Yearly Archives: 2019

Mango Airlines to install Split Scimitar® winglets on its Boeing 737-800 fleet

Aviation Partners Boeing (APB) announced today that South Africa’s Mango Airlines has ordered its latest Split Scimitar Winglet technology for its Boeing Next Generation 737-800 fleet.

Mango Airlines plans to perform the first installation of the Split Scimitar Winglets in February at South African Airways Technical facility.

The Split Scimitar Winglet modification reduces Boeing Next-Generation 737 block fuel consumption by an additional 2.2% over the Blended Winglets. The Split Scimitar Winglet System will reduce Mango’s annual fuel requirements by more than 155,000 liters per aircraft, and their carbon dioxide emissions by over 390 tons per aircraft per year.

Since launching the Boeing Next-Generation 737 Split Scimitar Winglet program APB has taken orders and options for more than 2,000 systems, and nearly 1,200 aircraft are now operating with the technology. APB estimates that its products have reduced aircraft fuel consumption worldwide by over 9.1 billion gallons to-date thereby saving over 96 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Aviation Partners Boeing is a Seattle based joint venture of Aviation Partners, Inc. and The Boeing Company.

Mango Airlines SOC Ltd, trading as Mango, is a state-owned South African low-cost airline based at OR Tambo International Airport near Johannesburg, South Africa and a subsidiary of South African Airways.

Air France announces 4 new summer destinations

Air France has made this announcement:

For the upcoming peak summer season, in July and August, Air France will for the first time be operating flights to Heraklion (Crete, Greece), Palermo (Sicily, Italy), Olbia* (Sardinia, Italy) and Split (Croatia) on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle.

4 new destinations on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle for the 2019 summer season

4 destinations in continuation of the 2018 summer season on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle

Air France is extending and intensifying the frequency of its flights to Cagliari*, Dubrovnik, Ibiza and Bari from Paris-Charles de Gaulle, already operated in 2018. In addition, these four destinations will be served every weekend during the 2019 summer season.

The Greek city of Heraklion

Heraklion, the capital of Crete, is the ideal starting point to discover this sunny island. The island, with its whitewashed houses, beautiful sandy and pebble beaches and exceptional flora is an ode to hedonism.

The bright sunlight of Palermo

For centuries, many different cultures – including Roman, Arab, Punic and Norman – have shaped Palermo. From this mosaic of cultures was born a city with a harmonious and baroque portrait. Palaces, churches and buildings with Arabic-Norman architecture imbued with baroque style will delight aesthetes and history lovers alike. Palermo is a city whose beauty is uncontested. You can walk through its streets as if you were walking through a poem. The rugged coast offers many sun-drenched beaches with turquoise waters.

The happy city of Olbia

Olbia, which means “happiness” in Greek, is the starting point in Sardinia, its turquoise waters and unspoiled scenery. Sardinia, the second largest island in the Mediterranean, is an island tossed around by Phoenician, Roman, Genoese and Spanish cultures, among others. This land, whose geography varies from the hills where you can hear Sardinian shepherds whistling, to the coasts lined with turquoise waters, is certainly one of our most stunning destinations.

The beaches and palaces of Split

With sandy beaches and turquoise waters, a historic centre with sumptuous monuments and a port to sail to the beautiful islands of Dalmatia, Split is an ideal holiday destination. Croatia’s second largest city, located on the coast, is a delight for all beach lovers. The city is also home to a rich cultural and architectural heritage. It is home to the Diocletian Palace, an imposing monument dating back to the Roman Empire and inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

*flights operated by HOP! Air France
**compared to the 2018 summer season

Top Copyright Photo: Air France Airbus A320-214 WL F-HEPK (msn 8127) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 942276.

Air France aircraft slide show:

A220 airliner wins approval from Transport Canada for 180 minutes ETOPS capability

Airbus has made this announcement:

The newest addition to the Airbus family of commercial aircraft, the A220, has received 180-minute extended operations (ETOPS*) approval from the Canadian civil aviation authority, Transport Canada. This achievement paves the way for A220 customers to start new direct non-limiting routings over water, remote or underserved regions.

The A220 is the first commercial airliner to obtain domestic ETOPS certification from Transport Canada. This capability is available as an option for A220-100 and A220-300 operators, enabling them to fly for up to 180-minutes from the nearest diversion airport.

As the only aircraft purpose-built for the 100-150 seat market, the A220 delivers unbeatable fuel efficiency and true widebody comfort in a single-aisle aircraft. The aircraft brings together state-of-the-art aerodynamics, advanced materials and Pratt & Whitney’s latest-generation PW1500G geared turbofan engines to offer at least a 20% lower fuel burn per seat compared to previous generation aircraft. With a range of up to 3,200 nautical miles (5,920 km), the A220 offers the performance of larger single aisle aircraft.

With an order book of over 537 aircraft to date, the A220 has all the credentials to win the lion’s share of the 100- to 150-seat aircraft market.

“ETOPS” is a set of rules initially introduced by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in the mid-1980s to allow commercial operations with twin-engine aircraft on routes beyond 60 minutes flying time from the nearest airport and which were previously operated only by aircraft with more than two engines. These rules, which are now named “EDTO” (Extended Diversion Time Operations) by ICAO have been progressively revised to allow operations up to or beyond 180 minutes diversion time.

AirBridgeCargo sees its 2018 volumes exceed 700,000 tons driven by 25% growth in special cargoes

AirBridgeCargo made this announcement:

AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC), one of the leading carriers with dedicated airlift for special cargoes, saw its volumes of special commodities increase by over 25% in 2018, demonstrating its capability to cater to the needs of customers worldwide and guarantee the highest levels of service quality.

Alignment of internal processes, the introduction of digital solutions to enhance customer experience, partnerships with reliable companies, and the reinforcement of ABC’s global team helped to boost abc pharma volumes by more than 60% year-on-year, while dangerous goods shipments using the airline’s abc DG product rose by 40%. abc XL demand for oversize and heavy cargoes increased by over 20% versus 2017, and e-commerce business delivered via AirBridgeCargo’s abc e-com product was up 6%.

The company expects this growth trajectory to continue in terms of shipment volumes as it increases its focus on performance quality and customer satisfaction.

Overall, total volumes carried in 2018 went up by 2%, exceeding 700,000 tons across ABC’s growing international route network. The increase is attributed to the introduction of new destinations, notably Ho Chi Minh City, Shenzhen, Budapest, and Columbus, which complemented the airline’s existing routes and opened new market growth opportunities for ABC’s customers. On top of this, effective fleet utilization and team strengthening facilitated the company’s growth.

“2019 will be an exceptional year for ABC – the year of our 15th anniversary – and we are delighted to achieve another company milestone supported by the consistent results of 2018. New challenges are ahead of us, but that’s what makes the air cargo industry an exciting place to be. We are all set and ready for new plans and accomplishments as we continue to follow our growth strategy,” highlighted Sergey Lazarev, General Director of AirBridgeCargo Airlines.

One of the main areas for further progress this year will lie in the development of digital front-end solutions for the convenience of ABC customers worldwide. AirBridgeCargo is committed to creating a more user-friendly digital environment, starting with the implementation of equipment to improve the monitoring of a cargo’s condition – temperature logger, shocking sensors, Bluetooth transmitting devices – up to partnering with the world’s leading companies, such as Unilode and SITAONAIR, to guarantee 100% traceability of shipments and continue the move towards an ‘Internet of Things’ platform.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by the airline): AirBridgeCargo Airlines-ABC Boeing 747-87UF VP-BBL (msn 63378) (pharma) AMS (Marco Finelli). Image: 945269.

AirBridgeCargo aircraft slide show:

Air Canada announces improvements to the Capacity Purchase Agreement with Jazz Aviation LP, Jazz will grow and get bigger aircraft

Air Canada today announced an agreement to amend and extend the Capacity Purchase Agreement (CPA) with Jazz Aviation LP, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chorus Aviation Inc., under which Jazz currently operates certain regional Air Canada Express flights.

The amendments should provide long term stability for Chorus, reaffirming Jazz as Air Canada’s most significant Express carrier well into the future, as well as enabling growth on Chorus’ leasing business through Air Canada’s equity investment and the predictability of Jazz’s cashflow from CPA operations until 2035. The amendments will bolster the strength and competitiveness of the Air Canada Express brand and its coast-to-coast regional network, and provide significant CPA savings for Air Canada, while optimizing network and fleet flexibility when compared to the current agreement.

Highlights of the CPA Amendments:

Extension of the CPA term by ten years from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2035;
Simplification and modernization of the Jazz fleet with growth through more, larger gauge aircraft. The Amendments will include various minimum levels of covered aircraft at different points in time providing Air Canada the flexibility to optimize its fleet within its network strategy;
Continuance of a fixed fee structure, including new terms mitigating risk and market- oriented compensation to make the CPA more competitive given new competitors entering the market;
Projected annual savings to Air Canada of approximately $50 million in each of 2019 and 2020, and cumulative savings of approximately $53 million between 2021 and 2025, both as compared to the 2015 CPA frame-work (from both fixed fee and performance incentive reductions); Beyond 2025 – a market competitive fixed fee for the extension period. This supports Air Canada’s Cost Transformation Programs;
Continuation of a highly successful pilot mobility agreement that provides Air Canada Express pilots with access to pilot careers at Air Canada on a planned basis;
Air Canada will consolidate more of its overall regional capacity into Jazz’s footprint, thereby lowering Air Canada’s overall regional costs in the future;
The Amendments will be effective retroactively as at January 1, 2019, subject to a number of conditions, including completion of Air Canada’s equity investment in Chorus and ratification of a new tentative collective agreement between Jazz and the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), the union representing Jazz pilots.

Highlights of the Equity Investment:

Air Canada has agreed to subscribe for 15,561,600 Class B Voting Shares in the capital of Chorus, representing approximately 9.99% of the issued and outstanding Class A Variable Voting Shares and Class B Voting Shares of Chorus on a combined basis. This represents an investment of ~$97,260,000 by Air Canada;
The Chorus shares will be issued to Air Canada at a price of $6.25, representing a 5% premium to the five-day volume weighted average price of the shares as of the close of trading on Thursday, January 10, 2019;
Air Canada and Chorus will enter into an investor rights agreement under which, among other things, Air Canada will hold the investment shares, for a period of at least 60 months and will participate in Chorus’ dividend reinvestment plan and agree to customary standstill provisions, subject to certain limited exceptions;
On closing of the equity investment, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Air Canada, Michael Rousseau, will be appointed to the board of directors of Chorus.

Air Canada does not intend to provide further comment pending the ratification process in respect of the tentative agreement between Jazz and ALPA; a news release updating the market will be issued when all the closing conditions to the completion of the foregoing transactions are met.

Fleet:

Top Copyright Photo: Air Canada Express-Jazz Aviation Bombardier CRJ200 (CL-600-2B19) C-FEJA (msn 7983) BWI (Tony Storck). Image: 944193.

Air Canada Regional-Jazz aircraft slide show:

EgyptAir to bring the Boeing 787 to Toronto

EgyptAir has filed its first 309-seat Boeing 787 route schedule. The flag carrier is planning to bring the new type to Toronto (Pearson) on the Cairo – Toronto route starting on October 3, 2019. The Dreamliner will operate three days a week per Airline Route.

EgyptAir is expecting its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in March, 2019.

AerCap and Boeing announced at the 2017 Dubai Airshow that EgyptAir will lease six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.

Image: AerCap.

Wizz Air continues to expand in Skopje, Macedonia

Wizz Air has announced today the allocation of its fifth Airbus A320 aircraft to its Skopje base in July 2019, as well as the start of eight long awaited new services from Skopje to Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, Bremen, Larnaca and Turku and from Ohrid to Malmö, Milan Malpensa, Munich Memmingen and Dortmund.

The fleet expansion will also enable to increase the number of weekly flights on Wizz Air’s existing routes from Skopje to Gothenburg, Hamburg, Cologne, Malta and Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg.

Wizz Air started operations from Skopje International Airport in 2011, growing its fleet to four aircraft over 8 years.In June 2018, two of the airline’s Airbus A320 aircraft have been upgraded to two Airbus A321.

WIZZ AIR’S NEW ROUTES FROM MACEDONIA

New routes	Frequency	Start date	Fares from*
Ohrid – Malmö	Monday, Friday (until 13 September) Wednesday, Sunday (from 18 September)	18 March 2019	MKD 1,169 / EUR 19.99
Skopje – Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden	Tuesday, Saturday (until 29 June) Wednesday, Sunday (from 3 July)	19 March 2019	MKD 1,169 / EUR 19.99
Ohrid – Milan Malpensa	Tuesday, Saturday (until 30 March) Monday, Friday (from 1 April)	19 March 2019	MKD 1,169 / EUR 19.99
Skopje – Bremen	Wednesday, Sunday	20 March 2019	MKD 1,169 / EUR 19.99
Ohrid – Memmingen	Monday, Friday	1 July 2019	MKD 1,169 / EUR 19.99
Ohrid – Dortmund	Tuesday, Saturday	2 July 2019	MKD 1,169 / EUR 19.99
Skopje – Larnaca	Wednesday, Sunday	3 July 2019	MKD 1,169 / EUR 19.99
Skopje – Turku	Wednesday, Sunday	3 July 2019	MKD 1,169 / EUR 19.99

WIZZ AIR’S FREQUENCY INCREASES ON SKOPJE ROUTES

Destination	Weekly Flights	From Month
Gothenburg Landvetter	4x→5	July 2019
Hamburg	2x→3	July 2019
Cologne	3x→4	July 2019
Malta	2x→3	July 2019
Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg	7x→10	July 2019

Top Copyright Photo: Wizz Air (wizzair.com) (Hungary) Airbus A320-232 WL HA-LYR (msn 6631) BSL (Paul Bannwarth). Image: 945266.

Wizz Air aircraft slide show:

Iran Aseman Airlines operates the world’s last Boeing 727 passenger flight

Iran Aseman Airlines operated the world’s last Boeing 727 passenger flight last night with the pictured EP-ASB.

The last flight (EP 851) was operated from Zahedan (ZAH) to Tehran (Mehrabad Airport) (THR) on January 13, 2019 according to Aviation Iran.

The pictured EP-ASB was originally delivered to Air France as F-GCDB on April 11, 1980 and has been flying passengers for almost 39 years.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by the airline or Iranian Spotters): Iran Aseman Airlines Boeing 727-228 EP-ASB (msn 22082) DXB (Speedbird Images). Image: 931768.

Iran Aseman Airlines aircraft slide show:

Video: A previous flight in 2016:

Finnair to open new routes to Sapporo and Punta Cana for winter 2019/2020

Finnair has made this announcement:

As part of its growth strategy, Finnair will open a new route for the winter 2019/2020 season to Sapporo, Japan. Finnair will fly the new route from December 15, 2019 to March 27, 2020 with two weekly frequencies. Sapporo is well known as a great winter and skiing destination offering stunning landscapes and fantastic winter-themed activities in a traditional Japanese setting. Sapporo will be Finnair’s fifth destination in Japan, in addition to Tokyo Narita, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka.

Finnair will also be opening a new weekly flight to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. The flight to Punta Cana will be operated with an Airbus A350 aircraft once a week between December 13, 2019 and March 27, 2020. The Dominican Republic is a favorite destination during the winter for sun-seeking travelers, offering fantastic sandy beaches and great family resorts, and excellent golf courses. Finnair also flies once a week to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic during the winter season.

As announced earlier, Finnair will also increase flights to Hong Kong during winter 2019/2020, with double daily flights to Hong Kong continuing from the summer 2019 season throughout the winter season. Finnair flies to seven cities in Greater China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, Chongqing, Nanjing, Guangzhou and Hong Kong.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by the airline): Finnair Airbus A350-941 OH-LWC (msn 020) HEL (Tony Storck). Image: 943564.

Finnair aircraft slide show:

Swoop arrives in Cancun today

Swoop, today, January 14, celebrates its inaugural flight between John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport (YHM) and Cancun International Airport (CUN). The four-hour nonstop flight departs Hamilton at 8:00 a.m. EST and arrives Cancun at 11:59 a.m. EST.

The Cancun International Airport and tourism partners are welcoming travellers upon landing with a water arch, live mariachi band, refreshments and gift bags.

This marks Swoop’s third inaugural flight to Mexico this month with service to Puerto Vallarta kicking-off from Hamilton and Abbotsford last week. Swoop will celebrate one more inaugural on January 20, 2019 between Abbotsford and Mazatlán.

Flights are now available for booking through to April 27, 2019.

Details of Swoop’s service to Mexico:

Service Between	Service Offered	Weekly Frequency	Total One-Way Price From*
Hamilton and Puerto Vallarta	Tuesday, Saturday	2 x per week	$139 CAD
Hamilton and Cancun	Monday, Friday, Saturday	3 x per week	$139 CAD
Abbotsford and Puerto Vallarta	Monday, Saturday	2 x per week	$159 CAD
Abbotsford and Mazatlán	Thursday, Sunday	2 x per week	$159 CAD