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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Alaska Airlines adds nonstop flights between San Francisco and three sunny destinations across Mexico this winter season

There's a lot to love about Mexico. The people, the beaches, the culture, the food! With so much of Mexico to see and experience, Alaska Airlines is announcing new service to connect our guests throughout the Bay Area to three new nonstop destinations south of the border from San Francisco International Airport – Loreto, Mazatlán and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo. 

Alaska has more nonstop flights to Mexico from the West Coast than any other U.S. carrier. This winter, we'll have up to 27 departures a day: 20 from California and seven from the Pacific Northwest.

The new nonstops unlock convenient options when planning a warm getaway now that you know you'll want later this year when greyness sets in. The nonstops also make it easier to visit family and friends in the Bay Area and Mexico. Tickets to all the destinations we serve in Mexico are now on sale with up to 30% off select, one-way fares. Blackout dates and day-of-week restrictions apply. For full terms and conditions, please visit alaskaair.com.

"Our guests are eager to relax, disconnect and have fun, and the places we fly to in Mexico are ideal locations to do that," said Brett Catlin, vice president of network and alliances at Alaska Airlines. "With a total of seven nonstop destinations from the Bay Area this winter, including options from San Francisco and San Jose, tropical paradise is just a few hours away. Plus, we offer convenient nonstops from Los Angeles and San Diego to a range of destinations in Mexico and across Latin America."

Ten used Airbus A320 aircraft for budget airline Allegiant................

Air Lease Corporation Announces Lease Placement of Ten Airbus A320 Aircraft with Allegiant

Aircraft leasing giant Air Lease Corporation confirmed this week that it had reached an agreement with the U.S. budget carrier Allegiant for the long-term lease placements for ten used Airbus A320-200 aircraft.  These jets are scheduled to be delivered to the airline beginning in the autumn of 2021 through summer 2022.  

“We are pleased to announce this lease placement for ten used Airbus A320s with new customer, Allegiant,” said Steven F. Udvar-Házy, Executive Chairman of Air Lease Corporation.  “These young A320 ALC aircraft will complement Allegiant’s all-Airbus fleet and support their growing North America operations.” 

“Bringing these ten aircraft into Allegiant’s fleet provides a number of advantages aligned with our unique business model and goals,” said Robert Neal, Allegiant’s Senior Vice President for Corporate Finance and Treasurer.  “As young, sharklet-equipped sister ships, they will not only afford efficient induction into our all-Airbus fleet but will also provide years of utilization beyond the typical life of previously-operated aircraft.  This transaction will be a valuable component of our fleet plan for 2022 and beyond.”

ALC is a leading aircraft leasing company based in Los Angeles, California that has airline customers throughout the world.  ALC and its team of dedicated and experienced professionals are principally engaged in purchasing commercial aircraft and leasing them to its airline customers worldwide through customized aircraft leasing and financing solutions. 

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More new routes for Air Astana - the flagship of Kazakhstani aviation.

Air Astana is the national air carrier and the flagship of Kazakhstani aviation and is further cementing its place at the top of aviation in the region with a number of new routes and services. Adding to the growing list of destinations for the carrier are Amsterdam, Samarkand and Podgorica.

Hello Amsterdam

From 3rd June the impressive carrier will resume direct flights from Atyrau in western Kazakhstan to Amsterdam. Scheduled to operate once a week on a Thursday.

The resumed service will operate once a week on a Thursday, Air Astana will deploy an Airbus A321 aircraft on the route.  The aircraft 175+ seat aircraft will depart Atyrau at 05:40 with the arrival time in Amsterdam set to be 07:50 local. The return is scheduled to leave Amsterdam at 11:50, with an expected arrival time of 19:40 in Atyrau. 

This service between Atyrau and Amsterdam supplements the existing flight on Wednesdays between Atyrau to Frankfurt, allowing Air Astana passengers the possibility of connecting with partner airlines to routes across Europe and North America.

More new routes......

Airbus to increase production rates

The European planemaker Airbus is looking to ramp up production rates of its popular commercial aircraft as it moves to recover to pre-COVID levels between 2023 and 2025.

The company has told its suppliers it wants them to increase production to meet the growing demand and secure long term capacity and production rate readiness. 

“The aviation sector is beginning to recover from the COVID-19 crisis”, said Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO. “The message to our supplier community provides visibility to the entire industrial ecosystem to secure the necessary capabilities and be ready when market conditions call for it. In parallel, we are transforming our industrial system by optimising our aerostructures set-up and modernising our A320 Family production facilities. All these actions are set in motion to prepare our future.”

A new aircraft joins FLYONE as airline introduces new route to Luton.

FLYONE, the airline from the Republic of Moldova has taken delivery of another Airbus A320 aircraft to its fleet to help with its expanding route network.  The 10-year-old aircraft features 180 seats and further ensures the airline has the youngers fleet in Moldova.

The new aircraft named Leova landed on Chisinau International Airport, General Manager, Mircea Maleca said: "Today we are experiencing emotions of joy, satisfaction and pride because our efforts have culminated with another aircraft.  We intend to open new flights, new destinations including other markets and to offer our passengers a fair price-quality rate. Our aim is to give the best in terms of flying."

This aircraft and the others in the FLYONE family meet all International Air Transport Association (IATA) and EASA safety standards. Also, in pandemic conditions, the entire FLYONE fleet is equipped with HEPA air filters, which remove 99.97% of viruses and bacteria.  

The carrier will start a new service between Chisinau and Luton on 28th May, 2021 adding to its growing route network. The airline is offering lead in fares at just €49.00 one way. 

Maleca, says: “This year is a special one, because we set out to launch new flights. The time has come for our aircraft to head to our 4th new destination, London, and namely Luton Airport. Every new destination is a step forward, it is the moment when we offer people a new flight opportunity.”

The flight schedule is:

Chisinau (KIV) 20:30 - Luton (LTN) 21:30

Luton (LTN) 22:20 - Chisinau (KIV) 03:30

FLYONE currently operates flights 20 destinations, 12 scheduled and 8 charter flights: Frankfurt, Tel Aviv, St. Petersburg, London, Moscow, Parma, Verona, Dublin, Lisbon, Paris, Eindhoven, Istanbul, Batumi, Antalya, Heraklion, Sharm El-Sheikh, Tivat, Rhodes, Hurghada, Marsa Alam.

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Airbus has resumed work on the modernisation of its A320 Family industrial capabilities in Toulouse

Airbus has resumed work on the modernisation of its A320 Family industrial capabilities in Toulouse. This will provide Airbus with increased flexibility throughout its global industrial production system to respond to market recovery and future demand.

The modernised, digitally-enabled A320/A321 final assembly line (FAL) will replace one of the original Toulouse A320 FALs. It will be installed in the former A380 Lagardère facility and should be operational by end 2022. Initial plans to introduce A321 production capabilities in Toulouse were put on hold at the outset of the COVID-19 crisis, following the decision to reduce commercial aircraft production by around 40%. Now, with market recovery in sight and a potential return to pre-COVID production rates for single-aisle aircraft between 2023 and 2025, Airbus is resuming its activities for the project.

Hamburg and Mobile (Alabama) are currently the only Airbus production sites configured to assemble A321s. The modernised A320 Family FAL in Toulouse will help improve the working conditions, the overall industrial flow as well as the quality and competitiveness by adding a new-generation assembly line to the Airbus single-aisle production system. This higher level of A321 production flexibility will also support entry-into-service of the A321XLR from Hamburg starting in 2023.

The A320 Family is the world’s best-selling commercial aircraft, with over 15,500 aircraft sold to more than 320 customers, and over 5,650 in the backlog.

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HiSky Moldova leases Airbus A320-200

Photo HiSky Moldova

HiSky Moldova has confirmed a deal for an Airbus A320-200 aircraft on a long-term lease arrangement from plane leasing giant, Air Lease Corporation.

The aircraft is scheduled to be delivered in April 2021, and this is ALC’s third Airbus A320 family aircraft placement with the Moldovan startup airline. HiSky was certified as a Moldovan air operator in January 2021 and as a Romanian air operator in December 2020 and on March 5, 2021, the carrier executed its first commercial flight. The airline has announced it will offer flights from four airports: Cluj, Satu Mare, Iasi and Chisinau and charter flights from Cluj, Targu Mures, Baia Mare and Oradea

Photo TLSpotting

“We are pleased to announce this agreement to deliver our third Airbus A320 family aircraft to HiSky,” said David Beker, Senior Vice President of Air Lease Corporation.  “This young A320 will be joining HiSky’s all-ALC leased fleet of A319/A320 aircraft.  Our team is honoured that the leadership of HiSky has chosen to collaborate exclusively with ALC to launch their airline this year under challenging circumstances and we believe HiSky is well-positioned for long-term growth and success.”

“We are happy with the progress of our operations and the response that we got from our core markets.  We launched the sales and flights from our base in Chisinau, Moldova and now we are one week away from starting flight operations in our second base: Cluj, Romania.  We are grateful to Air Lease Corporation, our trustful partner, that has appropriate solutions and expertise to sustain our growth,” said Iulian Scorpan, Chief Executive Officer of HiSky Moldova.

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Two Airbus A320-200 aircraft placed with start up carrier Qanot Sharq Airlines of Uzbekistan

The global aircraft leasing giant, Air Lease Corporation has confirmed the placement of two Airbus A320-200 aircraft with Qanot Sharq Airlines of Uzbekistan. 

These two A320-200 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered to Qanot Sharq Airlines in March and will be the first aircraft in the fleet of the Uzbek startup airline.  

“ALC is pleased to announce this lease placement of two A320-200s with Qanot Sharq Airlines,” said AJ Abedin, Vice President, Marketing of Air Lease Corporation.  ALC is a leading aircraft leasing company based in Los Angeles, California that has airline customers throughout the world.  Abedin continued “We have worked closely with the Qanot Sharq executive team and are thrilled to participate in the launch of the first Uzbek startup airline through the placement of their first two aircraft.”

“We are honoured and excited to work with one of the largest aircraft leasing companies in the world to assist with the launch of our airline,” said Nosir Abdugafarov, owner of Qanot Sharq Airlines.  “These two A320-200s are scheduled to deliver in March and will be the first two aircraft in Qanot Sharq’s fleet, ensuring the highest standard of safety and comfort for our passengers.”

About Qanot Sharq Airlines

Established as the first privately owned Airline in Uzbekistan, Qanot Sharq is led by a team of highly accomplished airline industry professionals with over 200 years of combined industry experience. The airline will operate from multiple regional airports in Uzbekistan, providing scheduled air service to international destinations such as Istanbul, Ankara (Turkey), Dubai (UAE), Jeddah, Medina (Saudi Arabia), Moscow, St. Petersburgh (Russian Federation) and Almaty (Kazakhstan).

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Airbus delivers 34% fewer aircraft during 2020 - A total of 566 aircraft including 38 A220s and 4 A380s

Despite the global pandemic and the downturn in the aviation industry the European planemaker Airbus still managed to deliver 566 aircraft during 2020, just 34% fewer than in 2019.

It also managed to record a total of 383 new aircraft orders, 268 net orders in all market segments.  There were 64 new orders for the A220, 296 orders were received for A320 family of jets. In the widebody sector, Airbus gained 23 new orders including two A330s and 21 A350s. After 115 cancellations by the end of 2020, Airbus’ backlog stood at 7,184 aircraft.

“Working hand-in-hand with our customers allowed us to navigate a difficult year. The Airbus teams, customers and suppliers truly pulled together in the face of adversity to deliver this result. We also thank our partners and governments for their strong support to the sector,” said Guillaume Faury, Airbus Chief Executive Officer. “Based on our 2020 deliveries we are cautiously optimistic as we look into 2021, although challenges and uncertainties remain high in the short term.”

Three Airbus A320 aircraft for Pakistani startup AirSial Limited

AerCap to lease 3 Airbus A320 aircraft to AirSial Limited

 AerCap Holdings N.V. one the leading aircraft leasing specialists has confirmed it recently signed an agreement with AirSial Limited, a privately-owned Pakistani startup airline, for the lease of three used Airbus A320 aircraft. 

Aengus Kelly, CEO of AerCap, said, "For more than a decade, AerCap has been the biggest aircraft lessor in the fast-growing Pakistani aviation sector and we are very pleased to support a new startup airline, AirSial. With the rapid growth in air traffic in Pakistan as well as air liberalization, AirSial is well-positioned to take advantage of this opportunity. We wish AirSial every success with their new venture and we look forward to working with the AirSial team as these aircraft deliver. 'Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success'."  

First additional Austrian Airbus completes maiden flight

                       Austrian Airlines’ 37th Airbus A320 departed for its maiden flight to London Heathrow under flight number OS 461 on Thursday 14th November. Around two hours later it landed at its destination. The jet with the registration OE-LZD is the first additional Airbus aircraft, which Austrian Airlines will phase-in during the next few years. The jets will successively replace the Dash 8-400 turboprop aircraft. In the course of fleet harmonisation, Austrian will transfer the decentralised flights from the federal states to Germany to the Lufthansa Group and bundle its fleet strength at the Vienna hub in order to better fend off the approach of low-cost carriers.                         

Comlux orders another Airbus ACJ320neo,

Comlux has placed a new order for an ACJ320neo, re-affirming its role as the largest single customer for the aircraft and taking its total orders for the type to four. The deal means that Comlux has now ordered a total of 20 Airbus corporate jets. Cabin outfitting will be done by Comlux Completion in Indianapolis.

“Airbus and Comlux have both made a business out of setting new standards, of which the ACJ320neo and our growing fleet of them are the latest examples,” said Comlux Chairman and CEO Richard Gaona. “We are already the largest customer for ACJ320neo Family aircraft, all powered by the new CFM International LEAP-1A engine. Together with our extensive outfitting experience, plus four NEO cabins booked for completion at our centre in Indianapolis, we are in a leading position.”

The ACJ320neo is derived from the Airbus A320neo Family, which features new engines and wingtip-mounted Sharklets.

Nantes becomes new base for easyJet

easyJet, the low-cost airline recently celebrated the opening of its 29th base in Europe  -  Nantes Airport, its seventh base in France. 

The airline will base three A320 aircraft at the airport and will introduce 14 new routes, more frequencies especially on domestic routes with a 30% increase, and improved schedule with more early departures that would benefit business passengers in Nantes.

Johan Lundgren, easyJet CEO commented: “As we celebrate the launch of this new base in Nantes today, we are really proud to continue the airline’s successful expansion in France. Over 20 million passengers fly with us to and from France every year: that’s a quarter of all easyJet passengers which shows how important France is to the airline. This base opening is another significant milestone in France for easyJet, now counting seven bases across the national territory from today. We remain committed to France and we have big plans for the new base as with three A320 based we are aiming to reach the #1 position in Nantes with 25% market shares, flying 1.8 million passengers this year."

  

Two new summer routes for Air France .....Belgrade and Tbilisi

Air France has recently inaugurated its service to Belgrade, Serbia and Tbilisi in Georgia which will be operating during the summer season from its home base of Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. These two new medium-haul destinations are served with one daily flight and two weekly flights (Wednesday and Sunday) respectively. The carrier will operate the Belgrade route with Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft, whilst the flights to Tbilisi will be served by an A320.

Belgrade

AF1660: leaves Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 12:20, arrives in Belgrade at 14:35;

AF1661: leaves Belgrade at 15:25, arrives at Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 17:55.

Tbilisi

AF1760: leaves Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 13:25, arrives in Tbilisi at 20:10;

AF1761: leaves Tbilisi at 9:00, arrives at Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 12:10.

Flights operated on Wednesdays and Sundays

Spirit jet runs on to the grass at Indianapolis

Early on Saturday 30th March, a Spirit Airlines jet operating flight 566, from Las Vegas to Indianapolis had an excursion off the paved surface shortly after landing.

The Airbus aircraft landed safely at around 0500 without incident, however, when negotiating the taxiway the aircraft left the paved surface and got stuck in the mud.  According to local media - WTHR - passengers were then asked to deplane the aircraft via stairs and transferred to the terminal by busses.  

There were no reported injuries during the detour and the aircraft, an Airbus A320 registration N629NK was towed out of the mud and examined before returning to service on Sunday.   Spirit apologised to passengers and issued travel vouchers and refunds to those impacted by the little run on the grass. 

Airbus at Aircraft Interiors Expo 2019

The European plane-maker Airbus showcases its latest cabin innovations at the world’s largest event dedicated to the aircraft interiors industry, in-flight entertainment, connectivity and passenger services.

A320 Airspace entrance                       Photo Airbus

The Aircraft Interiors Expo started 19 years ago in Cannes, France and has evolved through the years, moving to Hamburg in 2002in Hamburg, Germany. It is one of the leading aviation trade fairs in the world with over 1,000 airline attendees as well as some 16,000+ key aviation decision-makers from across the globe who head there for the latest advances in all that goes inside aeroplanes.

At the Airbus stand this year, Airbus will display the latest full-scale Airspace cabin mock-ups for the A320 – including its new overhead Airspace XL Bins and full-flat seats for long-range comfort; and an A220 cabin mock-up with both business and economy seats – demonstrating how this aircraft offers the leading cabin experience in any small single-aisle aircraft. Moreover, the booth will also feature the ‘Day & Night’ premium concept for the A350 XWB; and there will also be an A320 Upgrade Services mock-up. Virtual Reality Gears will allow visitors to experience all aircraft cabins.