TAME to drop the New York route as part of restructuring

TAME is dropping the New York (JFK) route on February 1, 2019 due to the financial losses on the route.

The airline is likely to dispose of its single Airbus A330-200 (HC-COH) assigned to the route.

The company made this statement at the end of 2018 (translated from Spanish):

In 2019, the company plans to strengthen the domestic market and analyze the international market, focusing on routes that generate profitability. It should be noted that in 2019 certain aircraft lease agreements will expire, so the fleet approval process will begin, the main focus of which is the optimization of the operational cost that will make the results profitable.

The company also aims to generate a strategic alliance, with investment partners or allies, to strengthen the business model and stabilize the company within the next 3 years.

The airline reaffirms its commitment to quality of service, punctuality, security and air connectivity, in addition to continuing to promote the tourist and commercial development of Ecuador.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by the airline): TAME Airbus A330-243 HC-COH (msn 348) JFK (Fred Freketic). Image: 944265.

TAME aircraft slide show:

KLM is the safest and most punctual airline in 2018

KLM has made this announcement:

In 2018, KLM once again achieve high ratings for safety and punctuality, two key assets for any airline.

Flight Stats, an aviation data information company, rated KLM as runner-up behind Qatar Airways in terms of punctuality in 2018, which means KLM is Europe’s most punctual airline.

Every year, Flight Stats compares international airlines on the basis of punctuality, flight schedules and flying times.

AirlineRatings.com, which annually researches the safety of airlines, awarded KLM its maximum score on seven criteria, including adherence to international certification requirements and internal safety protocols.

This means KLM ranks among the safest airlines in the world.

“This is a superb acknowledgment for all our efforts in the area of safety and punctuality. We will maintain this momentum going into 2019, to keep giving our customers a safe and pleasant travel experience.”

Pieter Elbers – KLM President & CEO

Via Airlines announces a new round of expansion

Via Airlines has announced nonstop service to two new destinations from Memphis, Tenn., making Memphis International Airport (MEM) a key part of their ongoing expansion efforts throughout the mid-west and the northeastern U.S. The new destinations include nonstop service to Pittsburgh, Pa., and Austin, Texas, with the first flight taking off from Memphis June 25, 2019.

The new nonstop flights in and out of Memphis will operate four times each week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays through the Memphis International Airport (MEM) on ViaAirlines’ 50-seat Embraer ERJ 145 jets.

Via Airlines also announced nonstop service from Raleigh, N.C. to Birmingham, Ala., making Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) a key part of their ongoing expansion efforts throughout the southeastern U.S. The first flight on this new nonstop route between Raleigh and Birmingham, Ala., takes off April 11, 2019.

The new nonstop flight in and out of Raleigh/Durham will operate four times each week on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays through the Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) on Via Airlines’ 50-seat Embraer ERJ 145 jet.

Finally Via Airlines announced nonstop service to four new destinations from Pittsburgh, Pa., making Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) key to their ongoing expansion efforts throughout the northeast. The new destinations include nonstop service to Birmingham, Ala.; Memphis, Tenn. and Hartford, Conn., with through service to Austin, Texas, from Memphis. The first flight from Pittsburgh takes off in April with other routes flying in June and July of 2019.

Now serving a total of 19 cities across the U.S., these route announcements are part of the established carrier’s largest expansion to date. Three new focus cities were announced at the same time as Memphis and Pittsburgh, including Hartford, Conn., Birmingham, Ala. and Raleigh, N.C.

Top Copyright Photo: Via Air (Via Airlines) Embraer ERJ 145LR (EMB-145LR) N841HK (msn 145382) CLT (Jay Selman). Image: 403273.

Via Air aircraft slide show:

Route Map:

Airbus records 800 deliveries in 2018

Airbus SE delivered 800 commercial aircraft to 93 customers in 2018, meeting its full year delivery guidance and setting a new company record. Deliveries were 11 percent higher than the previous record of 718 units, set in 2017. For the 16th year in a row now, Airbus has increased the number of commercial aircraft deliveries on an annual basis.

In total, the 2018 commercial aircraft deliveries comprise:

20 A220s (since it became part of the Airbus family in July 2018);
626 A320 Family (vs 558 in 2017), of which 386 were A320neo Family (vs 181 NEOs in 2017);
49 A330s (vs 67 in 2017) including the first three A330neo in 2018;
93 A350 XWBs (vs 78 in 2017);
12 A380s (vs 15 in 2017).

In terms of sales, Airbus achieved 747 net orders during 2018 compared with 1,109 net orders in 2017. At the end of 2018, the backlog of Airbus commercial aircraft reached a new industry record and stood at 7,577 aircraft, including 480 A220s, compared with 7,265 at the end of 2017.

Over the last 16 years, Airbus has steadily increased its production year-by-year with the final assembly lines in Hamburg, Toulouse, Tianjin and Mobile complemented by the addition of the A220 line in Mirabel, Canada, during 2018. A notable contribution to Airbus’ delivery increase in 2018 came from the final assembly lines in the US and China. For the top-selling A320 Family in particular, the Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Mobile, Alabama, saw its 100^thdelivery, and is now producing in excess of four units per month. Meanwhile, Airbus’ “FAL Asia” in Tianjin, China, achieved its 400^th A320 delivery, while in Germany Airbus commenced operations of its new, fourth production line in Hamburg. Overall, the A320 programme is on track to achieve rate 60 per month for the A320 Family by mid-2019. The Airbus teams successfully reached an important industrial milestone for the A350, achieving the targeted rate of 10 aircraft per month.

Airbus will report Full Year 2018 financial results on February 14, 2019.

Footnote:

The Full-Year 2018 net orders and backlog represent the contractual view. The Full-Year 2018 backlog value will be measured under IFRS 15 and will reflect the recoverable amount of revenues under these contracts. A significant reduction in order backlog value is expected mainly due to the adjustment for net prices versus list prices. The FY 2017 backlog will not be restated.

KLM sets a record for passengers in 2018

KLM welcomed a record 34.2 million passengers on board in 2018. That is a 4.5% increase compared to 2017. The growth was greatest in Europe and in North and South America. The strong passenger growth resulted in a record load factor of 89.1% for the entire year, which is 0.7%^pt higher than in 2017. At KLM Cargo, the load factor increased by 1.4% to 67%.

The slight drop in passenger numbers at Transavia was the result of the closure of the Munich base. Transavia Netherlands welcomed 5.2% more passengers than in 2017

“In 2018, we expanded our worldwide network to a total of 166 with four new destinations. Last year, the KLM Group (including Transavia Netherlands) welcomed 43 million passengers on board. It’s a great achievement that all of us at KLM, as a whole, can be proud of.”

Pieter Elbers, President and CEO, KLM

Delta expands Airbus A220 order book to 90 total aircraft, orders larger version

Delta Air Lines has reached an agreement with Airbus to extend its order book of the highly efficient, state-of-the-art A220 by 15 aircraft to a total of 90.

Delta’s future A220 fleet will consist of 40 A220-100 series aircraft and the remaining 50 will be the larger A220-300 variant. Delta anticipates taking its first delivery of the A220-300 in 2020.

“These additional A220 aircraft will continue to strategically enable Delta to refresh our fleet, drive further advances in the customer experience and serve as an excellent investment for our customers, employees and shareowners for Delta into the next decade,” said Gil West, Delta’s Chief Operating Officer. “We look forward to taking our first A220-300 in 2020 at the Airbus assembly facility in Mobile, Alabama.”

Delta expects all 90 A220 aircraft to be delivered by the end of 2023. The A220-300 aircraft will be configured with 130 seats and offer First Class, Delta Comfort+ and main cabin options for customers.

Allegiant unveils a revised Make-A-Wish® livery

Allegiant Air has officially debuted an Airbus A320 aircraft featuring an updated look: the new blue and white Make-A-Wish^® logo.

Allegiant’s aircraft featuring the new Make-A-Wish livery is based in Orlando Sanford International Airport.

The aircraft, which has served as the world’s largest mobile billboard promoting the six-year partnership between Make-A-Wish and Allegiant, was recently repainted to reflect the nonprofit’s newly-redesigned logo. Allegiant released on social media a new time-lapse video (below) showing the plane’s transformation.

The blue and white Make-A-Wish brand, with a shooting star dotting the “I” in “Wish,” starts in front of the plane’s wings and stretches across half of the fuselage down to the tail, where it meets the orange of Allegiant’s iconic sunburst logo.

The special livery is the only one in Allegiant’s fleet highlighting the airline’s dedication to helping Make-A-Wish grant wishes to children with critical illnesses.

The aircraft is based at Orlando Sanford International Airport in Florida, a fitting location, as more than 95 percent of Make-A-Wish kids flown by Allegiant travel there to visit the city’s theme parks.

Since 2012, Allegiant has partnered with Make-A-Wish, helping to fulfill the wishes of more than 1,400 children. The airline is currently a Wish Champion, recognized for making $1 million in annual contributions.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by the airline): Allegiant Air Airbus A320-214 N218NV (msn 1229) (Make-A-Wish) FLL (Andy Cripps). Image: 945203.

Allegiant aircraft slide show:

Air Dolomiti launches a simplified livery on I-ADJO

Air Dolomiti has made this announcement:

Under the sign of the growth plan announced for 2019, Air Dolomiti, an Italian airline in the

Lufthansa Group, introduced the new livery on January 9, 2019 at the Catullo Airport of Verona.

The first Air Dolomiti aircraft, painted in England, has a simple, modern and elegant design that

launches the revamped image with a total white style intended to bring out the turquoise

color of the tail fin, where the diamond triumphs in all its splendor.

Written on the belly of the aircraft fuselage is “AD Astra”, part of the Latin phrase “Per Aspera ad

Astra”, “Through hardships to the stars”: a tribute to travellers and flying enthusiasts, but also to

the ancient tradition of the Greek-Latin classics. With these words, the airline intends not only

to accompany passengers during the flight, but also to wish them bon voyage, no matter what

their selected destination may be or the reason for their trip.

This continues Air Dolomiti’s revamping, a new image that looks to the future, but at the same

time maintains the solid values that have allowed it to establish itself as one of the best

European airlines. This is the message conveyed by the company and by CEO Joerg Eberhart:

“Another milestone has been reached today and this makes us very proud. Seeing how the

livery has been renewed but without being radically changed makes me think about our

company whose Italian spirit remains intact, but whose body has instead been transformed to

align with the Group and modern times.”

The old livery:

Air Dolomiti, strongly rooted in the Verona territory, has planned to introduce new equipment –

they currently have 12 operational units – which will bring the fleet to a total of 26.

The arrival of new aircraft will take place gradually from January 2019 through 2023.

All photos by Air Dolomiti.

Boeing unveils new Transonic Truss-Braced Wing

Boeing revealed the newest Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW), which researchers say will fly higher and faster than the previous TTBW concepts. The new configuration is designed to offer unprecedented aerodynamic efficiency while flying at Mach 0.80.

From end-to-end, the folding wings measure 170 feet. The high wingspan is made possible by the presence of a truss, which supports the extended length of the ultra-thin wing.

Originally, the TTBW was designed to fly at speeds of Mach 0.70 – 0.75. To increase the aircraft’s cruise speed, the new concept now has an optimized truss and a modified wing sweep. By adjusting the wing sweep angle, the truss can carry lift more efficiently. The end result was a more integrated design that significantly improved vehicle performance.

The new changes follow extensive wind tunnel testing at NASA Ames Research Center. For nearly a decade, Boeing and NASA have been studying the concept as part of the Subsonic Ultra Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) program. The research focuses on innovative concepts that reduce noise and emissions while enhancing performance.

Germania is currently examining various financing options to ensure its short-term liquidity needs

Germania has issued this statement:

Europe’s aviation industry has undergone major changes recently, 2018 was a particularly challenging year. The entire industry is undergoing transition and Germania with it.

Unforeseeable events such as the massive increases in fuel prices last summer and the simultaneous weakening of the euro against the US dollar were major burdens for our company, as were considerable delays in phasing aircraft into our fleet and an unusually high number of maintenance events that our aircraft required.

Therefore, Germania is currently examining various financing options to ensure its short-term liquidity needs. We are focusing on the central question of how we can continue to be effective in a market environment dominated by airlines under larger corporate structures.