Tag: a330 (Page 8 of 10)

Delta’s First A330-900neo Rolls Out of Paint Shop

January 25, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

Delta’s first A330-900neo left the Airbus paint shop in Toulouse, France, this weekend, sporting its signature Delta livery. Though at first glance, the aircraft might look ready for takeoff – a closer look reveals something major still missing: the plane’s engines, which will be painted separately and mounted in the coming days.

Once the finishing touches are complete, the A330-900neo will take to the skies for testing before being delivered to Delta later this year.

Delta will be the first North American operator of the A330-900neo, which will offer the latest in innovative design and technology for customers. Delta’s A330-900neo will feature all four branded seat products – Delta One suites, Delta Premium Select, Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin – a move Delta is making across its widebody fleet to give customers greater choice than ever before.

The jet will also feature memory foam cushions throughout the aircraft and will be the first Delta widebody to feature the new wireless IFE system developed by Delta Flight Products, the airline’s wholly owned cabin interiors start up.

This aircraft is the first of 35 next-generation A330-900neos on order by Delta and is expected to begin service later in 2019.

Story from http://www.delta.com Images from http://www.airbus.com

Airbus achieves new commercial aircraft delivery record in 2018

January 10, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

Deliveries total 800 aircraft, 11 percent higher than in 2017
Net orders total 747, backlog increases to 7,577 aircraft

Airbus SE (stock exchange symbol: AIR) delivered 800 commercial aircraft to 93 customers in 2018, meeting its full year delivery guidance and setting a new company record. Deliveries were 11 percent higher than the previous record of 718 units, set in 2017. For the 16th year in a row now, Airbus has increased the number of commercial aircraft deliveries on an annual basis.

In total, the 2018 commercial aircraft deliveries comprise:

20 A220s (since it became part of the Airbus family in July 2018);
626 A320 Family (vs 558 in 2017), of which 386 were A320neo Family (vs 181 NEOs in 2017);
49 A330s (vs 67 in 2017) including the first three A330neo in 2018;
93 A350 XWBs (vs 78 in 2017);
12 A380s (vs 15 in 2017).

In terms of sales, Airbus achieved 747 net orders during 2018 compared with 1,109 net orders in 2017. At the end of 2018, the backlog of Airbus commercial aircraft reached a new industry record and stood at 7,577 aircraft, including 480 A220s, compared with 7,265 at the end of 2017.

“Despite significant operational challenges, Airbus continued its production ramp-up and delivered a record number of aircraft in 2018. I salute our teams around the globe who worked until the end of the year to meet our commitments,” said Guillaume Faury, President Airbus Commercial Aircraft. “I am equally pleased about the healthy order intake as it shows the underlying strength of the commercial aircraft market and the trust our customers are placing in us. My gratitude goes out to all of them for their ongoing support.” He added: “As we look to further increase our industrial efficiency, we will continue making the digitalisation of our business a key priority.”

Over the last 16 years, Airbus has steadily increased its production year-by-year with the final assembly lines in Hamburg, Toulouse, Tianjin and Mobile complemented by the addition of the A220 line in Mirabel, Canada, during 2018. A notable contribution to Airbus’ delivery increase in 2018 came from the final assembly lines in the US and China. For the top-selling A320 Family in particular, the Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Mobile, Alabama, saw its 100^th delivery, and is now producing in excess of four units per month. Meanwhile, Airbus’ “FAL Asia” in Tianjin, China, achieved its 400^th A320 delivery, while in Germany Airbus commenced operations of its new, fourth production line in Hamburg. Overall, the A320 programme is on track to achieve rate 60 per month for the A320 Family by mid-2019. The Airbus teams successfully reached an important industrial milestone for the A350, achieving the targeted rate of 10 aircraft per month.

Airbus will report Full Year 2018 financial results on 14 February 2019.

Footnote:
The Full-Year 2018 net orders and backlog represent the contractual view. The Full-Year 2018 backlog value will be measured under IFRS 15 and will reflect the recoverable amount of revenues under these contracts. A significant reduction in order backlog value is expected mainly due to the adjustment for net prices versus list prices. The FY 2017 backlog will not be restated.

Story and image from http://www.airbus.com

Iceland’s WOW Air To Reduce Fleet, Cut Jobs

December 13, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Icelandic low-cost carrier WOW air, which is in talks with U.S. private equity fund Indigo Partners about a potential investment, said on Thursday it would reduce its fleet to 11 aircraft from twenty and cut 111 jobs.

Indigo is managed by Bill Franke, the veteran U.S. low-cost airline investor, and has also made investments in U.S.-based Frontier Airlines, Mexico’s Volaris, Chilean carrier JetSmart and Hungary’s Wizz (WIZZ.L).

“After a challenging year, WOW air is now restructuring and simplifying its operations to return to its roots as a profitable ultra-low cost airline while discussions with Indigo Partners progress,” WOW Air said in a statement.

It said it was in negotiations with its lessors to return some of its aircraft including all Airbus A330s. Four Airbus A321s are being sold in a transaction that will improve its liquidity by more than $10 million, it said.

WOW Air will have around 1,000 employees after the job cuts, it said.

Indigo and WOW Air have not disclosed any details about their talks, but WOW Air has said that CEO and primary shareholder, Skuli Mogensen will remain a principal investor in WOW after the deal.

Icelandair (ICEAIR.IC) last month scrapped its plan to buy the privately-held airline.

(Reporting by Teis Jensen; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)

Image from http://wowair.us

Airbus Delivers First A330neo To TAP Air Portugal

November 26, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

TAP Air Portugal has taken delivery of the world’s first new generation widebody A330neo and, as the launch airline, will be the first to benefit from the aircraft’s unbeatable operating economics, increased range, and Airbus’ new Airspace cabin offering passengers the best in class comfort. The Portuguese carrier will take delivery of a further 20 A330-900s in the coming years.

TAP Air Portugal’s first A330-900 is leased from Avolon. It features 298 seats in a comfortable three-class lay-out with 34 full-flat business class, 96 economy plus and 168 economy class seats. The Airspace by Airbus cabin offers more personal space, larger overhead storage bins, advanced cabin lighting and the latest generation in-flight entertainment system and connectivity. The aircraft will be deployed on routes from Portugal to the Americas and Africa.

“I am delighted to welcome the first Airbus A330-900 into our expanding fleet. Its unbeatable economics and efficiency will power our business forward,“ said Antonoaldo Neves, TAP Air Portugal CEO. “The A330neo will give us a lot of operational flexibility thanks to its commonality with the other Airbus aircraft in our fleet. This aircraft will be the first equipped with the new Airspace cabin, which is a new concept shaped to meet TAP’s ambition to offer the best product in the industry to our passengers,“ he added.

“Handing over the first ever A330neo to a long standing Airbus customer, TAP Air Portugal, is a very important milestone for Airbus,” said Guillaume Faury, President Airbus Commercial Aircraft. “Through continuous innovations, the A330neo, our newest widebody aircraft, will offer maximum value and efficiency to our customers and superior comfort to their passengers. This occasion marks another step forward to meeting our industry’s goal for sustainable aviation,” he added.

The A330neo is a true new generation aircraft building on the A330’s success and leveraging on A350 XWB technology. It incorporates the highly efficient new generation Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, and a new higher span 3D optimised wing with new sharklets fully optimised for the best aerodynamic performance. Together these advances bring a significant reduction in fuel consumption of 25 percent compared with older generation competitor aircraft of a similar size. Moreover, new composite nacelles, a fully faired titanium pylon and zero-splice air inlet technology provide the A330-900 with state-of-the-art aerodynamics and acoustics .

Today, TAP Air Portugal operates an Airbus fleet of 72 aircraft (18 A330s, 4 A340s,and 50 A320 Family aircraft). The single-aisle fleet includes 22 A319ceo, 21 A320ceo and four A321ceo, one A320neo and two recently delivered A321neo.

The A330 is one of the most popular widebody families ever, having received over 1,700 orders from 120 customers. More than 1,380 A330s are flying with over 128 operators worldwide. The new A330neo is the latest addition to the leading Airbus widebody family, which also includes the A350 XWB and the A380, all featuring unmatched space and comfort combined with unprecedented efficiency levels and unrivalled range capability.

@TAPAirPortugal @Airbus #A330neo #TAP330neo

Story and image from www.airbus.com

Airbus To Resume Deliveries To HNA Group

November 26, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

TOULOUSE, France (Reuters) – Airbus (AIR.PA) is poised to resume stalled deliveries of jets to China’s debt-laden HNA Group, an Airbus schedule showed on Monday, but deliveries of over $1 billion of large jets remain behind schedule after months of wrangling over late payments.

Visitors to an Airbus delivery center in Toulouse on Monday saw at least two Airbus A330 aircraft and one smaller A320-family jet in position for handover to HNA-affiliated airlines. An electronic sign welcomed crew for an imminent A320 delivery.

“Some (HNA) planes will be delivered,” an industry source said.

However, another six A330 aircraft painted in flame-red HNA tail liveries remained parked in long-term storage elsewhere in Airbus’s Toulouse base, according to Reuters journalists, who were attending an event at the facility for the first delivery of the upgraded A330neo version to TAP Portugal.

“Deliveries are ongoing. Contractual terms are confidential,” an Airbus spokesman said, when asked about HNA deliveries.

Companies belonging to the Chinese aviation-to-finance conglomerate delayed payments earlier this year, leading Airbus to suspend deliveries rather than step in to provide delivery financing itself, Reuters reported in July.

Airbus said last month it hoped to resolve by year-end an unidentified commercial issue surrounding current-generation A330 airplanes, which industry sources afterwards linked to the HNA payments stand-off.

Under pressure from Beijing, HNA Group is in the process of selling some $20 billion of assets, according to Reuters calculations and media reports, following a $50 billion acquisition spree.

Airbus aims to deliver a total of 782 aircraft this year including the stored HNA aircraft.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher. Editing by Jane Merriman)

Image from www.hainanairlines.com

Delta Confirms Order for 10 A330neo’s, Defers 10 A350’s

November 16, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

Move to expand A330-900neo order book to 35 from 25 addresses Delta’s near-to-medium-term widebody needs and reinforces commitment to fuel, economic and sustainable efficiency.

Delta Air Lines is adding 10 Airbus 330-900neo aircraft to its fleet under an agreement with Airbus and Rolls-Royce, expanding its order of the next-generation widebody jet from 25 to 35. The first delivery of the state-of-the-art aircraft, which is powered by next-generation and fuel-efficient engine technology, is expected next year.

“Expanding our A330 order book not only ensures that Delta’s near-to-medium-term widebody needs are taken care of, but also drives our strategic, measured international growth,” said Gil West, Delta’s Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “The next-generation engine technology from Rolls-Royce which powers the A330neo provides compelling operating economics, superior fuel performance and the range and coverage for our transoceanic needs going forward.”

These changes are consistent with Delta’s long-term philosophy of investing 50 percent of operating cash flow back into the business, West said.

Delta will be the first U.S. airline to operate the next-generation A330-900neo, which will offer the latest in innovative design and technology for customers. It will be the first Delta aircraft to feature all cabins – Delta One suites, Delta Premium Select, Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin. The jet also will be the first Delta aircraft to feature memory foam cushions throughout the aircraft for hours of comfort, and the first Delta widebody aircraft featuring its new wireless in-flight entertainment system in every seat.

Simultaneously, Delta has agreed to terms with Airbus to reduce its near-term A350-900 purchase commitment to a total of 15 aircraft from 25. The 10 previously on order A350 aircraft have been deferred to 2025-26 with certain flexibility rights including the right to convert these orders to A330-900s.

“The A350 has been a great success for our customers and our business,” West said. “A fleet of 15 of these world-class aircraft is the right current fit for Delta’s industry-leading global network, operational reliability and award-winning products and services.”

Delta currently operates 11 A350-900 aircraft and expects to take delivery of two A350s in 2019 and two in 2020.

In addition, Delta plans to retire older Boeing 767-300ERs in the years ahead as the aircraft reach the end of their serviceable life cycle.

Story from delta.com image from www.airbus.com

Delta The Likely Buyer of 10 Airbus A330neo Jets

November 14, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

PARIS (Reuters) – U.S. carrier Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) has emerged as the probable buyer for 10 Airbus A330neo jets worth $3 billion, industry sources said, in a boost for the becalmed European model.

Airbus (AIR.PA) announced an order for 10 of the 300-seat aircraft in its latest monthly order update on Friday, but withheld the name of the buyer for the Oct. 30 deal.

Two industry sources, asking not to be named, said Delta (DAL.N) was the buyer. A third said Delta had been looking to expand an existing order for 25 A330neo aircraft.

Airbus declined comment. Delta was not immediately available for comment.

If confirmed, the deal would mark the second order for the slow-selling A330neo in as many weeks after Kuwait Airways ordered eight of the long-haul planes in mid-October.

Airbus is aggressively seeking more orders for the latest version of its profitable A330 franchise after sales of the engine-upgraded A330neo model fell short of expectations in the face of heavy competition from the newer Boeing 787.

However, industry sources have questioned how far recent orders represent net new sales for the European giant, saying they could replace at least some earlier orders for the A350.

The new-generation A350 is a longer-term bet for Airbus and competes with the 787 and Boeing 777. But one market source said Airbus was willing to give up some orders for the newer plane in order to keep the A330neo afloat and prevent production cuts.

Airbus has given cautious signals that it is prepared to be flexible in both directions when offering combinations of the A330 and A350, sources said, though it cannot afford to lose too many orders or customers for the more strategic A350 plane.

The wide-body A330neo is part of a pair of upgraded aircraft – the other being the strong-selling A321neo narrowbody – that strategists say Airbus is trying to push into the market to reduce the space for a new 220-260 seat, mid-sized jet being studied by Boeing. A decision on that project is due next year.

Airbus is especially keen to continue A330-series production because it has been a major source of profits and cash.

Airbus also needs an aircraft like the 250-300 seat A330 to offer airlines a step-up into the wide-body market from its largest narrowbody, the A321neo, which holds up to 240 people.

Without it, Airbus’s smallest wide-body would be the 315-seat A350-900, which leaves a large gap in Airbus’s portfolio above the A321neo for rival Boeing (BA.N) to exploit.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher and Tracy Rucinski; Editing by Laurence Frost and Edmund Blair)

Image from www.airbus.com

Icelandair Agrees To Buy Rival WOW Air

November 7, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

(Reuters) – Icelandair (ICEAIR.IC) has agreed to buy rival Icelandic airline WOW air from its founder for about $18 million in an all-share deal aimed at creating a stronger international competitor.

Airlines are looking to consolidate in many markets as a result of rising running costs, largely to higher oil prices, and increased competition from low-cost, budget carriers.

WOW has focussed on low-cost travel across the Atlantic, using smaller single-aisle planes to fly between Iceland and destinations in the United States and Europe.

While there has been some consolidation in Europe over the last year, with Lufthansa and easyJet acquiring parts of failed airline Air Berlin in 2017, the chief executives of the continent’s biggest airline groups say more is to come.

Struggling Italian carrier Alitalia is seeking new investors and British Airways-owner IAG (ICAG.L) bought a stake in Norwegian Air (NWC.OL) with a view to a takeover.

A jump in the oil price could spur more consolidation, as weaker players are likely to suffer over the winter period as costs rise during a period when fewer people tend to fly.

Both Icelandic airlines, which Icelandair said would continue to operate under separate brands, use Keflavik Airport as their main hub between Europe and North America.

Together they have a combined 3.8 percent share of the transatlantic market, Icelandair, which warned on profit in July due to an increase in capacity on some routes across the Atlantic, added in a statement.

Icelandair shares jumped by nearly 50 percent after it announced the WOW takeover, the biggest one day percentage gain in its stock price since September 2009. The headline value of its offer for WOW was based on Friday’s closing share price.

“WOW air has been Icelandair’s main competitor and the acquisition is likely to lead to increase in average fares and better capacity control on the market to and from Iceland.” Arion Banki analyst Elvar Ingi Moller said.

WOW’s founder and sole owner Skuli Mogensen, who will receive 272 million shares in Icelandair, said that the deal will strengthen its international competitiveness.

Moller said WOW, which has 14 Airbus A320 family aircraft and three widebody A330 planes, has come under pressure due to higher oil prices and lower air fares in recent months.

Icelandair said its shareholders are due to meet to vote on the deal in the near future.

(Reporting by Tommy Lund; Additional reporting by Saray Young; Editing by Jon Boyle/Louise Heavens/Alexander Smith)

Image from www.boeing.com

First A330-800 Takes To The Skies Over Toulouse, France

November 6, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

Toulouse, 06 November 2018 – The first A330-800 took off this morning at Blagnac in Toulouse, France at 10:31am local time, for its maiden flight taking place over south-western France. The aircraft, MSN1888, will perform the dedicated flight-physics tests required for this variant.

The crew in the cockpit comprise: Experimental Test Pilots Malcolm RIDLEY and François BARRE and Test-Flight Engineer Ludovic GIRARD. Meanwhile, monitoring the aircraft systems and performance in real-time at the flight-test-engineer’s (FTE) station are Catherine SCHNEIDER and Jose CORUGEDO BERMEJO. The A330-800’s certification development programme itself will last around 300 flight-test hours, paving the way for certification in 2019. Its sibling, the larger A330-900 family member, recently completed its development testing and certification programme which validated the A330neo Family’s common engines, systems, cabin and flight & ground operations.

Launched in July 2014, the latest generation of Airbus’ widebody family, the A330neo builds on the A330ceo’s proven economics, versatility and reliability while reducing fuel consumption by a further 14 per cent per seat. The NEO’s two versions – the A330-800 and A330-900 – will accommodate 257 and 287 passengers respectively in a three-class seating layout, are powered by the latest-generation Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, offer new “Airspace” cabin amenities and feature a new larger span wing with Sharklet wingtip devices.

The A330 is one of the most popular widebody families ever, having received over 1,700 orders from 120 customers. More than 1,400 A330s are flying with over 120 operators worldwide. The A330neo is the latest addition to the leading Airbus widebody family, which also includes the A350 XWB and the A380, all featuring unmatched space and comfort combined with unprecedented efficiency levels and unrivalled range capability.

#A330neoFF

Story and image from www.airbus.com

IndiGo Airlines Considering Wide-Body Aircraft From Airbus, Boeing

October 15, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

ABU DHABI (Reuters) – Indian airline IndiGo on Sunday said wide-bodied aircraft are an “aspiration” and talks with manufacturers are ongoing but there is no firm timeline amid difficult market conditions in the Indian market.

The budget airline, owned by InterGlobe Aviation <INGL.NS>, faces fierce competition in the very price sensitive Indian market where carriers are struggling to remain profitable despite filling 90 percent of their seats and rising demand.

IndiGo recently reported a steep fall in quarterly profit due to higher fuel prices and continued pressure on yields reflecting price competition.

“Wide-bodied aircraft are an aspiration, we have talked to manufacturers. We are looking at A330neo and Boeing 787,” Chief Commercial Officer Willy Boulter told Reuters in Abu Dhabi, declining to go into details.

IndiGo, India’s biggest low-cost carrier by market share, announced direct flights, starting Monday from two south Indian cities, Kochi and Kozhikode to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

In the Gulf, the airline has direct flights to Dubai and Sharjah in the UAE as well as to Doha and Muscat. Flights to Kuwait will be launched this week, to Saudi Arabia in November and Hong Kong in December, Boulter said.

In early 2019, IndiGo plans to start flights to London with an Airbus A321 aircraft stopping at a mid-point that is yet to be selected, he said. Other international destinations for launch include Kuala Lumpur and Phuket, Thailand, in November.

IndiGo is working closely with the Indian government to take advantage of opportunities under bilateral agreements where travel rights will become available for additional markets, he said, adding that IndiGo has applied for rights to Europe and Asia.

“We are confident of bilaterals being expanded further,” he said.

IndiGo has a fleet of 192 aircraft and more than 400 aircraft on order. The first batch of Airbus A321neo aircraft with 222 seats will be delivered next month, he said.

(Reporting By Stanley Carvalho)

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