Real-Time News von der Messe
Meggitt PLC, a leading international company specialising in high performance components for the aerospace, defence and selected energy markets, and Lufthansa Technik AG, a world leader in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, have signed an agreement for the provision of comprehensive component MRO services for commercial aircraft in mainland China.
Under the agreement signed at the Paris Air Show yesterday, Lufthansa Technik Shenzhen (LTS), a joint venture between Lufthansa Technik AG and Beijing Kailan Aviation Technology Co., Ltd., will build local MRO capabilities for Meggitt products including heat exchangers, valves, fire detectors and fire suppression. The partnership will provide customers in mainland China with world-class repair and service levels for a range of products; delivered from LTS's 25,000 square meter facility.
Asia is one of the fastest growing regions for aerospace, with a large number of aircraft entering into service to meet growing passenger demand. An additional 4,700 aircraft are forecast to be delivered into the region over the next decade. Stewart Watson, President of Meggitt's Services & Support division, said: "This is a long-term partnership for the fastest growing market in the world and combines Meggitt's OEM know- how with Lufthansa Technik MRO expertise. We have invested significantly in all our facilities across Asia as part of our investment programme in the region and have an established Singapore centre of excellence, which opened in 2012. Our ability to offer our Chinese customers an in-country capability will enhance the consistent, world-class levels of support we provide to our customers globally."
Ben Scheidel, Chief Executive Officer of Lufthansa Technik Shenzhen, said: "Meggitt provides world-class technologies for a broad range of aircraft types. Hence, we look forward to establishing this new and unique collaboration as the exclusive MRO shop for a wide range of Meggitt products in the Chinese market. Through our high tech facility in Shenzhen with its long standing and successful history, we will provide an excellent MRO quality combined with an impeccable customer service. The close engineering and data exchange between Meggitt and LTS will increase safety, reliability and simultaneously optimise costs for our customers."
American Airlines, the world’s largest airline, will acquire 50 Airbus A321XLR aircraft, the new longer-range version of Airbus’ hugely successful A321neo. The purchase agreement includes the conversion of 30 of American’s existing A321neo slots to A321XLRs and incremental orders for an additional 20 A321XLRs.
The A321XLR will have the longest range of any single-aisle commercial jetliner. The added range of up to 4,700 nm will allow airlines to operate the aircraft from U.S. East Coast airports to medium-size European cities.
As a further enhancement of the A321neo and A321LR, the A321XLR will have a maximum takeoff weight of 101 metric tonnes without sacrificing performance. The A321XLR is powered by the same engines, and has more than 90 percent commonality with the A321neo.
American, based in Fort Worth, Texas, is the largest Airbus operator in the world with 422 Airbus aircraft. Including today’s announcement, American has outstanding orders for 115 A321neos and A321XLRs from Airbus.
Indigo Partners and three of its airlines will acquire 50 of the new Airbus A321XLR long-range, single-aisle jetliners. The Memorandum of Understanding includes new orders for 32 A321XLRs and the conversion of 18 existing A320neo family orders.
Indigo Partners LLC, based in Phoenix, Arizona, is a private equity fund focused on worldwide investments in air transportation. Indigo has major ownership stakes in four low-cost airlines, including Frontier Airlines (U.S.), JetSMART (Chile), Volaris (Mexico) and Wizz Air (Hungary). The four carriers now operate a combined 295 Airbus planes and, with the new commitments, have 636 on order.
Twenty of the A321XLRs will be allocated to Wizz Air, 18 to Frontier, and 12 to JetSMART.
Australia’s Qantas Airways Limited is backing Airbus’ new extended range A321XLR with an agreement covering 36 aircraft. This includes the conversion of 26 existing A320neo Family orders plus a new firm order for 10 A321XLRs
The aircraft will allow the Qantas Group, which includes low-cost carrier Jetstar, to improve its network and fleet flexibility to better serve point-to-point markets in Australia, Asia and the South Pacific.
Atlantic Airways, the Faroe Islands flag carrier, has signed a Purchase Agreement with Airbus for two A320neo aircraft, becoming the latest A320neo customer. The engine selection will be made at a later date.
With this new order, Atlantic Airways intends to further develop its European network. The airline, an Airbus customer since 2008, already operates a fleet of three A320 Family aircraft.
Germany´s biggest centre of aviation has an extensive representation at the year´s biggest aerospace trade fair, the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget
With an impressive array of companies, networks, research institutes and political representatives, Hamburg is on display this week at the Paris Air Show, the most important aerospace trade fair of the year worldwide, in the Paris suburb of Le Bourget.
The highest ranking representative from northern Germany is Hamburg’s Governing Mayor, Dr Peter Tschentscher. At Le Bourget, as well as meeting with important industry representatives such as Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury and Prof. Rolf Henke of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Executive Board, he also opened the official Hamburg Reception, with 120 international guests, at the Hamburg Aviation booth on Tuesday afternoon. Also during the reception, attended by representatives of the European Commission, the tenth anniversary of the founding of the European Aerospace Cluster Partnership EACP was celebrated. The EACP, managed since its foundation from Hamburg, has grown to 40 member organisations from almost 20 nations.
“Hamburg is one of the world’s most important aerospace locations, and highly visible at the largest aviation trade fair worldwide this year, the Paris Air Show. The spectrum of Hamburg players present at Le Bourget ranges from small family businesses and start-ups to research institutes and Airbus projects such as the A321neo, “made in Hamburg”. The diversity of aviation competencies in the Metropolitan Region of Hamburg is our strength, enhancing them for science and economy in Northern Germany is our essential goal,” said Hamburg’s Governing Mayor, Dr Peter Tschentscher, in an aside at the reception.
IMAGES from the Governing Mayor’s visit to the Paris Air Show is available for download here:
https://seafile.hamburg-tourism.de/f/8524a14815214aa89b37/?dl=1
Hamburg was present at the Paris Air Show as part of a large shared stand for German regions for the first time (Hangar 2A, C280). Standing shoulder-to-shoulder were not only the north German partners from Lower Saxony and Bremen, but also the “bavAIRia” cluster from the south of the country. There were also several sub-exhibitors from northern Germany in the Hamburg Aviation cluster space. Amongst them were AES Aircraft-Elektro/Elektronik System, the traditional Hamburg company Scholz Mechanik, engineering specialist SII Group, industry 4.0 start-up Synergeticon and the ZAL Center for Applied Aeronautical Research. The stand was implemented by the business services of Hamburg’s aviation SME network, Hanse-Aerospace.
Hamburg products are also on display outside of the hangars, with the long-haul version of the bestselling Arbus A321neo, delivered to French business airline La Compagnie. The new Airbus A321XLR, already presented yesterday at the Paris Air Show, also promises real long-haul flights. With the Single Aisle routes such as Hamburg-Chicago can be served in the future - most of them “made in Finkenwerder”. The air show aerial displays include flights from the A330neo and A350-1000, both with significant contributions from the metropolitan region, including tails, wing shells and cabin design. Numerous local suppliers including Diehl Aviation and SLM Solutions are also present with their own stands at Le Bourget.
Hamburg is also paying particular attention to international networking this year. As well as several meetings with cooperative partners from Japan, Canada and elsewhere, the third Global Aerospace Cluster Summit, organised from Hamburg, is taking place in central Paris on Friday, with more than 50 high-ranking industry representatives gathering together.
The Paris Air Show opened its doors to industry visitors on Monday. From Friday to Sunday, the general public are also admitted to the site at Le Bourget airport. Organisers expect more than 300,000 visitors from all over the world during the seven days of the 53rd International Paris Air Show. There will be almost 2,500 exhibitors and some 150 aircraft on display at the 320,000-square-metre site. The International Paris Air Show takes place every two years, alternating with the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom and the ILA in Berlin Schoenefeld.
Hamburg Ticker at the Paris Air Show: Since Monday we have been regularly updating news related to Hamburg and impressions from the event at www.hamburg-aviation.com.
Paris Air Show website: www.siae.fr/en
Delta Air Lines has ordered five additional A220-100 aircraft, bringing to 95 the total number of orders placed, including both the A220-100s and A220-300s. The airline is the first to select the new increased maximum takeoff weight option for its entire fleet from 2020.
Airbus announced in May that it would increase the maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) for the A220 by 2,268 kg (2.3 metric tonnes). The new MTOW will increase the respective maximum range capabilities by 450nm to 3,400 nm for the A220-100 and 3,350nm for the A220-300.
Delta was the U.S. launch customer for the A220, placing an initial order for 75 aircraft in 2016 and booking an additional 15 in December 2018. With this latest order, Delta’s orders total 45 A220-100s and 50 A220-300s.
Delta’s A220-100s are produced in Mirabel, Québec, while the A220-300s will be built at a new U.S. assembly plant now under construction in Mobile, Alabama adjacent to the existing Airbus A320 assembly facility.
In a separate arrangement, Airbus and Delta have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding for Delta TechOps to provide A220 component repair and material services for Airbus’ A220 Flight Hour Services maintenance-by-the-hour program. This strategic partnership will allow Airbus to further enhance its successful Flight Hour Services (FHS) program for A220 customers by building on Delta TechOps’ proven component repair and management capabilities and Airbus’ expertise in maintenance engineering, inventory management, and innovative services solutions.
AirAsia will upsize its future Airbus single aisle fleet, converting 253 orders for the A320neo to the larger A321neo version. The change will enable the airline to offer higher capacity in response to ongoing strong demand across its network. AirAsia becomes the world’s largest customer for the A321neo.
In total, AirAsia has placed orders for 592 A320 Family aircraft. Following the upsizing, AirAsia’s backlog with Airbus includes 353 A321neo. To date, the airline has taken delivery of 224 A320 Family aircraft, flying out of its bases in Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines and Thailand.
Airbus, Groupe ADP and the RATP Group, along with the Paris Ile-de-France region and the French civil aviation authority (DGAC), have announced the launch of a feasibility study to demonstrate an urban system of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. This collaboration, encompassing all components of land and air mobility, marks the creation of a team of recognised experts to develop not only French technology, but also a model for urban mobility, associated services and export potential.
The goal is to integrate the entire value chain: design and production; maintenance; flight operations; low-altitude air traffic management; urban integration and planning; infrastructure, both physical and digital; and passenger interfaces.
The project is based on technological building blocks such as electric propulsion and autonomy, in order to comply with energy and sustainable development requirements. Work will include the investigation of secure public digital infrastructure standards involving public and private stakeholders to promote the development of the project.
For Airbus, the objective is to establish best practices for the integration and operation of these new systems in a manner that is safe and respectful of users and the general public.
Airbus is already present in the on-demand mobility sector, with its Voom service offering, based on the use of helicopters in urban areas, and it is developing the Vahana and CityAirbus VTOL vehicle demonstrators, which are 100% electric, with zero CO2 emissions.
The RATP Group, a leader in urban mobility solutions, will focus on inter-mobility, urban insertion and acceptability issues in order to ensure that the flying autonomous vehicle is accessible to the greatest number of people while connecting with existing mobility services.
The airport complex is the archetypal intermodal centre where VTOL technology has a role to play: city/airport connections will be the first applications. Groupe ADP is prepared to act as a catalyser in the development of this service in the Paris Ile-de-France region, thanks to a network of airport platforms unique in Europe and worldwide, based on its infrastructure engineering expertise, which today includes “vertiport” platforms. The latter constitute veritable test laboratories: operations on the ground and in flight, passenger wayfinding, energy supply and maintenance.
Hamburg‘s First Mayor Peter Tschentscher is visiting the Paris Air Show today, together with the BWVI. First stops are BDLI and Premium Aerotec.
The aviation industry has committed to ambitious targets to reduce CO2 emissions.
The Chief Technology Officers of seven of the world’s leading aerospace manufacturers released today a joint statement to demonstrate how they are collaborating and sharing approaches to drive the sustainability of aviation and reach the industry-wide ATAG targets.
Read the full press release here
Middle East Airlines (MEA), the flag carrier of Lebanon, has signed a firm order for four A321XLRs, making it the launch airline customer of Airbus latest evolution of the winning A321neo family.
The agreement takes Middle East Airlines’ cumulative single aisle orders with Airbus to 15 A321neo family aircraft, including 11 A321neos and 4 A321XLRs with deliveries starting in 2020. MEA will use the A321XLR to strengthen its network in Africa and Asia.
Air Lease Corporation (ALC) (NYSE: AL), the Los Angelesbased aircraft leasing company, has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) for 100 Airbus aircraft, including for the first time 50 A220-300s and 27 A321XLRs. The agreement also includes an incremental order for an additional 23 A321neos.
Founded in 2010, this latest order takes ALC’s cumulative orders to 387 Airbus aircraft, making it Airbus’ third largest lessor customer.
The A220 is the only aircraft purpose built for the 100-150 seat market; it delivers unbeatable fuel efficiency and widebody passenger comfort in a single-aisle aircraft. The A220 brings together state-of-the-art aerodynamics, advanced materials and Pratt & Whitney’s latestgeneration PW1500G geared turbofan engines to offer at least 20 percent lower fuel burn per seat compared to previous generation aircraft. The A220 offers the performance of larger single-aisle aircraft.
With an order book of 536 aircraft at the end of May 2019, the A220 has all the credentials to win the lion’s share of the 100- to 150-seat aircraft market estimated to represent at least 7,000 aircraft over the next 20 years.
GE Aviation and Lufthansa Technik AG enlarge their collaboration on Boeing 777X MRO services. The companies have signed a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) agreement under which Lufthansa Technik will be GE's authorized service provider for the backup generator/converter (BUG and BUC) and for certain Electrical Load Management Systems (ELMS) components on the new Boeing 777X aircraft. This long-term cooperation will cover the maintenance service offerings, warranty support and 24/7 asset exchange/loan services to worldwide 777X operators.
"We are pleased to enter into a long-term cooperation with Lufthansa Technik, a global world-class MRO and asset services provider. Lufthansa Technik is strategically positioned to support the 777X customers and our GE Power components with high-tech quality repairs and overhaul services. Lufthansa Technik also brings a breadth of engineering expertise and extensive experience in maintaining civil electrical generators along with their global logistics network to provide seamless support to our mutual customers," said Joe Krisciunas, General Manager, GE Aviation's Electrical Power Systems.
Dr. Georg Fanta, Lufthansa Technik Vice President Aircraft Component Services stated, "This long-term agreement enhances Lufthansa Technik's position as a key MRO provider on 777X components. I am very pleased that we could further extend the long-standing relationship between GE and Lufthansa Technik. Together, we will generate additional customer value by combining GE's vast experience in design and product engineering with Lufthansa Technik's comprehensive strengths in repair development, MRO, and the management and handling of valuable assets."
Lufthansa is currently one of the launch customers for the new Boeing 777X aircraft with 20 total aircraft ordered. Boeing offers the 777X in several passenger aircraft configurations all powered by the GE9X engine.
Under the agreement, Lufthansa Technik will provide various 777X power component MRO services, including OEM approved repairs, warranty corrections and component modifications on behalf of GE. Lufthansa Technik will also provide and maintain a global pool of spares to support AOG services and offer customers exchanges or loans while their GE power components are being repaired. These serviceable spare components will be available to worldwide customers on a 24/7 support basis and be deployed in several stocking locations worldwide within Lufthansa Technik's vast global component supply network.
GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet, turboprop and turboshaft engines, components and integrated systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings.
Taiwan’s China Airlines (CAL) has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for 11 A321neo aircraft and will acquire another 14 aircraft of the type on lease. CAL has selected the A321neo to meet future requirements in the single aisle category.
These 25 aircraft will join the Airbus fleet at the airline currently comprising 23 A330s and 14 A350 XWBs.
With the A321neo, China Airlines will be able to operate their single aisle flights with unmatched levels of efficiency and comfort, benefitting from the highest commonality of the Airbus product range.
Dublin-based leasing company Accipiter Holdings has signed a Purchase Agreement to acquire 20 A320neo aircraft. The order, which was disclosed during the Paris Air Show by Paul Sheridan, Accipiter CEO and Isabelle Floret, Head of Leasing Markets, had been completed in March 2019, and was listed in the order books as undisclosed.
The new single-aisle aircraft will further expand the portfolio of Accipiter Holdings, which aims to be a leading player in the global leasing market and is wholly owned by Hong Kong’s CK Asset Holdings Ltd. Together with Vermillion, its joint venture with Mitsubishi Corporation subsidiary MC Aviation Partners (MCAP), Accipiter manages a total portfolio of just under 150 owned and committed aircraft.
Engine selection will be made at a later date.
JetBlue Airways will add the A321XLR to its already large fleet of Airbus aircraft and increase its existing order for Airbus A220s. JetBlue has contracted to convert 13 existing A321neo orders into firm orders for the new A321XLR, which Airbus revealed this week at the Paris Air Show. Also, JetBlue has firmed up an order for an additional 10 A220-300 aircraft from existing options.
JetBlue, a New York-based low-cost airline that differentiates itself with a high-quality passenger experience, will integrate the A321XLR and the A220-300 into its growing network of routes to a variety of key destinations. JetBlue now operates 193 A320 and A321 aircraft, has orders for 85 A321neos, and previously ordered 60 A220-300s. In April, JetBlue converted 13 A321neo aircraft in its existing order to the LR (long range) version.
Hamburg’s ZAL Center for Applied Aeronautical Research and the National Research Council of Canada’s Aerospace Research Centre sign collaboration agreement at Paris Air Show
Le Bourget, France, 19 June 2019 — Hamburg, the largest aviation site in Germany, and Canada, one of the world’s leading aerospace nations, are expanding their research cooperation. A framework agreement was signed in the presence of leading representatives of the ZAL Center for Applied Aeronautical Research and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) at this year’s biggest aviation trade fair, the Paris Air Show (17 – 23 June 2019). In 2017, the institutions launched two joint research projects regarding acoustics in the aircraft cabin and composite fiber materials. Now, the cooperation is being expanded to cover other areas of research.
With this agreement, ZAL and the NRC will be expanding their research collaboration into other forward-looking areas such as the development of new maintenance and data evaluation methods in aircraft design (“digital twinning”) as well as urban air mobility.
The agreement was signed by Roland Gerhards, Managing Director of ZAL GmbH and François Cordeau, Vice-President, Transportation and Manufacturing Division, NRC.
High-resolution photos of the signing of the agreement are available here: https://seafile.hamburg-tourism.de/f/b093646e380f4fbdb829/?dl=1
“In ZAL, the National Research Council of Canada has found the perfect partner for expanding transatlantic cooperation. Hamburg’s open and cooperative innovation culture is engaging with the comprehensive expertise of one of the leading aerospace nations. Application-oriented research and sharing the knowledge gained are essential in view of the topics that are shaping the future of aviation,” comments Hamburg’s Minister for Economic Affairs, Transport and Innovation, Senator Michael Westhagemann, on the signing of the agreement at Le Bourget.
“Since the opening of ZAL in 2016, we have guided a whole row of successful collaboration projects to take-off. It is always our goal to extend this principle internationally, and the German-Canadian projects researching cabin acoustics and fireproof composites are already bearing fruit. I am proud that we can now roll out the cooperation between our two locations at a national level, enabling us to benefit from one another,” says ZAL Managing Director Roland Gerhards.
“Canada and Germany have a long standing history of research and funding collaborations, both on the academic and private sector side and in 2017, the Government of Canada signed a Joint Declaration of Intent to recognize the existing partnerships between both countries and commit to more collaborations on research and development, and technological innovation initiatives. This international strategic partnership with ZAL reinforces our commitment to positioning ourselves as a global leader in advancing research and innovation,” says the President of the National Research Council of Canada, Iain Stewart.
“I am delighted to be expanding our research collaboration with ZAL, which will provide a framework to develop a technology roadmap for tackling R&D challenges faced by the aerospace industry and developing future focus areas. Germany is a key international partner for the National Research Council of Canada and this is another step in deepening our collaboration with German research organizations and partners,” added the National Research Council of Canada’s Vice-President of Transportation and Manufacturing, François Cordeau.
Transatlantic research started in 2017
Since 2017, the transatlantic research partners have been working together on questions of passenger comfort. One way of reducing cabin noise is to use conventional thermo-acoustic insulation. In the low frequency range, however, these are accompanied by significant weight disadvantages. Non-conventional materials, such as acoustic meta-materials, offer better acoustic insulation at lower weight. The goal of the research consortium is to bring these materials to a higher level of technological maturity. In addition, the partners from both sides of the Atlantic are working together on new fireproof composite fiber components. The aim is to make composites used in aircraft safer, environmentally friendlier and above all lighter. The program, part of the high-tech strategy of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, is receiving government and commercial funding from both Germany and Canada.
ZAL together with Hamburg Aviation in Le Bourget
The ZAL and the Aviation Cluster Hamburg Aviation will jointly exhibit at the Paris Air Show, Hall 2a/Booth C 280.
When the topic turns to successful joint European aviation projects, the first name anyone thinks of is Airbus. The consortium, which grew out of a political idea at the end of the 1960s, is celebrating its 50th birthday this year. But there is another successful European aerospace initiative celebrating a major anniversary at the Paris Air Show, with Hamburg’s Governing Mayor, Dr Peter Tschentscher, in attendance. 10 years ago, with the support of the city of Hamburg, the European Aerospace Cluster Partnership (EACP) was born.
Since 2009, EACP has been networking and bringing together aerospace regions Europe-wide, providing Europe’s aviation industry with a joint voice, especially in areas that cross borders such as education, research and SMEs. The initiative has grown and today consists of 43 cluster and network organisations from 17 countries. The spectrum encompasses major European aerospace centres such as Toulouse alongside locations in Russia and Turkey. Since being launched in 2009, EACP has managed to secure hundreds of thousands of euros in European funding for network activities. The initiative’s central office has been managed by the Hamburg Aviation cluster from the beginning.
“For 10 years now, the European Aerospace Cluster Partnership (EACP) has been a glowing example of cross-border cooperation within a given field in Europe. Hamburg has played a formative role in this idea from day one. Underlying this is the concept of bundling and enhancing through cooperation the diverse expertise to be found across Europe. This alone can make us genuinely powerful and internationally competitive in a high-tech environment such as the aviation industry”, said Dr Peter Tschentscher, Governing Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, during the celebrations at the Paris Air Show.
IMAGES from the 10 Years Anniversary of the EACP is available for download here:https://seafile.hamburg-tourism.de/f/b862b4c59b1a4994b766/?dl=1
The EACP anniversary, celebrated at this year’s most important air show worldwide in Le Bourget, was attended by political representatives from Hamburg and Brussels, more than 30 members of the initiative, and numerous other network managers from sites outside Europe, including Canada, Brazil and Japan. Hamburg’s Governing Mayor Dr Peter Tschentscher commended the leaders of the five EACP working groups,Internationalisation, Skills, Strategy, Supply Chain and Technology for their dedicated efforts.
The third Global Aerospace Cluster Summit, also organised by EACP, is taking place in the heart of the French capital on Friday 21 June. Speakers at this year’s conference, attended by top-ranking representatives of the industry, include Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy and Innovation in Québec, and Axel Krein, Executive Director of the EuropeanClean Sky research consortium.
International Airlines Group (IAG) has selected the A321XLR to expand its fleet of highly efficient single aisles with a firm order for 14 aircraft. Of these, eight are destined for Iberia and six for Aer Lingus.
IAG, the parent company of leading airlines also including British Airways, Level and Vueling, is one of Airbus’s largest customers and this agreement will take the overall order from the group to 530 aircraft. IAG airlines combined operate one of the world’s largest Airbus fleets with over 400 aircraft.
The aircraft will enable Aer Lingus to launch new routes beyond the US East Coast and Canada. For Iberia, this is a new aircraft type that will enable it to operate new transatlantic destinations and increase frequencies in key markets.
Saudi Arabian Airlines, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, has decided to expand its existing A320neo Family order from 35 to as many as 100 NEO aircraft including 35 options. The additional firm order takes SAUDIA’s order of A320neo Family aircraft to 65 of which 15 are A321XLRs.
The agreement was announced at the Paris Air Show by His Excellency Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, Director General of Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation and Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer.
Passenger demand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is experiencing strong growth on domestic, regional and international routes. The additional aircraft will be deployed to support the national carrier’s plan to boost capacity. Airbus and SAUDIA have also agreed to further expand their partnership with the development of technical training, maintenance and other services.
SAUDIA is the biggest Airbus operator in the Kingdom and currently operates a portfolio of 100 Airbus aircraft comprising A320ceo Family and A330ceo. This latest purchase is in line with the Group’s Transformation Program, which includes the establishment and growth of a dual-brand strategy of operating airlines catering to the different customer segments in the Kingdom, the region and beyond.
Cebu Pacific (CEB), a Low Cost Carrier based in the Philippines, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for 31 Airbus aircraft, comprising 16 A330neo, 10 A321XLR and 5 A320neo.
Cebu Pacific’s A330neo aircraft will be a higher capacity version of the A330-900, with 460 seats in single class configuration. The airline also becomes one of the launch airlines for the A321XLR, which will be able to fly nonstop from the Philippines to destinations as far afield as India and Australia. The A320neo aircraft announced today will be the first of the type to feature 194 seats in a single class layout.
This latest agreement supports CEB’s ongoing fleet renewal programme, which aims to have only new generation, environmentally efficient aircraft by 2024. The fast-growing carrier’s decision also strengthens its all-Airbus fleet status in the jet category.
Air Lease Corporation (ALC) (NYSE: AL), the Los Angelesbased aircraft leasing company, has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) for 100 Airbus aircraft, including for the first time 50 A220-300s and 27 A321XLRs. The agreement also includes an incremental order for an additional 23 A321neos.
Founded in 2010, this latest order takes ALC’s cumulative orders to 387 Airbus aircraft, making it Airbus’ third largest lessor customer.
The A220 is the only aircraft purpose built for the 100-150 seat market; it delivers unbeatable fuel efficiency and widebody passenger comfort in a single-aisle aircraft. The A220 brings together state-of-the-art aerodynamics, advanced materials and Pratt & Whitney’s latestgeneration PW1500G geared turbofan engines to offer at least 20 percent lower fuel burn per seat compared to previous generation aircraft. The A220 offers the performance of larger single-aisle aircraft.
With an order book of 536 aircraft at the end of May 2019, the A220 has all the credentials to win the lion’s share of the 100- to 150-seat aircraft market estimated to represent at least 7,000 aircraft over the next 20 years.
Virgin Atlantic has selected 14 A330-900s to replace its A330ceos from 2021, with options to further expand its fleet of highly efficient wide-body aircraft. The firm order for eight aircraft and six additional on lease from Air Lease Corporation (ALC) (NYSE: AL), was signed at the Paris Air Show by Shai Weiss, Virgin Atlantic CEO and Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO.
Virgin Atlantic currently operates a fleet of 40 wide-body aircraft and will soon take delivery of its first of 12 A350-1000s. This latest order for A330neos is a further commitment by Virgin Atlantic to continue modernising its fleet with aircraft offering the highest standards of fuel efficiency and noise reduction alongside the best in class cabin comfort.
Spannender Auftakt in Le Bourget: Airbus bringt den A321XLR als Ergänzung seiner A321neo-Familie auf den Markt.Exciting start in Le Bourget: Airbus launches the A321XLR as an addition to its A321neo family.
The A321XLR will thus become the next step in evolution that meets market needs for even greater range and will cut fuel consumption per seat by 30% below that of its predecessor generation rivals. From 2023, the aircraft will go on the market and is designed for an Xtra Long Range of up to 4,700 nm - 15% more than the A321LR.
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