First 787-9 Dreamliner for Royal Air Maroc

The US planemaker Boeing delivered the first 787-9 Dreamliner for Royal Air Maroc today introducing a second member of the super-efficient Dreamliner family to the airline's fleet. The new aeroplane offers more seats and more range, which will help Morocco's flag carrier grow its international business. 

"We are particularly pleased to receive today our airline's first 787-9, which will soon be joined by three other models from the same family. The choice of this aeroplane forms part of our strategy to continuously expand and modernize our fleet and comes just a few days after the announcement of the invitation made to Royal Air Maroc to join the highly prestigious Oneworld Alliance. This will further strengthen our country's and Royal Air Maroc's leadership position on the continent," says Abdelhamid Addou, CEO and Chairman of Royal Air Maroc.

In 2015, Royal Air Maroc was the first in the Mediterranean to fly the 787-8, the initial Dreamliner that offered 20% less fuel and fewer emissions. With the airplane's exceptional fuel efficiency and performance, Royal Air Maroc planned new, non-stop routes such as Casablanca to Washington, D.C and to Miami.

Air France KLM group November results better than expected

Photo KLM

Around this time in each month, the major airlines of the world reveal how well they performed in the preceding month, the Air France KLM group has done just that and its November 2018 results make interesting reading. 

Many in the industry had expected the group to report reductions in both loads and revenues #, however, across the network, the group saw passenger numbers rise, as did the network, while load factors remained fairly constant. 

KLM performed very well, it carried 3% more passengers on board in November compared to the same month last year. With traffic up by 3.5% measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) and increased capacity of 2% measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs), passenger load factor rose by 1.2% points to 87.7%.   "The favourable trend in KLM’s traffic figures continued through to the second month of the fourth quarter as well. Including the month of November, KLM has welcomed a total of 31.5 million passengers on board during the past eleven months. We are already well on our way to our goal: 34 million KLM passengers in 2018." Said Pieter Elbers - KLM President & CEO.

The same trend was visible at Transavia where increased traffic measured in RPKs exceeded additional capacity, consequently boosting passenger load factor. Cargo load factor came under pressure last month at KLM Cargo as a result of a steep decline in traffic volumes (-2.3% RFTKs) in relation to capacity (-1.3% AFTKs). Consequently, cargo load factor declined by 0.8% points to 70%.

JetSmart signs V2500 maintenance service agreement

JetSmart has signed an eight-year service agreement, with an optional extension to 10 years, with IAE International Aero Engines AG to maintain its current fleet of V2500®-powered A320ceos. The V2500 engine is offered through IAE International Aero Engines AG, a multinational aero engine consortium whose shareholders comprise Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corporation, Pratt & Whitney Aero Engines International GmbH, Japanese Aero Engines Corporation and MTU Aero Engines.

Delta gets colourful with boarding.....

Zone boarding, an aviation standard for decades, will soon be a thing of the past for Delta customers as the airline makes a global shift to boarding by branded fare purchased. This is the latest evolution in Delta’s multi-year work to bring consistency, simplicity and clarity to the gate and boarding experience, efforts that have driven all-time high customer experience scores. SkyMiles Medallion Members and eligible Delta SkyMiles American Express Credit Card Members will continue to receive priority boarding.

The boarding order change – coming to all Delta-operated flights globally starting Jan. 23 – will be accompanied by new color accents distinguishing Delta’s fare products (Basic Economy, Main Cabin, Delta Comfort+, Delta Premium Select/First Class and Delta One), each of which, in addition to Sky Priority, will have a specific, complementary color – from booking through boarding. The colours are inspired by Delta’s primary brand palette and the Passport Plum shade of purple introduced with the global airline’s 2018 Zac Posen-designed uniforms.

 

Aeromexico to get new 737 Max 8 from Air Lease Corp.

Leasing specialists, Air Lease Corporation announced this week that it has placed a new Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft on long-term lease with Aeromexico. 

The jet is scheduled for delivery in the fall 2019 and will be powered by LEAP-1B28 engines and deliver from ALC’s existing order book with Boeing.

This 737 MAX 9 will join two Boeing 737-800s and three Boeing 787-9s currently on lease to Aeromexico, as well as a fourth 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft scheduled to deliver to the airline in spring 2019. “ALC is pleased to announce this new Boeing 737 MAX 9 lease placement with long-time customer Aeromexico,” said Steven F. Udvar-Házy, Executive Chairman of Air Lease Corporation. “This 737 MAX 9 aircraft will significantly enhance the airline’s fleet operations and passenger experience as part of Aeromexico’s fleet modernization program.”

Andres Conesa, Chief Executive Officer of Aeromexico, said, “Aeromexico has a long-standing relationship with ALC and we are delighted to add this new 737 MAX 9 aircraft to our fleet to further strengthen our international operations and growing route network.”

LATAM Airlines Group reports preliminary monthly statistics for November 2018

From Santiago, Chile, LATAM Airlines Group has released its preliminary monthly traffic statistics for November 2018 compared with the same period of 2017.

System passenger traffic increased 5.1%, while capacity rose by 6.4%. As a result, the Company's load factor for the month fell 1.1 percentage points to 83.2%. International passenger traffic accounted for approximately 55% of the month's total passenger traffic.    

Beaming in Bendigo........QantasLink to start new service from Sydney

Photo QantasLink

Everyone is beaming in Bendigo this week as QantasLink, the regional operation of national carrier Qantas, confirmed it was to launch direct flights between Bendigo and Sydney, saving hours of travel time for both business and leisure travellers.

The new flights will be the first-ever regular passenger services between the two cities and the first commercial services from Bendigo in more than 30 years. 

QantasLink will operate flights six days per week, from March 31st, using 50-seat Q300 turboprop aircraft, with flights increasing to a daily service over the peak summer season. In total Qantas will be offering more than 30,000 seats on the route each year, much to the delight of both business and leisure passengers. 

To mark the announcement, QantasLink flew one of its Q300 turboprop aircraft to Bendigo for a ceremony with the local community on Monday, December 10th.  QantasLink CEO John Gissing said the new Bendigo flights reinforced the national carrier’s commitment to supporting regional Victoria. “As Australia’s largest regional airline, we know we have an important role to play in connecting communities and making air travel more accessible,” said Mr Gissing. "No airline has ever offered regular passenger flights between Bendigo and Sydney– so these flights are a win for both travellers and tourism."

Allegiant's November

The Las Vegas-based Allegiant air carrier that specialises on linking travellers in small cities with first class leisure destinations has released its latest figures this week. 

The airline offers low fares on some 350 routes across the USA with an all-jet fleet saw passenger numbers rise by over 10% while revenue was up 9.9% and load factor dipped slightly when compared to the same month last year. 

United reports November 2018 operational performance

One of the USA's leading airlines, the mega-carrier, United issued its results for November this week showing that revenue and loads increased year on year. The airline also announced a number of new routes including year-round service between Denver and Frankfurt, Germany and nonstop service between Paine Field/Snohomish County Airport and Denver and San Francisco, all pending government approval, and submitted a formal application to the U.S. Department of Transportation for authority to increase service between New York/Newark Liberty and Shanghai Pudong.

United also took delivery of its first Boeing 787-10, becoming the first North American airline to take delivery of the 787-10.

Delta restricts emotional support animals on flights over eight hours

Photo Delta Air Lines

The US mega-carrier Delta is updating its policy on carrying emotional support animals on its flights with effect of December 18th.

The enhancements to the policy see an introduction to a ban on service and support animals under four months of age regardless of flight length as well as a ban on emotional support animals on flights longer than eight hours.

“We will continue to review and enhance our policies and procedures as health and safety are core values at Delta,” said John Laughter, Senior Vice President – Corporate Safety, Security and Compliance. “These updates support Delta's commitment to safety and also protect the rights of customers with documented needs – such as veterans with disabilities – to travel with trained service and support animals.”

Delta’s updated policy follows an 84% increase in reported incidents involving service and support animals 2016-2017, including urination/defecation, biting and even a widely reported attack by a 70-pound dog. The updated support and service animal age requirement aligns with the vaccination policy of the CDC, and the eight-hour flight limit for emotional support animals is consistent with the principles outlined in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Air Carrier Access Act.

How Delta is making it easier to upgrade using your miles........

Delta SkyMiles Members wanting a little extra leg room or the premium Delta experience can now purchase that upgrade using miles instead of cash on Delta.com after booking their ticket. Delta is an industry leader in offering this simple self-service option via its website, with the same functionality coming to its award-winning Fly Delta app in early 2019.

Using miles for upgrades after booking builds on the functionality Delta pioneered with post-purchase upgrades last year that allows customers to buy a premium seat online using either the same or a different method of payment from the one they used to buy their ticket.

Gulfstream G650ER connects New York with Dubai in record time

Gulfstream Aerospace announced that the ultra-long-range Gulfstream G650ER has completed a record-breaking flight en route to the Middle East and North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) Show in Dubai. The aircraft bested the previous world speed record by one hour and 48 minutes.

The G650ER flew from Teterboro, New Jersey, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, a distance of 6,142 nautical miles/11,375 kilometres 11 hours and two minutes. The flight was completed at an average speed of Mach 0.90.

Delta adds more key markets for Boston customers: Chicago, Cleveland, Newark and Washington, D.C.

Delta Air Lines is expanding its Boston Logan International Airport service with new multiple daily nonstop flights to four top markets from Boston: Chicago O'Hare (ORD), Newark-Liberty International (EWR) and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) beginning September. 9th, 2019, as well as Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) on April 1st, 2019.

"Our Boston customers, especially those flying for business, want more ways to experience Delta's award-winning service and industry-leading operational reliability to destinations they value most. These new routes, along with our existing flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles, means that beginning next fall Delta will offer service to the five top business markets requested by our corporate customers." said Glen Hauenstein, Delta's President.

WestJet load factor down 1.4%

Photo WestJet

Leading Canadian airline, WestJet released details of its November 2018 traffic results this week, which demonstrated the airline achieved a load factor of 81.0% across its network, down 1.4 from last years results.

Revenue passenger miles (RPMs), or traffic, increased 3.1% year over year, while capacity, measured in available seat miles (ASMs), grew 4.9% over the same period. WestJet welcomed an additional 33,000 guests in November, a year over year increase of 1.7%. Year to date traffic growth continues to outpace capacity additions.

"We achieved our third highest November load factor as capacity growth slowed in-line with previously disclosed adjustments" Ed Sims, WestJet President & CEO. "I want to thank every individual WestJetter for providing our guests with a safe and remarkable travel experience through the busy upcoming holiday season."

GOL advances fleet renewal plan with leasing 11 737 Max 8 aircraft

Photo Boeing

The premier Brazilian airline GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes has said this week that it will speed up its fleet renewal plans by signing a deal to lease 11 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft from leasing specialist Avolon.

Better than expected market conditions have allowed the carrier to move forward at a rapidly advanced pace with the modernisation plans for the new aircraft which are scheduled to start arriving in the second half of 2019. 

GOL is also putting up for sale a number of  Boeing 737 Next Generation (NG) aircraft under operating and finance leases as the new aircraft arrive. "We acquired the 737 MAX to make GOL's operations even more efficient and to offer our passengers additional flights aboard new and even more modern and safe aircraft. The 737 MAX exceeds the expected performance on every count," said Paulo Kakinoff, CEO of GOL. "We've been very impressed with the MAX's superior range, fuel efficiency and reliability. By accelerating our fleet renewal plan to this new technology, we will be able to further reduce our costs and open up more international destinations for our customers." 

One million passengers have passed through British Airways First Wing in just 18 months

The UK's British Airways put out the coloured balloons to welcome the millionth customer through its premium First Wing at its home base at London Heathrow Terminal 5, just 18 months since it opened.

Reminiscent of a luxury hotel lobby, The First Wing features dedicated security lanes granting customers direct access to British Airways’ prestigious First Lounge. The airline’s premium customer service hosts greet customers as calming background music and a relaxing room scent create a tranquil environment to welcome them into the airport. The area is decorated with statement sculptures and seasonal flower displays to create a first-class check-in experience unique to British Airways.

Qatar Airways to lease a Boeing 777 from Stellwagen Korea

Photo Stellwagen

Stellwagen Korea has completed its first transaction for the Korean market in conjunction with Meritz Securities Korea. The transaction involves the acquisition of one Boeing 777 - 300ER aircraft, on lease to Qatar Airways.

Seraph Aviation, the aviation asset management company of Stellwagen Group and headquartered in Dublin, is acting as the servicer for the aircraft. The firm opened a branch office in Seoul, South Korea, in August 2018 to further service the market. David Butler, Group CEO, Stellwagen Group, said: "We are very pleased to have reached this agreement having recently opened in the Korean market. The transaction is an indication of the great opportunity that exists in the region and Stellwagen Korea looks forward to an announcing further such initiatives in due course."

Boeing to launch 777X business jet

US aviation giant Boeing's  Business Jet division announced this week that it would be launching the BBJ 777X, a new Boeing Business Jet model that can fly more than halfway around the world without stopping, farther than any business jet ever built.

"Our most exclusive customers want to travel with the best space and comfort and fly directly to their destination. The new BBJ 777X will be able to do this like no other aeroplane before it, redefining ultra-long range VIP travel," said Greg Laxton, head of Boeing Business Jets, at the bi-annual Middle East Business Aviation Association Show (MEBAA).

Finnair to start biofuel and CO2 offset services

Finnair announces first phase partners for its biofuel and CO2 offset service, continuing with plans set out last summer.  As air travellers are increasingly interested in reducing the CO2 emissions of their flights, Finnair will start offering its customers a new service allowing customers to offset the CO2 emissions of their flights by funding emissions reduction projects or carbon sinks, or by supporting the use of biofuels.

Finnair has now selected its first partners for its offset service: For sustainable biofuels, Finnair’s partner will be the Dutch SkyNRG company (www.skynrg.com), and for emission reduction projects, Finnair will partner with the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO, www.nefco.org), an international financial institution backed by the Nordic states. Finnair will introduce the CO2 offsetting service to its customers in early 2019, and the service can be purchased through Finnair’s website.

Helicopter giant sells out to Macquarie Group at budget prices

Waypoint Leasing Holdings Ltd., the largest independent global helicopter leasing company,  announced this week that it and certain subsidiaries (“Waypoint”) have entered into an agreement to be purchased by Macquarie Group (“Macquarie”) for approximately $650 million. Macquarie Rotorcraft Leasing will combine the Waypoint helicopter assets and management platform with its own portfolio and employ the Waypoint staff.