Aviation Daily

By Joe Anselmo
A prominent research firm is warning that Airbus and Boeing may be on a path to produce more jets than the airline market can absorb.

Bureau of Transportation Statistics
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KLM’s Boeing 787-9s will be configured with 294 seats in a three-class layout with 30 full-flat seats in business class, 48 seats in premium economy and 216 economy seats in a 3-3-3 layout, the carrier has revealed.

VLM had planned to add the SSJ100 LR to its fleet in April to support its growing route network.

By Sean Broderick, Lee Ann Shay
AAR’s sale of its Telair cargo manufacturing businesses to TransDigm and revelation that its Precision Manufacturing division is for sale signal the company’s intention to focus on its growing aviation-services businesses.

By Adrian Schofield
Philippine low-cost carriers (LCCs) are pushing for rights to add more flights to Singapore, after the two countries reached a new air services agreement last month.

By Adrian Schofield
Virgin Australia is deploying its Airbus A330s on an international route for the first time, and is also introducing the aircraft on its busiest routes in Australia’s east-coast corridor.

The larger version of Bombardier’s CSeries aircraft, the CS300, reached an altitude of 41,000 ft. and a speed of 255 knots (470 kph) during its first flight.

By Jay Menon
The airline, a joint venture between India’s Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines Ltd, now has five Airbus A320s in its fleet. It plans to add six aircraft by April, and gradually increase to nine by the end of this year, Vistara CEO Phee Teik Yeoh.

With Wright Amendment restrictions in the rear-view mirror, Southwest Airlines has added daily flights from Dallas Love Field to eight more airports, bringing to 50 the number of destinations Southwest will serve from its home base. Southwest said the eight additional destinations are made possible by a deal between Southwest and United Airlines, under which the former is subleasing two Love Field gates from the latter. The arrangement gives Southwest control of 18 of Love Field’s 20 gates; it directly leases 16 gates.

Bureau of Transportation Statistics
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To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected] . (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Feb. 24-Mar. 1 —Avalon 2015, Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defense Exposition, www.airshow.com.au/airshow2015/index.asp

/site-files/aviationweek.com/files/uploads/2015/02/avd_02_27_2015_fuelw.pdf Global Jet Fuel Prices (midpoint)* As of February 25, 2015, compared with previous week and previous year cts/gal prev. week prev. year NY Jet Barges 189.59 1.48 -118.47 Chicago Jet 196.06 8.2 -110.25 West Coast (LA) Jet 179.93 -3.17 -119.12 Europe: Rotterdam Jet (Barges) 174.24 -9.02 -121.26

/site-files/aviationweek.com/files/uploads/2015/02/avd_02_27_2015_cht1.pdf U.S. Airlines Domestic Seasonally-Adjusted Passenger Enplanements

By Graham Warwick
In a sign of the increasing maturity of Bombardier’s CSeries airliner, the first test aircraft for the stretched, 135-seat CS300 variant flew for about 5 hours on its first flight from Mirabel, near Montreal, on Feb. 27.
Air Transport

By Jens Flottau
Airbus is studying A320-family production rates in excess of 60 aircraft per month, as the company continues to see strong demand for the type.

By Sean Broderick
Lessors are reporting more demand for older aircraft but see no evidence that airlines are changing their minds about new-generation models they have lined up for either expansion or replacement.

International Airlines Group (IAG) has demonstrated it is possible to turn a struggling European legacy airline around, as Iberia reported a €50 million ($55.9 million) operating profit for 2014, reversing years of losses, and achieved a 1.5% operating margin.

Mexican ultra-low-cost-carrier (ULCC) Volaris attributes much of its fourth-quarter and full-year success to the growth of ancillary revenues, which now account for 21% of total operating revenues.

By Sean Broderick
The debut installation by Runway Safe, provider of runway safety area overrun arrestor beds, is “weathering well through the harsh Chicago winter” and will soon be outfitted with special instrumentation to monitor its resilience to jet blast, the company’s head of U.S. operations tells Aviation Daily.

Norwegian Air Shuttle’s (NAS) U.S.-based employees are urging the Obama administration to approve Norwegian Air International’s (NAI) foreign air carrier permit application, adding their voices to the din surrounding NAI’s controversial application.

By Adrian Schofield
Boeing and the airline intend to formalize the order soon, and deliveries of the 787s are due to begin in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Delta Air Lines is objecting to American Airlines’ plan to begin double-daily service between Los Angeles and Mexico City starting in June, arguing that the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) should instead permit Delta to fly the route three times per day.

LOS ANGELES—Air China is seeing a slight drop in premium cabin corporate traffic to North America but has made up for it with a “surge” in paid travel