June 14 (Reuters) – Boeing Co on Friday said it would buy aerospace interiors company EnCore Group, the planemaker’s second foray into aircraft seats after it partnered with auto seats maker Adient last year.
The deal could help cut delays in the supply chain and improve profit margins for the planemaker, and is expected to close by the end of the second quarter of 2019.
California-based EnCore designs, certifies and produces airplane galleys and seats for airlines, and also supplies components to Boeing.
Last year, the planemaker moved into making aircraft seats with a joint venture with car seating leader Adient to reduce costly delays to deliveries.
Traditionally, aircraft seat makers sell seats to airlines, a process that can involve multiple customized designs and regulatory approvals and in turn lead to industrial delays.
(Reporting by Sanjana Shivdas in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
MIRAMAR, Fla., June 03, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Are you ready for some live music and hot chicken? Spirit Airlines is bringing its low fares and signature service to Nashville, Tennessee. Beginning October 10, 2019, Spirit (NYSE: SAVE) will begin nonstop daily service from Nashville International Airport (BNA) to Baltimore/Washington, Fort Lauderdale, New Orleans, Las Vegas and Orlando. The airline will also add nonstop service to Tampa on November 5. The six routes will operate year-round and create dozens of connections to some of Spirit’s most popular destinations, throughout the U.S., Caribbean and Latin America.
Spirit Airlines is starting service to/from Nashville, TN (BNA) to Baltimore, MD/Washington, DC (BWI), Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL), New Orleans, LA (MSY), Las Vegas, NV (LAS), Orlando, FL (MCO) and Tampa, FL (TPA).
“Spirit Airlines is excited to announce service to Music City,” said Ted Christie, Spirit Airlines’ President and Chief Executive Officer. “Nashville is one of the fastest growing cities in the country and has a lot to offer. From the best live entertainment and family-friendly attractions to a robust food and craft beer scene, there is something for everyone. We’re equally excited to bring our new Nashville-area Guests to great destinations throughout the U.S., Latin America, and the Caribbean.”
“Today’s announcement is exactly why Nashville International Airport is focused on expanding and renovating our facilities, so we can continue to attract new air carriers and provide additional routes for travelers to and from Middle Tennessee,” said Doug Kreulen, Nashville International Airport’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We appreciate Spirit Airlines’ investment and confidence in our community, and we look forward to a successful collaboration as we grow our airport and generate economic activity for our region.”
“Spirit Airlines marks the 15th airline carrier operating at Nashville International Airport,” said Dr. A. Dexter Samuels, Nashville International Airport’s Board Chair. “The addition of new airlines and more air service creates competition in various markets and helps keep air fares affordable for our passengers. It’s a dynamic that well serves both the business and leisure traveler and underscores our strategic direction at BNA. On behalf of the BNA Board of Commissioners, welcome to Nashville.”
Nashville, TN (BNA) to/from:
Starts:
Frequency:
Baltimore, MD/Washington, DC (BWI)
October 10, 2019
Daily, year-round
Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)
October 10, 2019
Daily, year-round
New Orleans, LA (MSY)
October 10, 2019
Daily, year-round
Las Vegas, NV (LAS)
October 10, 2019
Daily, year-round
Orlando, FL (MCO)
October 10, 2019
Daily, year-round
Tampa, FL (TPA)
November 5, 2019
Daily, year-round
The announcement will add to Spirit’s growing network, as the value carrier recently announced it would be launching service in Burbank, Sacramento, and Charlotte on June 20. While expanding its network, the airline is also focused on investing in the Guest experience and delivering the best value in the sky.
About Spirit Airlines: Spirit Airlines (NYSE: SAVE) is committed to delivering the best value in the sky. We are the leader in providing customizable travel options starting with an unbundled fare. This allows every Guest to pay only for the options they choose — like bags, seat assignments and refreshments — something we call À La Smarte. We make it possible for our Guests to venture further and discover more than ever before. Our Fit Fleet® is one of the youngest and most fuel-efficient in the U.S. We operate more than 600 daily flights to 76 destinations in the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean, and are dedicated to giving back and improving the communities we serve. Come save with us at spirit.com. At Spirit Airlines, we go. We go for you.
DHL Express introduced the first plane in a new line of Boeing aircraft based at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, which will gradually replace the company’s older intercontinental fleet.
The first aircraft in an order of 14 Boeing 777 freighters took off on its commercial maiden flight May 25 from the DHL Express hub at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport to Bahrain. Three more 777 Freighters will arrive this year to continue replacing DHL’s previous Boeing 747-400 aircraft for intercontinental flights.
SEOUL (Reuters) – JetBlue Airways Corp is in discussions with Airbus SE about the European planemaker’s plans for a longer-range version of its A321neo family as it prepares to jump into the transatlantic market, Chief Executive Robin Hayes said on Monday.
The sixth-largest U.S. carrier has 85 A321neo aircraft on order, of which it has already decided to convert 13 into a longer-range version called the A321LR for its planned launch of daily flights from New York and Boston to London in 2021.
But if the low-cost carrier decides to fly to other European cities such as Brussels or Amsterdam, it will need a plane with more stamina. It is studying the A321XLR, which Airbus has been promoting ahead of a formal product announcement in June.
“London is the biggest opportunity because it has the highest fares, but there would be other opportunities if we had an airplane that had more range. The XLR gives us more range,” Hayes said on the sidelines of a global airlines meeting in Seoul.
“We’re still working through how many aircraft it would be (but) any XLRs would be linked to the planes we have on order today,” he told Reuters in an interview, adding any purchases would be converted from existing orders rather than generating completely new ones. No decision has yet been taken.
JetBlue is betting on its Mint business class product for narrowbody aircraft to succeed in the highly competitive premium transatlantic market. As of now, its U.S. customers have to fly to London on rival carriers where business class seats can cost as much as $12,000.
In the United States, JetBlue has argued that its Mint seats have driven a 50 percent decline in premium fares on some competing routes, and by sticking with narrowbody jets Hayes believes seats will be full.
U.S. carriers like American Airlines Group Inc and United Airlines service London with widebody aircraft that Hayes said can be tough to fill during off-peak travel.
“The transatlantic market is very seasonal. In the summer you tend to do very well but in the winter you’re flying a bunch of empty seats, so the LR helps us manage significantly the risk of the winter because we’re not flying such an expensive airplane.”
A handful of Europe-based budget carriers have tried to penetrate the transatlantic market in recent years, but only cash-strapped Norwegian Air is still standing.
Hayes said he expects to work on code-share agreements with partners that have a strong presence in Europe, where the airline wants to eventually build up its brand.
A number of JetBlue’s 50 airline partners have already reached out, he said.
(Reporting by Tracy Rucinski; Editing by Tim Hepher, Christopher Cushing)
A C-27J of the Fuerza Aérea del Peru (FAP) flying over the AndesA C-27J of the Fuerza Aérea del Peru (FAP) flying over the Andes
February 2019, the Peruvian Government officially declares a state of emergency for the northern coastal regions of Peru. An unusual amount of seasonal rainfall has triggered severe flooding and mudslides throughout the northern regions destroying roads, collapsing bridges, and forcing school closures. Entire towns are being evacuated.
The Sistema de Atención Móvil de Urgencia (SAMU) and the Seguro Integral do Salud (SIS) Health Department call in the C-27J Spartan for urgent transportation of patients, including premature babies and badly injured people out of the otherwise unreachable area of Huánuco, 1,900 mt above sea level. A timely action and long hours of activity were key to saving lives and the suite of advanced avionics that equips the Spartan with the increased night vision capability provided by the Night Vision Goggles (NVG), have given pilots the possibility of landing and taking off throughout the night.
The advanced glass-cockpit of a peruvian C-27J Spartan in flight
In 2017 the Peruvian government sent a C-27J in support of disaster relief following the earthquake in Ecuador and again to support evacuations during the raging fires in Chile.
A FAP Spartan during an evacuation of civilians in 2017
The Fuerza Aérea del Peru has successfully flown over 5,000 hours with their Spartans since the first aircraft landed, in March 2015, at the International Jorge Chavez airport in Lima, home of the Grupo Aereo N°8 (transport wing).
In these 5,000 flight hours the C-27J has bravely met the most challenging conditions moving comfortably between coastal areas at 19°C to forests at 38°, to mountains at 5°C, landing smoothly on semi-prepared strips at either 100 feet or 11,500 feet above sea level. The versatility of the aircraft was also challenged by the diversity of missions required: from delivering humanitarian assistance to medical evacuations, monitoring of illegal activities, and support to firefighting duties in areas that would otherwise be reached only by river navigation in over 6 days!
Take-off with high rate of climb from a small airport in Peru
To keep this kind of fleet availability in such demanding operational scenarios, you need to rely on a very high standard of customer support guaranteed by non-stop commitment, highly specialised personnel on-site, dedicated logistics and very efficient remote technical assistance service.
The first ACJ319neo successfully completed a 16-hr. and 10-min. test flight on 26th April, setting a new record for the longest A320 Family flight by an Airbus crew.
It flew from Toulouse to northern Greenland and back, in an endurance flight that included a simulated diversion under 180 min ETOPS rules, for which the A320 airliner family is already certified.
The aircraft is due to be delivered to K5 Aviation of Germany in the coming months, after ACJ319neo flight trials are completed.
“We want to fly customers to their destination using the quickest routes, as well as delivering unsurpassed comfort and service, and it’s impressive to see such long-range capability at first hand,” said K5 Aviation CEO and Chief Pilot Erik Scheidt, who participated in the flight.
The ACJ319neo is derived from the A320neo airliner family, which features new engines and wingtip-mounted Sharklets.
“Airbus’ modern aircraft family takes the world in its stride with robust reliability, and corporate jet operators are natural beneficiaries of this airliner heritage, which also brings comparable operating costs to traditional business jets,” said ACJ President Benoit Defforge.
K5 Aviation’s ACJ319neo is fitted with five additional centre tanks (ACTs) in its cargo-hold, and includes improvements such as a lower cabin altitude for greater passenger comfort.
Corporate jet orders and commitments for A320neo Family-derived aircraft now total 14.
Airlines and corporate jet customers have ordered almost 15,000 A320
Family aircraft to date, with more than 700 of the new A320neo version
already serving airlines worldwide.
Around 200 Airbus corporate jets are in service worldwide, flying on every continent, including Antarctica.
United Airlines is planning to reveal its long-awaited new livery on April 24th at a United maintenance hangar at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Little is known so far about the details of United’s new paint job, except that it will display a new and expanded brand color palette the carrier introduced in August of 2018.
United stated at the time that the unifying brand color going forward would be “Rhapsody Blue,” a dark navy color named in honor of United’s longstanding signature brand music, George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.”
The color details revealed also specified a lighter “United Blue”, even lighter “Sky Blue,” and a “Premium Purple,” shade currently being used in United’s new Premium Plus international premium economy cabin.
The new United livery is one of several major brand changes the airline has been making in recent years, along with a new Polaris International business class, Polaris lounges, uniforms with new color palettes, and a redesigned mobile app.
The moves in a new direction have come after the infamous incidents of a man being dragged from his seat two years ago, and a pet being forced into the overhead luggage bin where it died in-flight tarnished United’s brand image.
FILE PHOTO: An aircraft of Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA departs from Congonhas airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil September 11, 2017. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazil’s largest airline, Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes, will not cancel its orders of Boeing Co’s 737 MAX plane, the model which was involved in two fatal crashes, newspaper Valor Economico reported Gol’s chief executive as saying on Tuesday.
“We will not cancel our orders,” CEO Paulo Kakinoff said. “The 737 MAX is probably the best airplane ever made.”
Gol is going through a significant fleet transformation and has bet heavily on the Boeing 737 MAX, with over 100 planes scheduled to be delivered in the next few years.
The airline has so far received seven aircraft, which it grounded after an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed in March, the second accident involving that plane model in a span of five months.
Kakinoff added that he thinks it is possible that the 737 MAX planes will fly again by July. That decision is in the hands of regulators around the world.
Gol has flown Boeing planes exclusively since its founding and is the U.S. planemaker’s largest client in Latin America.
(Reporting by Marcelo Rochabrun; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Susan Thomas)
Toronto, March 29, 2019 – Bombardier
Commercial Aircraft announced today that a customer, who has requested
to remain unidentified at this time, has signed an order to acquire six
new Q400 aircraft.
Based on the list price of the Q400 aircraft, the firm order is valued at approximately US$ 202 million.
“The Q400 aircraft offers the perfect balance of passenger comfort
and operating economics while maintaining its unmatched range and speed
advantage versus other turboprops,” said Fred Cromer, President,
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “The demand for turboprop aircraft
worldwide is tremendous and the Q Series aircraft are ideally positioned
to meet the needs of regional airlines as they offer a unique ability
to serve diverse and challenging environments. The Q400 offers the
lowest seat costs amongst turboprops, with an enhanced passenger
experience and a proven 99.5 per cent reliability.”
About Bombardier
With over 68,000 employees across
four business segments, Bombardier is a global leader in the
transportation industry, creating innovative and game-changing planes
and trains. Our products and services provide world-class transportation
experiences that set new standards in passenger comfort, energy
efficiency, reliability and safety.
Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Bombardier has production and engineering sites in 28 countries across the segments of Transportation, Business Aircraft, Commercial Aircraft and Aerostructures and Engineering Services. Bombardier shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, Bombardier posted revenues of $16.2 billion US. The company is recognized on the 2019 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World Index. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier.
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South African state arms company Denel is in talks with Airbus about winding down production of parts for the European planemaker’s A400M military aircraft, Denel said on Saturday.
Denel, a cornerstone of South Africa’s once mighty defense industry, is battling to emerge from a financial and operational crisis. In February it said it could sell stakes in some divisions as part of a strategy to return to profits within two years.
The company has also been trying to renegotiate onerous contracts and exit parts of its business which are no longer viable, after making a 1.7 billion rand ($117 million) loss in the 2017/18 financial year.
Denel said it was yet to finalize terms with Airbus for the winding down of production for the A400M.
“The two companies agreed that the continued manufacturing of aircraft parts by Denel is no longer sustainable in its current form,” Denel said in a statement. “Alternative options are now being considered between the two parties.”
Denel will try to minimize the impact on jobs at its Aeronautics division, it added.
(Reporting by Alexander Winning; Editing by David Holmes)
