Japanโ€™s Feel Air Holdings to order up to 36 ATR aircraft

ATR has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for up to 36 aircraft with Feel Air Holdings at the Farnborough Air Show. Feel Air is a new Japanese regional airline holding company created with the purpose of revitalizing Japanโ€™s regions. Feel Air will use its unique franchise business structure to gradually establish a family of regional airlines that will cover different areas within Japan.

The LOI confirms Feel Airโ€™s commitment to the exclusive use of ATR aircraft for its domestic operations, with a fleet that will consist of both ATR 42-600 and ATR 72-600 aircraft, as well as the short take-off and landing variant, the ATR 42-600S, for easier access to smaller regional airports.

There are currently 15 ATR aircraft flying across Japan with three operators. Two more operators will start operations as well in the coming months. In total, ATR sees a potential for 100 ATR aircraft operating in Japan in the medium term.

777 Partners expands Boeing 737 MAX fleet, ordering up to 66

Boeing and 777 Partners today announced a new order and commitment for up to 66 737 MAX jets, including a firm order for 30 ultra-efficient, high-capacity 737-8-200s. This is the U.S. investment firm’s fifth order for the industry’s most fuel-efficient jet in its class, rapidly building its portfolio to as many as 134 737 MAXs since 2021. The two companies announced the order with a signing ceremony at the Farnborough International Airshow.

 

777 Partners has used the 737 MAX to launch a number of low-cost carriers around the world, with more to follow. Currently, its investments include Flair Airlines, Canada’s only independent ultra-low-cost carrier, and Bonza Airline, an Australian start-up that will launch operations this year. The investment firm has earmarked the 737-8-200, which accommodates more than 200 passengers, to grow operations by increasing revenue potentialย while reducing carbon emissions, fuel consumption and operating costs.

777 Partners is a Miami-based private investment firm that invests across a number of high growth attractive verticals. Founded in 2015, 777 Partners strategically invests across six broad industries: insurance; consumer and commercial finance; litigation finance; direct lending; sports, media and entertainment; and aviation. The firm seeks to acquire and build operating businesses that generate long-term, high quality predictable cash flows for its proprietary balance sheet, while consolidating operations across like businesses to create efficiencies and economies of scale. 777 Partners invests at all stages of the business cycle and targets companies accretive to its existing portfolio.

Bonza is Australia’s new, and only independent low-cost airline takes off in 2022*, enabling Australians to explore more of their own backyard, and at low-cost prices. Bonza’s initial route map includes 27 routes to 17 destinations. Ninety three per cent of Bonza routes are not currently served by any airline and ninety six percent not currently served by a low-cost carrier. The only place to book direct is on the FlyBonza App. *Subject to regulatory approval.

Flair Airlines is Canada’s leading low-fare and greenest airline. Flair’s mission is to democratize air travel for all Canadians providing affordable airfare that connects them to the people and experiences they love. With an expanding fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, Flair is growing to serve over 30 cities across Canada, the U.S., and Mexico.

Delta orders 12 additional Airbus A220s

Delta Air Lines continues its aircraft spending spree:

Delta Air Lines has firmed up orders for 12 Airbus A220-300 aircraft, bringing Deltaโ€™s total firm order for A220s to 107 aircraft – 45 A220-100s and 62 A220-300s. The A220s will be powered by Pratt & Whitney GTFโ„ข engines.

Delta took delivery of its first Airbus A220 in October 2018, and was the first U.S. carrier to operate the aircraft type. As of the end of June 2022, Delta was operating a fleet of 388 Airbus aircraft, including 56 A220 aircraft, 249 A320 Family aircraft, 57 A330s and 26 A350-900 aircraft.

The A220 is the only aircraft purpose-built for the 100-150 seat market, bringing together state-of-the-art aerodynamics, advanced materials and Pratt & Whitneyโ€™s latest-generation GTFโ„ข engines. The A220 brings customers a 50% reduced noise footprint and up to 25% lower fuel burn per seat and CO2 emissions compared to previous generation aircraft, as well as around 50% lower NOx emissions than industry standards.

With 220 A220s delivered to 15 airlines operating on four continents, the A220 is the optimal aircraft for regional as well as long-distance routes. To date, 60 million passengers have enjoyed the A220. The fleet is currently flying on over 700 routes and 300 destinations worldwide. As of the end of June 2022, over 25 customers have ordered 760+ A220 aircraft – confirming its breakthrough on the small single-aisle market.

Delta aircraft photo gallery (Airbus):

Jubba Airways Fokker 50 flips over on landing at Mogadishu

Jubba Airways flight from Baidoa to Mogadishu on July 18 flipped over on landing at Mogadishu.

 

The Fokker 50 (5Y-JXN) burst into flames but all passengers and crew member were able to evacuate the aircraft.

Jubba Airways operates flights to destinations in East Africa and Middle East including Somalia, Kenya ,Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates.

Aircompany Armenia and Georgian Airlines order 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters

Boeing, Aircompany Armenia and its partner company Georgian Airlines, today announced an order for three 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters (BCF) as part of the groupโ€™s plan to add more dedicated cargo airplanes to its operations in the Caucasus region.

The first 737-800BCF on order will be delivered next year, with deliveries continuing into 2024. The converted freighters will be operated by Georgian Airlines, which already operates one 737-800BCF.

The 737-800s will be modified at Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Company Limited (GAMECO) and at Taikoo (Shandong) Aircraft Engineering Co. Ltd.ย (STAECO) in China.

The 737-800BCF carries more payload โ€“ up to 23.9 tons (52,800 lbs.) โ€“ and flies farther โ€“ 3,750 km (2,025 nautical miles) compared to 737 Classic freighters. The 737-800BCF has won more than 250 orders and commitments from more than 20 customers.

About Georgian Airlines

Georgian Airlines LLC (ICAO: IGT/IATA: GH) (Georgian Airways) is a fast-growing and development-oriented carrier established in 2020 with headquarters in Tbilisi (Georgia). The cargo carrier commenced operations in April 2021. The operating range includes air cargo transportation by both charter and regular flights across Europe, the CIS, the Middle East, Central, Eastern and Southern Asia. Currently Georgian Airlines operates one 737-800BCF and one 737-800SF. The carrier is part of Georgian Airlines Group.

About Aircompany Armenia

Aircompany Armenia LLC is an Armenian airline that was founded on December 16, 2015 and commenced operations on April 21, 2016. Its headquarters are located in Yerevan. The airline is part of Georgian Airlines Group.

In other news:

Georgian Airways aircraft photo gallery:

SAS reaches agreements with SAS Scandinavia pilotsโ€™ unions, ending the pilot strike

Scandinavian Airlines-SAS made this announcement:

After 15 days of strike, SAS and SAS Scandinavia pilotsโ€™ unions have concluded mediation. The parties have agreed on new 5.5-year collective bargaining agreements and flights operated by SAS Scandinavia will resume according to their regular traffic program as soon as possible.

Following a 15-day strike action, SAS and SAS Scandinavia pilotsโ€™ unions* have reached an agreement on new collective bargaining agreements and the pilot strike has ended.

โ€œI am pleased to report that we now have come to an agreement with all four pilot unions for SAS Scandinavia and the strike has ended. Finally, we can resume normal operations and fly our customers on their much longed-for summer holidays. I deeply regret that so many of our passengers have been impacted by this strike,โ€ said Anko van der Werff, President & CEO.

The 5.5-year agreements between SAS and the SAS Scandinavia pilotsโ€™ unions are a key element of SASโ€™ comprehensive business transformation plan SAS FORWARD, as they provide the stability and predictability required by potential investors.

The agreements include cost savings in line with the set targets in the SAS FORWARD plan relating to the pilotsโ€™ terms and conditions, taking SAS one important step closer to achieving its SAS FORWARD target of SEK 7.5 billion in annual cost savings.

In short, the agreements imply increased productivity for the SAS Scandinavia pilots and increased flexibility in seasonal production. The terms and conditions of the agreements also yield a lowered unit cost for the SAS Scandinavia pilots.

Additionally, as part of the agreement between SAS and SAS Scandinavia pilotsโ€™ unions, a number of pending litigation previously initiated by the pilotsโ€™ unions and/or individual pilots against SAS will be withdrawn. In accordance with a restructuring support agreement to be entered into between the parties in the chapter 11 process, SAS has granted the unions a general unsecured pre-petition claim for the pilots in the amount of SEK 1.0 bn in SAS voluntary financial restructuring process. Distributions under that unsecured claim will be capped at SEK 100 million and made over 5.5 years, corresponding to the term of the agreements.

Finally, SAS has committed to the rehire, and subsequent full-time employment, of 450 pilots in tandem with the ramp-up of flight operations until 2024.

With these labor agreements in place, SAS will now be able to proceed with its process to secure funding to support the companyโ€™s on-going operations โ€“ which it expects to finalize within the next few weeks โ€“ throughout its voluntary financial restructuring process.

โ€œWith these agreements in place, the pilots are doing their part in this difficult situation. We now get on with the important work of progressing our transformation plan SAS FORWARD and building a strong and competitive SAS for generations to come, with the support of our pilotsโ€™ unions and all other stakeholders. The strike has been a tough situation for our customers, for our employees, and for our company as a whole. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all of my SAS colleagues who have worked tirelessly these past weeks to help our customers,โ€ Anko van der Werff concludes.

The agreements between SAS and the SAS Scandinavia pilotsโ€™ unions are subject to approval by the members of all four unions and, as SAS is currently undergoing a voluntary financial restructuring in the U.S., the final agreements are also subject to approval by a U.S. federal court.ย  The company expects to receive the necessary approvals within the next few weeks.

As previously announced, the estimated effect of the strike is approximately SEK 100-130 million per day (US$9.5-$12.5 million) in lost revenue and costs. To date, the financial impact of the strike is expected to exceed SEK 1.5 billion (US$145 million). It is too early to provide more specific information about the total financial impact of the strike, but after 15 days of strike action approximately 380,000 passengers have been affected by approximately 3,700 canceled flights.

Some traffic disruptions will continue during the following days while normal traffic is resumed.

SAS aircraft photo gallery:

Photo: Comlux Aviation (Aruba) Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner P4-787 (msn 35306) (No War) MUC (Arnd Wolf). Image: 958218.

Ex AM N961AM, "No War", to transport FC Bayern Mรผnchen on their US tour 2022

Copyright Photo: Comlux Aviation (Aruba) Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner P4-787 (msn 35306) (No War) MUC (Arnd Wolf). Image: 958218.

SAS has not yet reached an agreement with the SAS Scandinavia pilotsโ€™ unions

SAS made this announcement:

The mediation between SAS and the SAS Scandinavia pilotsโ€™ unions has continued throughout the day. While the mediation has moved in the right direction, no agreement has yet been signed between the two parties.

With reference to the speculations in media, SAS would like to clarify that no agreement has yet been signed between the two parties. The mediation process continues.

SAS aircraft photo gallery:

Unifor says Sunwing plans to yank pilots’ medical insurance after CIRB complaint

Unifor made this announcement:

Following a recent bad faith bargaining complaint by Sunwing pilots at the Canada Industrial Relations Board, Sunwing announced that it plans on revoking the company’s Pilot Loss of License insurance as of July 31, 2022, as a cost-cutting measure.

Sunwing pilots filed a complaint at the Canada Industrial Relations Board Monday, July 4, 2022, alleging their employer bargained in bad faith during a recent round of negotiations because the employer already knew the company was being sold to WestJet.

On July 8, 2022 โ€“ days after the filing at the CIRB โ€“ Sunwing sent a document to Unifor pilot members indicating the company would no longer be continuing the pilots’ $200,000 Loss of License insurance policy, which supports a pilot who loses their license to fly due to medical reasons.

“Loss of License Insurance is critical for pilots,” said Barret Armann, President of Unifor Local 7378, which represents 452 Sunwing pilots.ย “Without one, they are out of a career. The insurance provided a very small amount of money to retrain, support their families and begin again in a new career โ€“ a position pilots hope they never find themselves in.”

Further to the insurance cancellation, Armann said Sunwing plans on hiring roughly 65 foreign temporary workers this winter in Regina, Saskatoon and Edmonton, to alleviate worker shortage as travel continues to ramp up, post-pandemic.

These temporary workers, mostly from Czech Republic, require less flying experience โ€“ 3,000 hours for captains โ€“ compared to Unifor’s captains at a minimum of 4,000 to 5,000 hours and Armann says the company is paying these foreign workers more than 75% of Unifor pilots currently employed.

“There are lots of qualified pilots here in Canada, but Sunwing has decided to bring in workers with less training,” said Armann. “Our pilots feel they have been taken advantage of after being out of work for more than a year-and-a-half and are angry at how the company chooses to treat its pilot group. The Canadian government needs to strengthen guidelines to prevent companies from outsourcing our work and put Canadian workers first.”

Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.

Sunwing aircraft photo gallery:

TAAG Angola Airlines to lease 6 new Airbus A220-300 aircraft

Air Lease Corporation (ALC) has announced long-term lease placements for six new Airbus A220-300 aircraft with TAAG Angola Airlines.ย  The aircraft are scheduled to deliver to the airline starting in 2023 through 2024 from ALCโ€™s orderbook with Airbus.

TAAG-Angola Airlines aircraft photo gallery: