Herndon, Virginia, 3 October 2023 – United Airlines (Nasdaq: UAL) has placed an order for 60 additional Airbus A321neo aircraft, supporting the airline’s “United Next” initiative to integrate new aircraft into its fleet and standardizing and enhancing its global network. United previously ordered 50 A321XLRand 70 A321neo aircraft. With this new order, the airline’s direct purchase commitment from Airbus is now for 180 A321 aircraft.
The A321neo provides superior environmental performance featuring the lowest CO₂ emissions per seat in its class. Its significantly lower carbon footprint will support United along its journey to reduce its CO₂ emissions.
United’s A321neo aircraft will feature the unrivaled Airbus’ Airspace cabin, which includes a unique welcome area and the latest full LED lighting technologies (which helps to reduce jet lag); new slimmer sidewall panels for extra personal space at shoulder level; improved window views with redesigned bezels and completely integrated window shades; new large overhead bins; and additional elements to enhance the passenger experience.
SKY, a Chilean-based ultra-low-cost carrier, has signed a Purchase Agreement with Airbus for 10 A321XLRs. The airline will expand its international route network with the new aircraft.
The A321XLR is the next evolutionary step in the A320neo/A321neo Family, meeting market requirements for increased range and payload in a single-aisle aircraft. The A321XLR will deliver an unprecedented narrow-body airliner range of up to 4,700nm, with 30% lower fuel consumption per seat compared with previous-generation competitor jets, allowing airlines to expand networks by making new longer routes economically viable.
“This new aircraft fleet will allow us to expand our offer of international and wide-ranging routes, always under our successful low cost model and its extremely convenient ticket prices. Now passengers can enjoy new and very attractive destinations on the most modern airplanes in the market,” said Holger Paulmann, CEO of SKY.
Arturo Barreira, President of Airbus Latin America, said: “We are delighted that SKY has selected the A321XLR to further expand its fleet of all Airbus aircraft. The A321XLR will allow SKY to offer its customers new destinations, such as direct flights from Santiago in Chile to Miami in the U.S.”
According to the latest Airbus Global Market Forecast (GMF), Latin America will need 2,700 new aircraft in the next 20 years, more than double today’s fleet. Passenger traffic in Latin America has doubled since 2002 and is expected to continue growing over the next two decades. Specifically in Chile, traffic is expected to increase from 0.89 trips per capita to 2.26 trips in 2038.
In parallel to the growing fleet, according to Airbus’ latest GMF, there will be a need for 47,550 new pilots and 64,160 technicians to be trained over the next 20 years in Latin America. To cover this necessity SKY also selected Airbus as its flight training provider, making the airline the launch customer for the new Airbus Chile Training Centre. The centre will offer flight crew training for Chilean pilots and will include a full-flight A320 simulator.
SKY has been an Airbus customer since 2010 and became an all-Airbus operator in 2013. The airline’s fleet of 23 A320 Family aircraft serves national and international routes connecting Chile to Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Uruguay.
Airbus has sold 1,200 aircraft, has a backlog of more than 600 and more than 700 in operation throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, representing a 60% market share of the in-service fleet. Since 1994, Airbus has secured nearly 70% of net orders in the region.
PARIS, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Airbus must hand a record number of aircraft to customers in December to meet delivery goals, company data showed on Thursday, and is all but certain of winning an annual order race against Boeing.
The European planemaker has been facing production snags in its best-selling A321neo jet, due in part to the introduction of a complex new flexible cabin, but has said it is confident of meeting a goal of 860 jets in 2019, revised down from 880-890.
To reach that target it must deliver 135 jets in December, beating a previous record of 127 December deliveries by 6%.
Airbus delivered 77 aircraft in November to reach 725 for the year so far, according to Thursday’s progress report.
Airbus has a track record of achieving a late surge in deliveries, though it is also working to spread deliveries more evenly over the year in future to smooth earnings and avoid quality problems that can creep in when it is working flat out.
Whether or not it meets targets, Airbus is set to regain the crown as the world’s largest commercial plane producer this year as U.S. rival Boeing approaches nine months without deliveries of its 737 MAX, grounded after two crashes.
Boeing is expected to jump back into the lead next year as projected deliveries include 737 MAX jets parked during the grounding, while remaining ahead on larger jets, but the timing of the 737 MAX return to service depends on global regulators.
Airbus is also on course to win an annual order contest between the plane giants after booking orders for 222 aircraft in November, driven mainly by last month’s Dubai Airshow.
Emirates ordered 50 A350-900 jets at the show as part of a fleet shake-up that also saw the world’s largest wide-body operator cut a remaining order for A380s and reduce its requirement for Boeing 777X jets, while adding the Boeing 787.
Airbus sold a total of 940 jets in January-November, or 718 after cancellations, leaving it well ahead of Boeing, whose year has been derailed by the grounding of the 737 MAX. In the latest period for which data is available, Boeing sold 180 jets in the first nine months or 45 after cancellations.
The latest figures were released days after Airbus won a sale of 50 A321XLR jets to United Airlines, narrowing the potential market for a mid-market plane that Boeing has been studying, while slowing those discussions during the MAX crisis.
United also delayed delivery of 45 A350s by several years to 2027 and beyond. UK analysts Agency Partners said on Thursday that this could put pressure on A350 output in coming years.
(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Giles Elgood and Andrew Heavens)
CHICAGO, Dec 3 (Reuters) – United Airlines Holdings Inc announced on Tuesday an order for 50 Airbus SE A321XLR jets to fly between the U.S East Coast and Europe, becoming the latest U.S. airline to ink a deal for the European planemaker’s new passenger jet.
The long-range A321XLR jets will replace United’s 53 Boeing 757-200 planes beginning in 2024, the Chicago-based planemaker said, flying to cities like Porto, Portugal and other potential new destinations.
United’s 757 planes will reach the end of their lifespan in about a decade and Boeing Co is not building any more of the large single-aisle model.
Instead, the U.S. planemaker has been considering a new twin-aisle plane, provisionally known as the NMA, but has delayed a launch decision until 2020 while it manages the ongoing global grounding of its 737 MAX jets following two fatal crashes.
United’s chief operating officer Andrew Nocella told reporters the airline has worked closely with Boeing on the potential new aircraft and is still open to orders if the planemaker decides to move forward with developing the NMA.
Meanwhile, U.S carriers including American Airlines Group Inc, JetBlue Airways Corp and Spirit Airlines Inc have agreed orders for Airbus A320neo-family jets.
Among the benefits of the A321XLR is a 30% lower fuel burn per seat compared to previous generation aircraft, United said.
United has also ordered the larger A350 widebody jets but said it is deferring delivery of those jets until they are needed in 2027.
Its A321XLR order is the second for a U.S. carrier following tariffs that the United States is imposing on European-made aircraft.
(Reporting by Tracy Rucinski Editing by Chris Reese and Michael Perry)
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)
Air Arabia, the Middle East and North Africa’s first and largest low cost carrier, has signed a firm order for 120 Airbus aircraft comprising 73 A320neo’s, 27 A321neo’s and 20 A321XLR’s. The agreement was signed at the 2019 Dubai Airshow in the presence of Air Arabia’s Chairman Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Thani, Adel Al Ali, Chief Executive Officer Air Arabia and Guillaume Faury, Airbus Chief Executive Officer.
Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia, said: “Air Arabia’s fleet growth strategy has always been driven by commercial demand and we are glad to announce today one of the region’s largest single-aisle orders with Airbus to support our growth plans. This new milestone underpins not only our solid financial fundamentals but also the strength of our multi-hub growth strategy that we have adopted over the years while remaining focused on efficiency, performance and passenger experience.” He added: “The addition of the A320neo, A321neo and A321XLR complements our existing fleet and allows us to expand our service to farther and newer destinations while remaining loyal to our low-cost business model. We look forward to working with Airbus and receiving the first delivery.”
Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer said: “We are delighted to expand our partnership with Air Arabia, this is a great endorsement for the A320neo Family which will allow the airline to tap into new markets. We are committed to supporting the fast expansion of Air Arabia and the region”
Air Arabia is an all Airbus operator with a total fleet of 54 A320 Family aircraft including the A321LR. All aircraft will feature a comfortable single-class cabin with one of the most generous seat pitches today.
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 – 15% more than the A321LR and with 30% lower fuel burn per seat compared with previous generation competitor aircraft.
Featuring the widest single-aisle cabin in the sky, the best-selling A320neo Family, comprising the A319neo, A320neo, and A321neo, deliver at least 20% reduced fuel burn as well as 50% less noise compared to previous generation aircraft, thanks to incorporating the very latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklets. At the end of October 2019, the A320neo Family had received more than 7,000 firm orders from over 110 customers worldwide.
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)
Oct 31 (Reuters) – VietJet Aviation has ordered 20 Airbus long-range A321XLR aircraft that the budget carrier hopes will support its international expansion as Vietnam’s aviation market heats up.
VietJet expects the first aircraft to be delivered in 2023, it said in a statement on Thursday, adding that it will be the “first carrier in the world” to operate the new long-range version of the single-aisle A320neo family jets.
Industry sources said VietJet would be among the first to put the XLR into service.
Vietnam’s largest conglomerate in August applied to launch an airline next year, intensifying competition in one of the fastest-growing aviation markets.
The sector includes Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific Airlines and Vietnam Air Services Co.
The airline also signed a separate agreement in Toulouse, France, for two A320/A321 aircraft simulators.
VietJet’s order book for Airbus aircraft now totals 186, the airline said.
In September, Reuters reported that Airbus sold 15 A321XLR jets to VietJet.
Airbus on Thursday confirmed that VietJet had placed a new order for 15 XLR and said another 5 would be converted to the new jet from the A321neo model.
VietJet CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao said Thursday’s order will “modernise VietJet’s fleet as we look to strongly grow our international flight network.”
The airline currently flies to destinations including Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, China and India.
(Reporting by Nikhil Kurian Nainan in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Jason Neely and Dan Grebler)
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.
NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART AIRCRAFT AND 3 NEW ROUTES LAND IN BUDAPEST
WizzAir,the largest airline in Central and Eastern Europe and Europe’s greenest* airline has today announced the arrival another state-of-the-art Airbus A321neo aircraft at its base in Budapest in June 2020 and the launch of three new routes to European cities from the Hungarian capital. Tickets for the new routes are already on sale and can be booked from only HUF 6,490, and 7,990**, respectively, on wizzair.com and the airline’s mobile app.
New daily service to Brussels, four destinations in Ukraine
Brussels Charleroi has been a part of Wizz Air’s network since 2004. From next summer, the airline will also operate a daily service to Brussels Airport, the Belgian’s capital main airport – the airline’s 151 destination –, creating a more direct link with the centre of the European Union for business travellers and diplomats. With its picturesque main square and delightful brasseries, Brussels is an attractive destination for tourists as well.
Hungary’s hometown airline is also expanding towards the East with two flights per week to Lviv, Western Ukraine’s central city, and Kharkiv, the second largest city in the country. As Kyiv has been accessible from Budapest since 2011 and flights to Odessa will launch this October, today’s announcement means that Budapest will be linked by direct flights to all four Wizz Air destinations within Ukraine.
Lviv is one of Ukraine’s most scenic historic towns, with its downtown featured in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The town was one of the multicultural centres of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy under the name Lemberg and has preserved its Central European atmosphere to this day. Today, Lviv is one of the centres of Ukrainian culture with lots of theatres, museums and festivals awaiting visitors. Kharkiv is an interesting destination for admirers of Ukrainian gastronomy and Soviet-style architecture with its magnificent metro stations and the country’s first skyscraper.
16 aircraft in Hungary
With the arrival of the newest A321neo, Wizz Air’s Hungarian fleet expands to 14 aircraft allocated in Budapest, with a further 2 aircraft based in Debrecen. This means the airline’s operations support over 4,000*** indirect local jobs in the country. Apart from the new destinations, Wizz Air will increase its frequency on four of its existing routes to Eindhoven, St. Petersburg, Tel-Aviv and Edinburgh (to be launched this December). With this expansion of capacity, Wizz Air will increase its Hungarian seat capacity to 6.7 million passengers in 2020.
Wizz Air is the “greenest” airline
The new routes will be served by the state-of-the-art Airbus A321neo aircraft of the Budapest base. The airline operates one of the youngest fleets in Europe, with the average age of 4.7 years. As a result, Wizz Air was the airline with the smallest environmental footprint in Europeonce again in August 2019, with only 57.7 grams CO emissions per passenger per kilometre. The company currently has a total of 271 Airbus A321neo, Airbus A321neo and Airbus A321XLR aircraft on order. With the new aircraft, the airline will continue to drive efficiency parallel to further decreasing its environmental footprint by 1/3 for over the next decade. The Airbus A321neo, six of which are already in operation at WIZZ’s Budapest base, incorporates the latest technologies in aviation. It offers a 50 percent reduction in noise footprint, a 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption, while also reducing nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 50 percent.
Stephen Jones, Wizz Air Hungary’s managing director said: “Hungary’s hometown airline, Wizz Air remains strongly committed to its country of origin. We are continuously expanding and modernizing our fleet and network in Budapest to provide affordable and high quality travel opportunities to more and more Hungarian passengers. Adding a new, state-of-the-art aircraft to our Budapest fleet and launching three new routes underpins our dedication to Budapest and Hungary and creates more local jobs with the airline and in associated industries, as well as stimulates the local tourism and hospitality industries. The WIZZ team looks forward to welcoming customers old and new on-board our ultra-efficient fleet of Airbus aircraft very soon. And for those looking to turn their passion for travel into a career, we’d be delighted to see you at one of our Wizz Air cabin crew recruitment days, where you can find out more about joining the WIZZ team.”
