer take delivery of aircraft that do not meet performance expectations, raising doubts over $35 billion in pending orders.
Airbus, Boeing and engine makers will be looking to allay concerns as they finalise jet sales with Emirates, which is also looking at reducing an order for the delayed Boeing 777X.
Airbus is seen close to a final order for A330neo and A350 jets while Boeing aims to salvage a provisional order for 787s.
GULF PRESSURE
Air Arabia could, however, steal the show with a planned order of up to 120 Airbus jets, industry sources say.
Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways is in negotiations with Airbus and Boeing for around two dozen airplanes.
Past editions of Dubai’s premier trade event have featured blockbuster deals, often led by Emirates as Gulf carriers redrew the aviation map around their ‘super-connector’ hubs.
But the Gulf hub model is increasingly under pressure as the once-rapid growth of the region’s biggest airlines slows.
“The market continues to be weak for all airlines in the region; we should see a further 2-3% reduction in passenger numbers for the full year,” said Diogenis Papiomytis, Frost & Sullivan’s Global Program Director for Commercial Aviation.
Middle East military leaders touring the displays will try to gauge whether they are on the cusp of another regional splurge on weapons after an escalation in Gulf tensions.
A series of attacks over the summer has highlighted potential security gaps among some of the world’s top defence spenders who now increasingly buy from China and Russia.
(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell, Tim Hepher, Ankit Ajmera, Stanley Carvalho; Editing by Mark Potter)
Nov 4 (Reuters) – Philippines’ Cebu Air Inc has finalised the purchase of 16 long-range Airbus A330 neo jets worth $4.8 billion at list prices, the airline said on Monday.
The budget carrier, which operates 74 aircraft, mostly Airbus A320s, under the brand Cebu Pacific, is turning to larger and fuel-efficient jets for expansion, despite limited slots at the main gateway in the Philippine capital.
Scheduled to be delivered between 2021 and 2024, the 16 A330neo aircraft will be deployed on routes in the Philippines, Asia, Australia and the Middle East, Cebu Air said in a statement.
Reuters first reported that Cebu Air was close to buying A330neo or Boeing 787 aircraft in May.
In June, Cebu Air signed a signed a memorandum of understanding to acquire 16 A330neos, 10 A321XLRs and five A320neos, worth about $6 billion in total at list prices, during the Paris Air Show.
The new Airbus aircraft will cut fuel emissions and costs per seat, said Cebu Air Chief Executive Lance Gokongwei, adding that it would also help maximise seating capacity and the airline’s valuable slots in Manila and other major Asian cities.
(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Czech Airlines has ordered four Airbus A220-300 aircraft and opted for additional range by upsizing a previous order for three A320neo to A321XLR.
The two fuel-efficient aircraft types will complement Czech Airlines’ existing fleet of six A319 and one A330-300, and allow it to continue extending its network to reach more markets. The airline will also benefit from the commonality of Airbus Family aircraft. The A220-300 will be fitted with 149 seats, while the A321XLR will cater for top comfort in a two-class layout with 195 seats.
“The A220 and A321XLR fit well with our long-term business strategy in terms of network expansion. These aircraft will definitely give Czech Airlines a competitive advantage, and will increase the capacity of our regular flights. I believe that this step will be appreciated by our passengers, as the aircraft offer best in class comfort even during long haul flights thanks to a brand new cabin configuration,” said Petr Kudela, Chairman of the Board of Czech Airlines.
“What a winning combination for Czech Airlines! The A220 has proved to be a strong performer in Europe with its high daily utilisation being a testament to its versatility,” said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer. “The A321XLR has the longest range of our A320 Family. Passengers can now fly further without compromising on comfort, whilst Czech Airlines benefits from remarkably lower fuel consumption as it expands its network.”
The A220 is the only aircraft purpose-built for the 100-150 seat market; it delivers unbeatable fuel efficiency and wide-body passenger comfort in a single-aisle aircraft. The A220 brings together state-of-the-art aerodynamics, advanced materials and Pratt & Whitney’s latest-generation PW1500G geared turbofan engines to offer at least a 20 percent lower fuel burn per seat compared to previous generation aircraft, along with significantly lower emissions and a reduced noise footprint. The A220 offers the performance of larger single-aisle aircraft. The A220 had an order book of over 525 aircraft at the end of September 2019.
The A321XLR is the next evolutionary step from the A321LR which responds to market needs for even more range and payload, creating more value for the airlines. From 2023, it will deliver an unprecedented Xtra Long Range of up to 4,700nm – with 30 percent lower fuel burn per seat compared with previous generation competitor aircraft. To date, the A320neo Family has captured more than 6,650 orders from nearly 110 customers.
PARIS, Sept 5 (Reuters) – French judges have dropped charges against Air France and Airbus over a mid-Atlantic plane crash in 2009 that killed all 228 people on board, blaming the pilots for losing control of the plane.
In their conclusions, seen by Reuters, the judges said the pilots of the Airbus A330 had failed to process all the warnings and instrument readings provided by the aircraft.
The plane plunged into the ocean en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris after entering an aerodynamic stall and falling from an altitude of 38,000 feet during a storm, its engines running but its wings losing lift.
“The direct cause of the accident is the crew’s loss of control of the aircraft’s trajectory,” the judges determined.
Other crews, faced with similar situations, had successfully maintained control of their aircraft, their ruling said.
The judges overruled the prosecutors investigating the case, who had recommended that Air France stand trial over the crash in July.
In their 2012 report, French civil accident investigators found the startled crew of AF447 mishandled the loss of airspeed readings from pitot sensors blocked with ice and pushed the jet into a stall by holding the nose too high. The report also cited poor training and the lack of a clear cockpit display for speed problems.
The three-year civil investigation was not designed to cast blame, which was the purpose of the separate judicial probe culminating in the decision on Thursday.
A lawyer representing the families of victims said an appeal against the judges’ decision would be lodged immediately.
“The judges have just written in black and white that the icing of the pitot sensors had nothing to do with the accident. It’s nonsense,” Sebastien Busy told Reuters. “If the pitot sensors hadn’t iced up, there wouldn’t have been an accident.”
The accident was the deadliest in the history of Air France and in the history of the A330.
A decade later, the aviation industry is still implementing lessons learned from the crash. Changes have focused on training, cockpit procedures and the tracking of aircraft in remote zones.
It took salvage teams nearly two years to locate the A330’s flight recorders on the ocean floor.
(Reporting by Sophie Louet and Emmanuel Jarry Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
Hi Fly, the privately-owned Portuguese wet lease specialist operating an exclusive all-Airbus fleet, has taken delivery of a new A330neo on lease from Air Lease Corporation (NYSE: AL). The aircraft is configured with 371 seats in a two-class layout, with 18 high-comfort lie-flat business class seats and 353 economy seats. All seats are equipped with the latest-generation in-flight entertainment system, and mood lighting is available throughout the aircraft.
The A330 will be deployed to further expand Hi Fly’s long-haul wet lease and charter operations worldwide. Hi Fly operates an all-Airbus fleet of 20 aircraft including four A320 Family aircraft, 15 A330/A340 Family aircraft and one A380.
As a wet lease specialist, Hi Fly provides aircraft on lease for short notice airline operations, with crew, maintenance and third-party insurance provided in a service-ready package.
The A330neo Family is the new-generation A330, comprising two versions: the A330-800 and A330-900. The A330neo Family aircraft shares 95% commonality with the previous A330.
It builds on the proven economics, versatility and reliability of the A330 Family, while reducing fuel consumption by 25% per seat versus previous generation competitors and increasing range by up to 1,500nm compared to the majority of A330s in operation.
The A330neo is powered by Rolls-Royce’s latest-generation Trent 7000 engines and features a new wing with increased span and new A350 XWB-inspired Sharklets. The cabin provides the comfort of the new Airspace amenities including state-of-the-art passenger inflight entertainment and Wi-Fi connectivity systems.
