CONTINENTAL AIRLINES TO ENHANCE BERLIN LINK
Continental Airlines is set to introduce a Boeing 767-400ER on its flights between Newark Liberty International Airport and Berlin Tegel from next summer’s schedule. The US carrier launched the route on July 1, 2005 and currently uses a 172-seat 757-200ER. However, growing demand on the route will see the widebodied model introduced from March 24, 2012 initially on a six times weekly basis but increasing to daily from April 29. The airline is the sole operator on the route and carried an estimated 37,000 O&D passengers in the past year, with additional traffic connecting via its strong domestic and regional network to other destinations in North America and the Caribbean. The majority of these (50 per cent of total market) are flying the route on the ‘CO’ code but around 10,000 are flying on the codes of fellow Star Alliance partners Lufthansa and United Airlines. There is also some leakage with an estimated 14,000 passengers (approximately 30 per cent of the total market) flying on indirect services via other hubs, the most via Frankfurt and London Heathrow. Although there is no direct competition Delta Air Lines and airberlin do provide links between Berlin and New York but offering seven and four weekly flights to John F Kennedy International Airport, respectively. An estimated 94,000 O&D passengers flew on this route in the past year.
BOEING INCREASES NEXT-GENERATION 737 PRODUCTION
US manufacturer Boeing has confirmed that it will further boost production of the Next-Generation 737 family to 42 aircraft a month during the first half of 2014 to keep up with strong demand for the airliner. This represents an increase of a third versus the current rate. Boeing presently produces 31.5 aircraft per month but had previously outlined plans to ramp up capacity to 35 units a month from early 2012, and to 38 a month by the second quarter of 2013. "Customers are demanding our Next-Generation 737 at an unprecedented rate," said Jim Albaugh, President and Chief Executive Officer, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "New performance improvements and enhanced passenger comfort features have driven home the value equation for our customers." Ahead of this week’s Paris Air Show the manufacturer had a confirmed outstanding orderbook of 2,101 Next-Generation 737s. According to Beverly Wyse, Vice President and General Manager of the 737 Program, the goal of the rate increase was to ensure good availability of what remains a popular aircraft. "We have worked very closely with our supply chain and our world-class manufacturing team to ensure we can increase rate in an efficient and responsible fashion," she said. "We believe that many of the capital investments and production system changes made for 38 airplanes per month will already position us to build 42, so we are very well situated for this rate increase."
AEROFLOT INTRODUCES SUPERJET INTO PASSENGER SERVICE
Aeroflot Russian Airlines has inaugurated passenger flights with the first of its Sukhoi Superjet SSJ100 regional jets. The carrier introduced the type on one of its Moscow – St Petersburg flights on June 16. The aircraft is the first of 30 that Aeroflot Russian Airlines has committed to receive on financial lease from VEB Leasing. It is configured in a two-class layout with 12 Business Class and 75 Economy seats. According to the airline’s latest GDS timetable, the type will also be introduced on domestic flights to Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara and Ufa. Aeroflot is also interested in acquiring up to ten larger 100-seat versions of the aircraft, which are tentatively earmarked for some of its international routes. “SSJ100 regional jets will contribute to the implementation of one of the key areas of our strategy… to build a global network airline,” said Vitaly Saveliev, General Director, Aeroflot Russian Airlines during a special event to mark the entry into service of the type.
AIRBUS INCREASES RANGE OF NEW A350-1000
Airbus and Rolls-Royce have confirmed that the new A350-1000, the largest variant of its new modern generation widebodied aircraft family, will be able to fly larger payloads over a greater range. The new airliner will be powered by an advanced version of the Trent XWB engine, which will be fully optimised for the variant, delivering up to 97,000lb of thrust on take-off. The extra thrust together with an increased aircraft take-off weight capability of 308 tonnes will enable airlines to fly the new A350-1000 approximately 400 nauticalmiles further with a full load of 350 passengers, or carry around 4.5 extra tonnes of payload at a given range. The A350-1000’s payload-range capability will perfectly support the development of long haul-routes for emerging markets such as Shanghai-Boston or Paris-Santiago, as well as more traditional ones like Manchester-Los Angeles or Dubai-Melbourne, according to the manufacturer. Airbus has currently secured orders for 75 A350-100s from four customers, comprising ten for Asiana Airlines, 20 for Emirates Airline, 25 for Etihad Airways and 20 for Qatar Airways. To accommodate the changes to the model, the aircraft is now planned to enter passenger service in mid-2017 around two years later than originally specified. “We will develop and produce an enhanced A350-1000 aircraft with outstanding payload and long range, the best economics, and 25 percent lower fuel burn and CO2 emissions than its nearest competitor,” added Fabrice Brégier, Chief Operating Officer, Airbus.
NORDIC REGIONAL JET / TURBOPROP SWITCH
SAS Scandinavian Airlines and regional partner Widerøe's Flyveselskap AS are to switch two of their routes from the Danish capital in a move that will see one route moved from a jet to a turboprop operation and the other from a turboprop to jet service. From the start of the Northern Winter schedules at the end of October, SAS will take responsibility for the Copenhagen – Trondheim route, offering a three times daily service using a Bombardier CRJ200/900s. This is currently served four times weekly by Widerøe using a Bombardier Dash 8-Q400. Meanwhile, from the same date, Widerøe will take over SAS’s three times weekly Copenhagen – Kristiansand service using a Dash 8-Q400.
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