Airbus starts new Toulouse A320 Family final assembly line

A321-capable, state-of-the-art industrial site to support Airbus’ commercial aircraft ramp-up

Airbus has inaugurated its new A320 Family final assembly line (FAL) in Toulouse during a ceremony attended by French Minister of Economy & Finance Bruno Le Maire, French Transport Minister Clément Beaune, Minister of State for Industry Roland Lescure, and Minister of State for Territorial Collectivities and Rural Affairs Dominique Faure, as well as hundreds of Airbus employees.

“The inauguration of this new A321-capable final assembly line in Toulouse represents another milestone in the ongoing modernisation of our global industrial system. This FAL will contribute to the ongoing production rate ramp-up to 75 A320 Family aircraft per month in 2026, while meeting the increased demand for A321s which currently represents around 60 percent of the total A320 Family backlog,” said Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury. “We’re pleased to see this new facility join our worldwide network of final assembly sites which will comprise four FALs in Hamburg, Germany; two in Toulouse, France; two in Mobile, United States; and two in Tianjin, China, all them capable of assembling the A321.”

A variety of innovations feature prominently in this latest A320 Family final assembly line, with the aim of maximising product quality, efficiency, as well as establishing new standards for health, safety and sustainability. These innovations include digital production control using tablets and smartphones to reduce paper consumption, automated logistics for parts distribution and light-weight robots for joining sections.

Installed in the former A380 “Jean-Luc Lagardère” assembly building, the new FAL started initial operations at the end of 2022 with the delivery of the first fuselage sections. The roll-out of the first aircraft fully assembled in this facility - an A321 - is expected to take place by the end of this year. The industrial site will progressively ramp up operations between now and 2025, directly employing around 700 workers.

 

Massive order for 500 Airbus A320 family aircraft from IndiGo

IndiGo, India’s largest airline by market share, has placed a firm order for 500 A320 Family aircraft, setting the record for the biggest single purchase agreement in the history of commercial aviation. The latest agreement takes the total number of Airbus aircraft on order by IndiGo to 1,330, establishing its position as the world’s biggest A320 Family customer.

The historic purchase agreement was signed by Rahul Bhatia, Promoter & Managing Director of IndiGo, Dr. Venkataramani Sumantran, Chairman and Non-Executive Independent Director of IndiGo, Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO, and Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International, at the Paris Air Show 2023.

Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, said, “It is difficult to overstate the significance of IndiGo’s new historic order for 500 Airbus A320 Family aircraft. An order book now of almost 1000 aircraft well into the next decade, enables IndiGo to fulfil its mission to continue to boost economic growth, social cohesion and mobility in India. At IndiGo, we take pride in being India’s preferred airline for connectivity in and with India; and by doing so, being one of the leading airlines in the world. This order strongly reaffirms IndiGo’s belief in the growth of India, in the A320 Family and in our strategic partnership with Airbus.”

“This landmark order marks a new chapter in Airbus and IndiGo’s relationship that is democratising affordable air travel for millions of people in the world’s fastest growing aviation market. It is also a resounding endorsement of the A320 Family’s best-in-class operating economics that have been powering IndiGo’s growth for almost two decades. We cherish our long-standing relationship with IndiGo and are proud of our success together. We look forward to contributing to the growth of India’s air connectivity in its domestic network and into international markets through the expansion of this formidable partnership” , said Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International at Airbus.

Airbus and China aviation industry sign next phase in partnership

Airbus and China aviation industry sign next phase in partnership

General Terms Agreement to allocate 160 aircraft to Chinese airlines

Expanding capacity at Tianjin A320 Final Assembly Line to contribute to global rate 75

Upscaling the production and use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels

During a French state visit to China, Airbus signed away various rights in a new cooperation agreement with its China Aviation industry partners.

Witnessed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron, Airbus CEO, Guillaume Faury signed with the Tianjin Free Trade Zone Investment Company Ltd., and Aviation Industry Corporation of China Ltd., an agreement to expand A320 Family final assembly capacity with a second line at its Tianjin site. The agreement will contribute to Airbus’ overall rate objective of 75 aircraft per month in 2026 throughout its global production network.

Currently, Airbus has four A320 Family final assembly sites worldwide: Hamburg (Germany), Toulouse (France), Mobile (USA) and Tianjin (China). The Tianjin Final Assembly Line (FAL Asia) started operation in 2008 and has assembled over 600 A320 Family aircraft to date. In March 2023 the first A321neo aircraft was delivered from the line, marking a new era of enhanced A320 Family production versatility.

In addition, Airbus also signed General Terms of Agreement (GTA) with the China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CAS) covering the purchase of 160 Airbus commercial aircraft. The GTA comprises earlier announcements for 150 A320 Family aircraft and for 10 A350-900 widebody aircraft orders, reflecting the strong demand in all market segments by Chinese carriers.

Budget airline Allegiant shows off a new one-of-a-kind livery on an Airbus A320

Allegiant unveiled a special addition to its fleet this week: a one-of-a-kind livery designed by – and for – the airline's employees.

 

The new design, displayed on the tail and fuselage of an Airbus A320, is one of only six Allegiant aircraft featuring a special livery.

It is not often that Allegiant alters its famous sunburst livery, CEO John Redmond told a crowd of employees during a ceremony at Punta Gorda Airport in Florida Tuesday. But the company wanted to honor employees in a very public and permanent way.

"We wanted to find a way to show the world that our employees are the lifeblood of Allegiant,"  Redmond said. "This new livery is more than just a coat of paint, it's a symbol of the collective strength and resilience of being Allegiant Proud. We hope it serves as a reminder of the incredible things our employees can accomplish when we work together."

The livery is not only dedicated to Allegiant employees; the design was inspired by them. Employees were asked to submit words describing what they loved about Allegiant. Dozens of their choices, including "bold," "amazing," "limitless" and more, adorn the aircraft's fuselage, surrounding Allegiant's motto of "Together we fly."

The aircraft will be based in Punta Gorda, a community that endured the full force of Hurricane Ian when it hit Southwest Florida in September.

Wings deliver Airbus A320-200 aircraft to Air Serbia

Wings Capital Partners have completed the delivery of one Airbus A320-200 aircraft to Air Serbia in Belgrade, which will provide additional capacity for Air Serbia’s growing fleet.

“Wings delivery of this A320 aircraft to Air Serbia commences our relationship with the airline,” said Gerry Burke, Wings’ Vice President, Marketing. “We are very proud to support Air Serbia’s growing fleet needs with the delivery of this aircraft and look forward to a long relationship with the airline.”

"Fleet renewal is one of the most significant strategic activities for Air Serbia in the recent period. After a detailed consideration of the market offers, we decided to strengthen our fleet with an A320 aircraft from Wings Capital Partners LLC. With a YU-APO registration, the new Airbus already flies all over Europe, supporting our passengers with reliable and comfortable flights," said Zoran Ekmeščić, General Manager Supply Chain, at Air Serbia.

Air Serbia is the national airline of the Republic of Serbia, the successor of the first national airline, Aeroput, established in Belgrade in 1927. We have been operating under our present name since October 2013.

Air Serbia operates scheduled, seasonal and charter flights to over 70 destinations in Europe, the Mediterranean, North America, Asia and Africa, in passenger and cargo traffic. In cooperation with our airline partners, we also offer flights to international destinations in Asia, Australia, North America and Africa.

In addition to Nikola Tesla Airport in Belgrade, which is our base, Air Serbia also flies from Constantine the Great Airport in Niš and from International Airport Morava near Kraljevo.

GA Telesis confirms delivery of three A320 to SmartLynx Airlines of Latvia....

GA Telesis has confirmed the delivery of three A320 aircraft on long-term lease to SmartLynx Airlines. The aircraft are part of the GA Telesis-owned fleet and were delivered to SmartLynx throughout 2022.

GA Telesis’ Leasing, Investment, Financing & Trading (“LIFT”) Group has continued on a steep growth trajectory by purchasing quality assets, investing in maintenance, and placing on a long-term lease. These aircraft were purchased over the last 18 months and will assist SmartLynx in continuing to provide top-tier ACMI and charter services for their established customer base.

“SmartLynx has established itself as a global leader in the ACMI market over the last number of years. Their growing fleet of passenger and freighter aircraft will ensure they are well positioned to continue to serve their customers’ needs with high-quality operating assets,” commented Marc Cho, Chief Investment Officer and President of LIFT. Cho further remarked, “GA Telesis is pleased to be part of the SmartLynx success story.”

“We are very pleased to continue to execute on our growth plans with the addition of these three A320s,” commented Zygimantas Surintas, CEO, SmartLynx

Ural Airlines Airbus jet suffers damage in landing incident.

Photo: Investigative Committee Russian Federation

According to local media and Aviation Safety Network, an Airbus A320 of Ural Airlines suffered damage to its main landing gear and tyres whilst landing at Irkutsk Airport, Russia on Wednesday, 2nd November.

The aircraft was operating flight U62942 and reports indicate the crew landed with the main gear brakes locked on, with the jet becoming immobilized after on the runway. The crew said they had a warning of brake failure at a height of 500 metres with the parking brake being applied and the wheels remaining locked during the landing.

The crew The pilots of the Ural Airlines Airbus A320 reportedly experienced a critical brake failure at an altitude of 500 m, when the parking brake spontaneously applied on the aircraft. The alarm was triggered. The wheels remained locked for landing.

This could be a very costly incident for Ural Airlines as western aircraft spares are currently prohibited from being supplied to Russian carriers under sanctions imposed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent war.  Current Airbus and Boeing aircraft spares are in very short supply, according to local reports, with many aircraft grounded and some being cannibalised for parts to keep others operational. 

a 10th Airbus A320-200 for Allegiant from Air Lease Corp.

Air Lease Corporation has confirmed the delivery of a tenth Airbus A320-200 aircraft to the U.S. budget carrier Allegiant this week.  The jet was formerly on lease to Alaska Airlines and is the tenth of ten used Alaska A320s the firm has delivered to Allegiant Air. 

“ALC is pleased to announce this tenth A320 delivery to Allegiant,” said Steven Udvar-Házy, Executive Chairman of Air Lease Corporation. “These ten young A320s are providing valuable service to Allegiant’s growing fleet with advanced technology and fuel efficiency.”

To replace Alaska’s A320 fleet, ALC and Alaska signed long-term lease agreements for 14 new Boeing 737- MAX 9 aircraft of which 11 have already been delivered. The remaining aircraft are scheduled to deliver through the end of 2022 from ALC’s order book with Boeing.

AerCap agrees retention and lease extension deal with SAS for 6 Airbus A320 Aircraft

AerCap confirmed today that it has signed agreements with SAS for the retention and lease extension of six Airbus A320 aircraft.

"We are delighted to support SAS as it implements its business transformation plan, 'SAS FORWARD', through a voluntary chapter 11 process which is expected to lead to a financially stable and profitable airline. These aircraft will help to support SAS with its objectives of being a highly competitive and operationally efficient airline," said Aengus Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, AerCap. "SAS has been a long-time customer of AerCap, and we wish Anko van der Werff and all the SAS team every success and we look forward to building on our partnership for many years to come."

CDB Aviation completes deliveries of ten Airbus A320-200 aircraft to Indonesia’s Super Air Jet

 

Indonesia’s newest low-cost airline, Super Air Jet Airbus A320-200   Photo CDB Aviation

Chinese-owned leasing giant CDB Aviation, announced today the delivery of the last of ten Airbus A320-200 aircraft to Indonesia’s newest low-cost airline, Super Air Jet

The aircraft were delivered to the carrier over a period of 18 months and are meant to support the development of Super Air Jet as a leading airline supporting the growth of domestic traffic in fast-growing Indonesia as the region’s market continues to recover from the pandemic.

“We are pleased to have been part of the launch of Super Air Jet as they eye further growth in their share of Indonesia’s domestic market, expanding their low-fare route network and connecting all key regions of the country,” noted CDB Aviation Head of Commercial, Asia Pacific Ryan Barrett.

Peter Goodman, CDB Aviation’s Chief Marketing Officer, emphasized that the deepening of our relationship with SAJ further advances our support for their ambitious roadmap development.

“SAJ’s growth prospects in Indonesia are very promising. Our team’s prerogative was to provide the most attractive financing terms and the right scale of leased aircraft to aptly support SAJ’s growth trajectory and low-unit cost operating model for the foreseeable future,” added Goodman.

Super Air Jet  is an Indonesian airline headquartered in Jakarta. The airline adopts a low-cost carrier model that focuses on point-to-point journeys between islands in Indonesia, with the new generation as a target market. SAJ promises high connectivity, reliability, and reasonably priced transportation over its wide route network. This is capacitated by the experience of its sponsors and management team, which are supported by an ecosystem of maintenance capabilities and aviation intelligence facilities. The airline plans to stand out as a digital pioneer and foresees the implementation of cutting-edge technology, to elevate the experiences of the next generations of flyers in Indonesia. 

HiSky to lease two new Airbus aircraft from Air Lease Corporation

Air Lease Corporation confirmed the long-term lease placements for two new Airbus A321neo LR aircraft with HiSky.  Scheduled to deliver to the European carrier in March 2023 from ALC’s order book with Airbus, these two new A321neo LRs join one Airbus A319 and four A320s currently on lease to the airline from ALC and its managed vehicles, Blackbird I and II. 

“ALC is pleased to announce this placement with HiSky for two new A321neo LRs,” said David Beker, Senior Vice President of Air Lease Corporation.  “HiSky launched in 2020 with used A320 family aircraft exclusively provided by ALC and they have grown their business consistently since then.  The airline is now ready to take the next step in their growth plans and we are happy to support this expansion with two brand-new A321neo LRs."

“The addition of these two new A321neo LR aircraft is the right ingredient to sustain our growth strategy in 2023,” said Iulian Scorpan CEO of HiSky.  “We are grateful to ALC for the opportunity to operate the industry’s most modern aircraft offering top performance, range, and fuel efficiency.  Starting in April 2023, HiSky passengers will benefit from several long-range nonstop flight solutions to be announced this autumn.”

Photo HiSky

HiSky is a company with one hundred per cent private capital that arose from the sincere desire to become an attractive alternative in the local and regional markets. It is a carrier that operates flights from Cluj, Iasi and Chisinau to some of the most important destinations in Europe. It is an airline that has adopted a low-cost business model, with a range of offers and add-ons for a fee.

Photo HiSky

SmartLynx Airlines increasing fleet to 60 aircraft to cope with growing demand.....................

SmartLynx Airlines provides Aircraft-Crew-Maintenance-Insurance services to help several European airlines deal with a resource crisis caused by the rising passenger numbers, lack of spare parts, and labour shortages. The company currently operates a fleet of 44 aircraft, which is expected to increase to 60 by the end of the summer, making SmartLynx Airlines the operator of the largest aircraft fleet in the Baltic countries.

“The aviation market has experienced great fluctuations in the past three years – from the best year in history in terms of passenger turnover to 2020, when this business almost ceased to exist. Currently, airlines around the world are seeing a huge increase in passenger numbers, struggling to meet the demand. Due to disruptions in supply chains, spare parts for aircraft repairs arrive late, there are labour shortages at both airlines and airports, and fuel prices have increased significantly. At the moment, the biggest problems can be observed at the large airports in the Netherlands and Great Britain, where people have to wait in long queues as the airports are short-handed,” says SmartLynx Airlines CEO Žygimantas Surintas.

In most cases, Aircraft-Crew-Maintenance-Insurance is a short- or medium-term solution so that airlines could ensure the necessary number of flights during the high season. Airlines that have large fleets also use this service when an aircraft has technical problems and a quick solution is needed, which also comes with excellent service. SmartLynx Airlines is currently one of the largest ACMI operators in Europe with a 30% market share, and the largest in Great Britain (69%). The expansion in the British market is due to the fact that, in the wake of Brexit, airlines are short of employees as crews of UK-registered aircraft must have British visas, which is why airlines prefer to lease aircraft with crews.

“Buying new aircraft means enormous investment, and for the purchase to be profitable, the plane needs to be up in the air all year round, carrying cargo or passengers. That is why airlines do not purchase additional aircraft for crisis situations, but rather lease aircraft from other airlines when necessary. ACMI operators, or Aircraft-Crew-Maintenance-Insurance companies, offer airlines an alternative to the financial burden associated with long-term aircraft ownership by providing temporary access to aircraft, crews, maintenance, and insurance," explains SmartLynx Airlines CEO Žygimantas Surintas.

Using the crisis as an opportunity

Airbus extends Satellite Based Landing System (SLS) capability to A320 Family and delivers first aircraft to easyJet

Airbus has delivered the first Airbus A320neo equipped with the latest Satellite-Based Landing System (SLS) technology to long standing customer easyJet. SLS enables pilots to perform ‘straight-in’ approaches using satellite precision when coming into land at airports, without the need for additional ground-based systems such as *ILS, even in low-visibility conditions, while saving fuel and reducing emissions.

SLS first entered service in Europe with the A350 in 2015 after Airbus had successfully pioneered its development and introduction for *CAT1 approaches with support of the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) – formerly known as the GSA – and the European Commission. An SLS function is also available on A220 and A330 aircraft families and in progress for the A380.

“By using SLS, airlines benefit from improved operational capabilities and operational efficiency,” says Philippe Mhun, Airbus Head of Programmes and Services. “We are very pleased to offer this new Air Traffic Management capability now on the A320 Family, which demonstrates how Airbus is keeping its aircraft at the cutting-edge of technology.” He adds: “The introduction of satellite-based technologies highlights the benefit of Airbus’ cross-divisional collaboration. With Airbus Defence and Space being one of the world leaders in satellite technology, we take advantage of this expertise and apply it to commercial aviation. We are grateful for the excellent support provided by the EUSPA and the European Commission.”

Finnair wet leases an A320 from DAT for the busy summer season

Photo DAT

Finnair will lease an A320 aircraft and crew from DAT - Danish Air Transport for the busy summer season. The aircraft will be operating selected frequencies on Finnair’s route between Helsinki and Copenhagen in June, and on Finnair’s routes between Helsinki and Oulu and Helsinki and Lisbon between July and October.  

The flight deck and cabin crew for these flights come from DAT, and the flights have Finnair’s service concept.  

“We are preparing for a busy summer season, and this agreement with DAT supports our target of ensuring stable and reliable operations as travel is now picking up”, says Ole Orvér, Chief Commercial Officer, Finnair.  

Customers, who have a booking on a flight where the operating carrier changes from Finnair to DAT, will get a message about the change. In case customers wish to make changes to their reservation, they are asked to contact Finnair customer services for assistance.  

DAT is a Danish airline, operating regional routes in Denmark, Norway, Italy, Germany and Finland, and providing charter and ACMI services.  

 

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JetBlue introduces nonstop flights from New York's JFK to Puerto Vallarta

New York's hometown airline JetBlue has just launched a service between its home base of New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Puerto Vallarta’s Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport (PVR).

This new service will operate four times a week with a mix of both the Airbus A321neo and A320 aircraft. The outbound flight departs JFK at 09:00 and arrives at PVR at 14:10. The return sector departs at 15:26 to get back into JFK at 21:31.

“As demand for travel continues to increase, we are excited to introduce the new route to Puerto Vallarta, offering our Northeast customers a new destination in Mexico,” said Andrea Lusso, vice president network planning, JetBlue. “We look forward to continuing expanding our network and international presence in Latin America as part of our growth strategy.”

Nestled between the rugged Sierra Madre Mountains and Banderas Bay on Mexico’s Pacific coast, Puerto Vallarta is a new third option for JetBlue customers looking to travel to Mexico. From the charming cobblestone streets in downtown to the art-filled Malecon, and the lively Romantic Zone, Puerto Vallarta offers an authentic cultural experience for visitors. Puerto Vallarta’s picturesque beaches, family-friendly activities, world-class gastronomy and warm hospitality attract loyal return travellers year after year.

“We are thrilled to welcome visitors from the Northeast to Puerto Vallarta thanks to this new direct service from JetBlue,” said Luis Villaseñor, Managing Director for Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board. “JetBlue has made it easier than ever to escape to warm and sunny Puerto Vallarta, the quintessential Mexican beach destination.”

“For Grupo Aeropuertuario del Pacifico (GAP) welcoming JetBlue for the first time in Puerto Vallarta is a celebration and a sign that the best is yet to come, by demonstrating passengers feel confident travelling and the airport provides the highest safety measures and investment in its history to offer customers the best travel experience,” said Briana Gisel Banda Renteria, Head of Public Relations and Project Management of the Puerto Vallarta International Airport.”

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Airbus to support Philippine Airlines’ traffic ramp up with cabin upgrades and new material services

Airbus to support Philippine Airlines’ traffic ramp up with cabin upgrades and new material services 

Philippine Airlines (PAL) has selected Airbus to perform cabin modification for 15 aircraft and expand the material services programme for the airline’s Airbus fleet. 

The cabin modification agreement covers 11 A320, two A330-300s and two A350-900s.

When completed, PAL’s A320s will have 24 extra seats to bring the total seat count to 180, a configuration that suits the airline’s requirements for short-haul inter-island domestic routes. The two A330s will gain an additional 50 seats to bring the total seat count to 359 for better airlift capability on key higher-density regional routes and repatriation flights. The A350s will gain another 18 seats for a total of 313 seats, which still preserves the roomy cabin layout and passenger-friendly experience that PAL Business Class and Economy Class travellers enjoy on the A350’s long-haul routes.

PAL has contracted Airbus to provide the relevant Service Bulletins and kits required for the cabin modification programme, which comes as part of the carrier’s fleet restructuring plans. 

“Philippine Airlines believes that, as we exit the pandemic, our fleet restructuring strategy helps us to better adapt to changing market situations and ensure that we are well-positioned for recovery,” said Nilo Thaddeus Rodriguez, PAL Chief Financial Officer. “Our aircraft deployment decisions and related technical support arrangements are tailored for a restructured network that suits a vastly different global environment.” 

Russian airline Aeroflot starting key holiday flights

The Russian airline Aeroflot has opened regular flights from Moscow to key holiday destinations including Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt. The carrier has started daily services using Airbus A320 aircraft. 

Flights will be operated daily from October 1 on the following schedule:

Route	Flight	Departure	Arrival
Moscow — Hurghada	SU0422	11:40	15:55
Hurghada — Moscow	SU0423	17:25	23:50
Moscow — Sharm El Sheikh	SU0426	12:05	16:20
Sharm El Sheikh - Moscow	SU0427	17:50	00:10(+1)

The resumption of international air service between Russia and Egypt has been long-awaited. Egypt is one of favourite leisure destinations for Russians. Tourists are mostly attracted by the resort cities of Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh. In addition to beach holidays, travellers go on short sightseeing tours to Cairo and to visit the Pyramids of Giza and the Valley of the Kings.

 Dominican Republic

Another holiday destination to get regular Aeroflot flights from Moscow is Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic), which will initially operate on Fridays and Sundays, and starting from November, on Wednesdays as well. Thus, the frequency will be three weekly services.

Flights will be operated on Airbus A350, the most advanced wide-body aircraft in Aeroflot’s fleet. Aeroflot’s A350 has a three-class cabin layout with 28 private business class Suites, 24 Comfort economy seats, and 264 Economy class seats. The business class cabin design featuring 2-metre full-flat beds in each Suite offers an unprecedented level of comfort, rivalling the first-class cabins of most major carriers.  The Suites provide a high level of privacy and personal space.

LATAM Airlines to upgrade more than 200 A320 family aircraft

LATAM Airlines is to upgrade their A320 Family fleet with Airbus’ “Descent Profile Optimisation” (DPO) function – a fuel-saving enhancement to the aircraft’s on-board Flight Management System (FMS) performance database. This upgrade will be performed on over 200 of their A320 family fleet, becoming the biggest Airbus fleet equipped with this powerful fuel saving solution.

All the equipment kits required for the installation of the DPO performance software on LATAM’s A320 Family fleet will start to be delivered from the end of 2021 until early 2022.

The DPO function allows aircraft to descend from cruise altitude using only idle engine thrust, which reduces fuel consumption, bringing proportional CO2 and NOx (nitrogen oxide emissions) reductions. To further enhance the fuel reduction DPO maximises the time spent at efficient cruise level -by not starting the descent too early- and subsequently minimising the amount of time spent at an inefficient ‘level-off’ stage at the bottom of the descent –when the aircraft’s engines generate thrust to maintain level flight in dense air prior to final landing approach.

Optimisation of the aircraft’s flight trajectory is one of the key factors to further improve efficiency in cooperation with Air Traffic Control. By optimising the descent trajectories of its aircraft and reducing the fuel flow to the engines -arising from the lowest ‘idle’ thrust setting during the descent phase- thanks to the DPO function, LATAM Airlines will generate over 100 tons fuel savings per year per aircraft across their network, including constrained airports like Lima, Santiago and São Paulo. This will reduce CO2 emissions by over 300 tons per year per aircraft, representing a significant contribution to more sustainable flight operations with 60,000 tons of CO2 each year for the entire LATAM Airlines’ A320 Family fleet.

DPO is one of the several flight operations optimisation solutions offered by Airbus and its flight operations services subsidiary Navblue. Together with improved Air Traffic Management, these fuel savings solutions enable operators to start aviation decarbonisation now.

To see how much fuel could be saved, play with the new Airbus Descent Profile Optimisation Calculator, please click here.

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Airbus’ new Single-Aisle Airspace cabin enters into service with Lufthansa Group

Lufthansa Airbus A321neo with Airspace Cabin  Photo Airbus

The German airline Lufthansa has started operations with its first A320 Family aircraft – an A321neo – featuring Airbus’ new Single-Aisle Airspace cabin. In doing so, the airline becomes the first operator in Europe to introduce the new Airspace cabin features for passengers on board A320 Family aircraft. In 2018 Lufthansa Group, a long-time A320 Family customer, chose to equip more than 80 of its new A320 Family aircraft on order from Airbus with Airspace cabins.

The new Airspace features include: slimmer sidewall panels for extra personal space at shoulder level; better views through the windows with their redesigned bezels and completely integrated window shades; the largest overhead bins for 60% more bags; the latest full LED lighting technologies; LED-lit ‘entrance area’; and new lavatories with hygienic touchless features and antimicrobial surfaces.

“Lufthansa has once again made a choice of innovation and passenger appeal, raising the bar for the flying public at large to experience next-level, Airbus leading cabin innovations”, said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International. “I am delighted to welcome one of our long term partners, Lufthansa, to become the first European operator for the A320neo Family Airspace cabin. I can’t wait to fly on one of these aircraft.”

"Regardless of the crisis, we continue to focus emphatically on a premium product for our guests," emphasizes Heike Birlenbach, Head of Customer Experience, Lufthansa Group. "For us, premium means providing high-quality, individualized and relevant offers for all our passengers at all times. With the new Airspace Cabin, we are significantly improving the travel experience on short-haul routes and setting a new industry benchmark."

Lufthansa has been operating the A320-family since the 1980s and has been the very first operator of the A321 and the A320neo. The airline group is one of the biggest Airbus operators worldwide.

 

At the end of July 2021, the A320neo Family had received more than 7,400 orders from over 120 customers worldwide.

 

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Airbus celebrates the 1,000th aircraft covered by Flight Hour Services with flyadeal

flyadeal signed long-term Flight Hour Services (FHS) agreement with Airbus

The agreement covers all of flyadeal’s A320 fleet including the 1,000th Airbus aircraft under FHS

Airbus FHS provides fully integrated material services and helps enhance operational reliability

flyadeal, the low-cost Jeddah-based airline owned by Saudi Arabian Airlines, signed a long-term Flight Hour Services (FHS) agreement to support its A320 fleet.

The agreement includes the 1,000th aircraft supported by Airbus Flight Hour Services. The carrier will benefit from integrated material services including spare pool access, on-site-stock at the main base and components engineering and repairs. Through the FHS contract, Airbus will guarantee spare parts availability, contributing to securing aircraft technical performance.

Mikail Houari, President of Airbus Africa & Middle East, said: “Signing this agreement with flyadeal is an important milestone; it is the 1 st FHS contract in Saudi Arabia and the biggest Airbus aircraft fleet to be covered by FHS”.

“We are proud of our partnership with flyadeal and look forward to continuing working together. This agreement reaffirms our commitment to supporting Saudi Arabia’s aviation sector”, Houari added.

Airbus has finalised 11 Flight Hour Services contracts with operators worldwide over the last six months. The latest contract agreements demonstrate the continued interest in Airbus’s integrated maintenance service, proving more relevant than ever in post-crisis times when airlines need to carefully monitor their costs and contain investments.

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