KiwiRail has welcomed the Government’s rapid review into its handling of disruptions to passenger services in Wellington earlier this year and has already moved to change its systems.
Improvements made include:
Use of the TEC to achieve network compliance is now part of a wider Infrastructure Integrated Plan, with a longer-term (12 month) plan around its use nationally. While there have been detailed operating plans for each area the TEC assesses, this change introduces a national level of oversight, linked into when track safety cases expire.
Developing robust processes and procedures around the escalation, prioritisation and approvals required where the TEC schedule cannot be met.This is an important backup if it is looking unlikely the TEC will be able to carry out required work in time. The issues that resulted in the Wellington disruption were escalated too late for KiwiRail to take effective action to avoid the speed restriction being put on the Kāpiti Line.
Developing better resilience around the TEC, through a review of the tasks needed to ensure its successful operation – including a review of existing staff resourcing and formalising training processes. This is to ensure the TEC is able to operate effectively.
Reviewing the maintenance programme for the TEC. The TEC is 41 years old and will be replaced in FY2027. A procurement process for a new vehicle is well underway. The maintenance programme review, and any changes that come from it, will help ensure the TEC can continue operating reliably until the new vehicle arrives.
General Manager Metros Jon Knight says KiwiRail has made a huge commitment to the local commuter rail network, and will work hard to deliver on the Government’s investment.
– Repeat order for 787s supports EVA efforts to reduce carbon emissions, grow sustainably
– Providing flexibility for long-haul routes to North America, Europe and Asia
SEATTLE, March 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ Boeing [NYSE: BA] and EVA Air today finalized an order for five additional 787-9 Dreamliners, a repeat order for Boeing’s super-efficient widebody jet. EVA Air’s follow-on investment in the 787 will enable the airline to further reduce carbon emissions and sustainably grow its fleet.
EVA Air ordered five more Boeing 787-9s following approval by its board of directors on March 13, 2023. The deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2025 and be completed in 2027. And, starting in mid-2024, EVA will update and reconfigure its 787-9s to add its popular Premium Economy Class to the Royal Laurel and Economy options now available on the aircraft. Inclusion of this latest 787 order will increase the number of B787s in EVA’s fleet to a total of 26, 13 B787-9s and 13 B787-10s. More information about EVA’s fleet and cabin services, in addition to its routes and booking choices, is available at www.EVAAir.com.
The Taipei-based airline currently operates a fleet of 10 787s, including four 787-9s and six 787-10s. With this new order, EVA Air has unfilled orders for seven 787-10s and nine 787-9s. EVA Air also operates one of the world’s largest 777 fleets with more than 40 airplanes, including passenger and freighter models, with one 777 Freighter on order.
PORTLAND, MAINE – The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA) announced today that the Amtrak Downeaster achieved record breaking ridership of 574,404 passengers in calendar year 2019, a 7.8% increase from 2018. The previous ridership record of 546,056 passengers was set in 2017.
The Amtrak Downeaster experienced record ridership growth in 9 out of 12 months, according to NNEPRA Marketing Director, Natalie Bogart, who reported that August 2019 was the highest ridership month in Downeaster history. “August ridership of 60,944 was an all-time record and the first time that Downeaster ridership surpassed 60,000 passengers in a month.”
NNEPRA attributes the ridership surge to increased frequency to Freeport and Brunswick, improved reliability, as well as repeat riders. Amtrak Customer Satisfaction score of 91% suggests that people are not only riding the Downeaster, but are finding it to be enjoyable as well. When compared to Amtrak services throughout the country, passengers rank the Downeaster among the top services for friendliness, overall satisfaction, and quality of on-board food service.
“These results are particularly impressive,” stated NNEPRA Chairman, John Melrose. “We are committed to the continued growth of the Downeaster service and are working hard in 2020 to improve/ expand transportation alternatives to further enhance mobility to our citizens and support economic growth for Maine Businesses.”
For additional Amtrak Downeaster information or to purchase tickets visit: AmtrakDowneaster.com
Amtrak Downeaster, POR, 2016, 15th Anniversary of the Downeaster, Portland Intermodal Station, Chuck Gomez
WASHINGTON, WAS
Egyptian flag carrier to lease two more 787-9 jets from leading lessor AerCap
Airline joins other operators in growing their Dreamliner fleet after achieving eye-opening fuel efficiency improvement
EGYPTAIR is growing its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet with an agreement to lease two more airplanes from AerCap, the airline announced today at the Dubai Airshow. The Egyptian flag carrier unveiled it had selected the super-efficient airplane to modernize its fleet during the last Dubai Airshow in 2017.
The carrier began operating the 787-9 this year, deploying the Dreamliner on new direct flights from its hub in Cairo to Washington, D.C., and other cities. EGYPTAIR says the 787s have delivered on the Dreamliner’s promise of unmatched efficiency, providing a 23-percent reduction in fuel consumption compared to the airplanes they replaced.
“The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has outperformed our expectations, helping us significantly reduce our fuel use and emissions, while bringing comfort to our passengers,” said Ahmed Adel, chairman and CEO of EGYPTAIR Holding Company. “We look forward to growing our network with additional 787-9 airplanes and flying more passengers to their destinations at an affordable cost.”
To maintain its fleet of 787’s, the carrier also announced agreements with Boeing this week that would provide EGYPTAIR with global access to critical aircraft components, including a Landing Gear Exchange and Quick Engine Change kit solutions.
EGYPTAIR joins other 787 operators in expanding its commitment to the Dreamliner program after experiencing the airplane in revenue service. More than half of all 787 customers have placed repeat orders for the airplane, helping the Dreamliner become the fastest-selling widebody airplane in history. The biggest 787 customer is Dublin-based AerCap with 117 airplanes owned and on order. AerCap will lease a total of eight 787’s to EGYPTAIR.
Speaking at the Dubai Airshow, AerCap CEO Aengus Kelly said, “AerCap is very proud to continue to support EGYPTAIR’s widebody fleet renewal program and sustainable growth ambitions. We thank our friends and partners at EGYPTAIR for their continued confidence in AerCap and we look forward to working with the EGYPTAIR and Boeing teams as these aircraft deliver.”
“EGYPTAIR has shown a strong commitment to growing its business in a sustainable and profitable manner and we are thrilled that the 787 Dreamliner is helping the airline realize their vision. There is no better endorsement of the 787’s efficiency, range and passenger comfort than an operator returning for more aircraft,” said Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president of Commercial Sales & Marketing, The Boeing Company. “Of course, this would not be possible without AerCap and its market-leading portfolio that gives carriers great flexibility in operating an optimized fleet.”
At 63 meters (206 feet) long, the 787-9 can fly 296 passengers, in a typical two-class configuration, up to 7,530 nautical miles (13,950 kilometers). The airplane is 6 meters longer than the original Dreamliner and is capable of carrying 48 more passengers with increased range. The 787 Dreamliner family has won more than 1450 orders from over 80 customers on six continents.
Exclusive: China’s huge Airbus order padded by old or incomplete deals – source
PARIS
(Reuters) – A landmark order from China for 300 Airbus jets signed
during a state visit last week was bolstered by repeat announcements of
dozens of existing deals and advance approval for deals that have yet to
be struck, two people familiar with the matter said.
Echoing
an umbrella order for 300 Boeing jets awarded during a visit to Beijing
by U.S. President Donald Trump in 2017, the headline figure for the new
“framework order” for European jets was partly driven by political
considerations, the people said.
The
Airbus deal would have been worth some $35 billion at list prices but
the amount of new business is lower, they added. Duplicate announcements
included a deal for 10 A350 aircraft to an unnamed buyer, which
represents a repeat announcement of an order for 10 jets by Sichuan
Airlines at an air show last year.
The
disclosure takes some of the shine off an announcement widely regarded
as the economic highlight of a trip to Europe by Chinese President Xi
Jinping. Nonetheless the deal marked a return to the aircraft market by
China’s state buying agency after a pause of over a year during global
trade tensions.
The
overall figure of 300 was introduced late in the process and after Xi’s
visit was underway, although plane orders typically take months to
negotiate, one of the people said.
Airbus declined to comment on detailed orders but left open the possibility that the large total contained gaps.
The
agreement “creates the approval framework for aircraft ordered by
Chinese airlines, be it existing orders or future orders,” a spokesman
said.
TRADE TIES
Airbus
shares fell 0.7 percent on Tuesday, extending earlier losses after
Reuters reported gaps in the China deal. Airbus’ stock had risen almost
two percent after China’s mega-order, signed in Paris on March 25 in
front of Xi and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Industry
sources say major planemakers play by similar rules when selling to
China, where they face a two-tier system of negotiations with airlines
within a framework of state-backed umbrella deals that may be influenced
by geopolitics.
But
the headline figures for new orders during high-profile diplomatic
visits, which for several years hovered around 150 aircraft for both
Airbus and Boeing, have increased as trade ties between Washington and
China go through highs and lows.
In
November 2017, months before a trade war erupted with the imposition of
tariffs, China announced an order for 300 Boeing jets during a visit to
Beijing by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Analysts
expressed doubts at the time over how much of that was new business,
and said part of the announcement represented renewed government support
for deals already on Boeing’s books.
“The most recent Airbus and Boeing deals followed a similar pattern,” said a China aircraft industry specialist.
Boeing
is now seen as next in line to secure a 200-300-plane order as part of a
possible economic truce being negotiated to end the trade war, but the
recent grounding of one of its jets has cast uncertainty over the timing
of the deal.
Boeing
and Airbus compete fiercely to serve the needs of the world’s
fastest-growing airplane market, while bracing for future competition
from China’s own aerospace industry.
Analysts
say Beijing tends over time to balance U.S. and European purchases,
though recent years have seen the rise of a growing number of
independent Chinese leasing companies and an increase in autonomous
decision-making by several airlines.
(Reporting by Tim Hepher, Additional reporting by Marine Pennetier; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Richard Lough)
