American Airlines announced one of the largest aircraft orders in commercial aviation history Wednesday, signing up for 130 Airbus A320 family aircraft, 130 re-engined A320neos, 100 CFM56-7B-powered 737NGs and also committing to order 100 of a new variant 737 with CFM Leap-X engines. Boeing and Airbus will help finance the aircraft, AA said.
Singapore Airlines said it will increase frequencies to a variety of destinations during the northern hemisphere's winter operating season in response to growing demand. An additional daily service will be introduced on the Singapore-Bangkok route, increasing flight frequency to five per day from four, while services between SIN and Tokyo Haneda will return to twice-daily from daily. Frequency on the SIN-Osaka route will increase to 11 flights per week from 10.
AirBaltic announced it will retire its Fokker 50 fleet this winter season to speed up its fleet modernization process. The Fokker 50s originally were scheduled to operate until 2013. Last year, the carrier introduced Bombardier Q400s to its fleet.
Air Southwest will cease operations at the end of September, owing partly to the planned closure of its home base, Plymouth City Airport, in December. The small UK regional carrier had anticipated keeping its Newquay base, but ultimately decided those flights are "not viable on their own without the association with Plymouth."
Qantas will fast-track modifications of Rolls-Royce RB211 engines powering its Boeing 747-400 fleet to stem failures caused by cracked high-pressure compressor blades, of which the airline has suffered three this year and two late last year.
Lufthansa's recent labor agreement with the Vereinigung Cockpit union, increasing wages for 4,500 LH pilots, is valid until April 30, 2012. SkyWest Inc., the Utah-based parent of regionals SkyWest Airlines, Atlantic Southeast Airlines and ExpressJet, said financial results for the June quarter will be "breakeven," lower than it "previously anticipated."
News from ATW’s Eco-Aviation Today: Virgin Australia announced that it is partnering with Sydney-based Renewable Oil Corp., Vancouver-based Dynamotive Energy Systems Corp. and Australia’s Future Farm Industries Co-operative Research Centre (CRC) to develop a sustainable aviation biofuel that benefits the Australian farming community and the environment.
Southwest Airlines, the Southwest Airlines Pilots Assn. union representing SWA pilots and the Air Line Pilots Assn. representing AirTran Airways' cockpit crew said over the weekend that an "agreement in principle" was reached to integrate the two pilot groups' seniority lists.
Hainan Airlines Group is considering investing in financially troubled Malev Hungarian Airlines, according to an industry insider in China who said the Haikou-based carrier is in negotiations with the state-owned airline.
Southwest Airlines, the Southwest Airlines Pilots Assn. union representing SWA pilots and the Air Line Pilots Assn. representing AirTran Airways' cockpit crew said over the weekend that an "agreement in principle" has been reached to integrate the two pilot groups' seniority lists.
AerCap Holdings entered into a purchase-leaseback transaction with American Airlines to finance up to 35 Boeing 737-800s, including 29 firm deliveries—26 of which were previously ordered—plus three new orders. The deal also covers six optional 737-800s, which, if exercised by the carrier, would be delivered in 2013-2014.
Air India, Star Alliance and senior officials from the Indian government and the Civil Aviation Authority are scheduled to meet Monday to discuss the progress of the carrier’s induction into the alliance.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines told ATW’s Eco-Aviation Today that the first Amsterdam-Paris Charles de Gaulle return flight on June 29 th using a Boeing 737-800 partially powered by biofuel operated "exactly the same—as expected—as flights on traditional kerosene."
Lufthansa and the Jülich Research Centre (FZJ) have launched an innovative climate research project for the long-term observation of the Earth’s atmosphere using scheduled LH services. Specially developed measurement devices on board a Lufthansa A340-300 “Viersen” will routinely record atmospheric trace substances, and in the future, aerosols and cloud particles as well, while in flight. This shall occur all over the world and on a broad basis. The generated data will be digitally sampled, processed and analyzed after every landing.
Virgin Australia announced that it is partnering with Sydney-based Renewable Oil Corp., Vancouver-based Dynamotive Energy Systems Corp. and Australia’s Future Farm Industries Co-operative Research Centre (CRC) to develop a sustainable aviation biofuel that benefits the Australian farming community and the environment. In a world first, the consortium will use innovative fast pyrolysis technology developed by Dynamotive to process mallees, a eucalypt tree that can be grown sustainably in many parts of Australia.
AerCap Holdings had a busy second quarter in which it signed new lease agreements for 16 aircraft, delivered seven, purchased one Airbus A330 and one A320, and sold one A321 and one Boeing 737-400. It also inked contracts for the sale of another four aircraft from its owned portfolio (two A320s, one 737-300, one 757-200), and four aircraft from its managed portfolio (one 737-400, three 737-500s).
