RwandAir to Enhance Connectivity with Second 737-800
RwandAir has confirmed it will take delivery of its second Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 on October 26 and expects the aircraft to arrive at its Kigali International Airport base two days later on October 28. The aircraft has already undergone flight tests and was due to return to the hangars this week for painting in the airline’s full corporate livery. The aircraft will be used to enhance RwandAir’s schedules from November 21 with the introduction of a fourth weekly frequency and it plans to grow to a daily service in the future. It will also be used to boost capacity on the Kigali – Brazzaville – Libreville route, with full fifth freedom rights.
Copa Airlines to Upgrade Guatemala City and Montego Bay to Boeing
Panama City-based Copa Airlines is set to upgrade its routes from Tocumen International Airport to Guatemala City and Montego Bay from Embraer E-Jet equipment to Next-Generation Boeing 737s from next spring. In the latest update to the airline’s GDS inventory its five times weekly service to Guatemala City will be switched from an E190 to a 737-700 from April 1, 2012 while its twice weekly Montego Bay route will see a similar aircraft change from April 22, 2012. The airline will also make some capacity amendments on its new routes to Asuncion and Toronto, which start in December. These were planned to be flown using 737-700s, but at least half of the four times weekly flights will now be operated by larger 737-800s.
Korean Air Cancels Frankfurt A380 Introduction
Korean Air will not introduce the Airbus A380 on its flights between Seoul Incheon and Frankfurt as it had previously planned and will instead ramp up its flights to the US with the Superjumbo. The South Korean flag carrier was due to introduce the A380 on its daily route to the German city on December 1, replacing a Boeing 777-300ER, but the latest changes to its GDS inventory show the route will continue to be flown with the twin-engined aircraft until spring next year. The A380 previously allocated to this route will instead be used to boost capacity to New York JFK, where the type will be used on ten weekly flights from December 4 (up from seven currently) and to a double-daily schedule from February 14, 2012. The type will also continue to operate to Los Angeles and the trunk Asian routes to Hong Kong and Tokyo Narita.
ATR Order Provides Growth Options for AirNZ
Air New Zealand this week ordered seven ‘new-generation’ ATR 72-600 turboprops with purchase options for a further five in a deal that will support a renewed focus on developing air service connections to regional New Zealand. The tentative contract, which remains subject to a formal signing, potentially doubles the size of Air New Zealand’s ATR fleet and will put a further two million seats into the New Zealand regional market annually. And for travellers this will mean a large increase in the number of business and leisure seats available on regional routes, according to the carrier. The first of the 68-seat ATR72-600 aircraft will be delivered to Air New Zealand in October 2012 followed by a second in December that year, two in 2013 and another each year for three years. The five purchase options are available for delivery between 2014 and 2016. This follows Air New Zealand’s investment in 23 Bombardier Dash 8-Q300 aircraft over the past six years and the purchase from lease of the majority of the existing ATR 72-500 fleet over the past eighteen months. “At a time when other businesses have shown little appetite to invest significantly in assets, particularly where revenue is derived from regional New Zealand, we have not waivered in our belief in the long-term strength of the domestic economy,” said Rob Fyfe, Chief Executive Officer, Air New Zealand. “Thanks to the purchase of larger aircraft and the lowering of fares we have seen regional passenger numbers increase by an average 5.6 per cent annually since 2003, resulting in our regional airlines carrying 54 per cent more passengers to 4.3 million in the year ended September. The new-generation ATR 72-600 features a new cabin layout with larger overhead bins, improved seating and advanced cockpit technology including Required Navigation Performance (RNP) technology. The latter will further enhance Air New Zealand’s ability to maintain services during inclement weather to and from destinations like Queenstown, Rotorua and Wellington. “The current ATR 72-500 – which sits alongside our Q300s and Beech 1900Ds - has been a core part of our regional operations since 1999 and has been a popular aircraft type with customers, serving 14 different domestic routes,” said Bruce Parton, Group General Manager Australasia, Air New Zealand. “The new ATR 72-600 aircraft will give us the means to up-gauge Q300 operated routes that will require more capacity in the coming years. In turn, this will release Q300 aircraft to up-gauge on some Beech 1900D operated routes, enabling us to look at start-up routes. So there is benefit in bringing in the larger turboprops and cascading growth down throughout our regional operation.” It is likely that the new fleet will be Auckland-based and some routes currently serviced by the smaller Q300s, such as Nelson - Auckland and New Plymouth - Auckland, have already been earmarked for upgrade to the larger turboprop.
American Airlines to Cut 757 Fleet
American Airlines is to adjust its Northern Winter flight schedule after confirming it will retire eleven Boeing 757-200s from passenger service during 2012. The carrier says the changes to its late fall and winter schedule will result in a 3 per cent decline in fourth quarter mainline capacity on a year-on-year basis. "While our advance bookings are generally in line with last year, we are taking these additional steps in light of the uncertain economic environment, ongoing high fuel costs and to ensure we run a reliable schedule for our customers given additional pilot retirements we anticipate throughout the fourth quarter," said Virasb Vahidi, Chief Commercial Officer, American Airlines. The carrier says it has been hit by fuel price rises and the fact an anticipated improvement in the broader economy failed to materialise. Following the revisions, American expects mainline full-year capacity to increase about 0.4 per cent year-on-year and consolidated capacity to be up approximately 1.2 per cent. The retirement of the 757s are the first step in the airline’s fleet renewal and the anticipation of the first deliveries from Airbus and Boeing of new short-haul models from 2013.
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