Singapore Airlines celebrates the delivery of their Airbus A350-900 medium-haul aircraft with Thales AVANT IFE and Connectivity

Thales has issued this press release:

Singapore Airlines is known globally for its high standards of service and cabin experience. The airline has been awarded the internationally acclaimed five-star rating from Skytrax and was recognized by the organization in 2018 as the ‘World’s Best Airline” for the fourth time, operating a modern passenger fleet of more than 100 aircraft. For the upcoming fleet of Airbus A350-900 medium haul aircraft, Singapore Airlines has entrusted Thales to sustain their brand promise of improving service excellence, retaining competitive advantage and continuing to meet and exceed customer expectations.

This new fleet of aircraft will be equipped with Thales’s AVANT IFE system, featuring an innovative and personalized user experience uniquely designed for Singapore Airlines. The 40 Business Class passengers will enjoy 17″ High Definition touch screen monitors with a complementing handset that operates similarly to a consumer smart phone, enabling passengers to use it as a secondary device to control the seatback monitor. The 263 Economy Class seats will feature the latest 11.6″ touchscreen monitors.

The sleek and lightweight design of AVANT provides travelers an exceptional inflight experience with Singapore Airlines’ vast choice of entertainment. The IFE solution is designed with a new Signature user interface that is unique to Singapore Airlines, and offers a more intuitive user experience with new additional navigational options. Some key features on AVANT include:

Media Filter: This enables passengers to efficiently locate desired media by filtering content through the various categories, genres, languages and available flight duration;
Flight Info Map: When enjoying movies or TV shows, passengers are able to concurrently bring up flight info without exiting the media player; and,
Air Mouse (available in Business Class): The touch screen handset functions as a remote control by directing the onscreen cursor on the seatback monitor.

With Singapore Airlines’ myKrisWorld complementing the new IFE system, passengers are able to enjoy a personalized inflight entertainment service with over 1,800 movies, television shows, music, interactive games, informational applications and more. KrisFlyer members and passengers traveling in premium classes will also have access to additional content. Passengers will be able to personalize preferences upon sign-in and bookmark partially watched movies and TV shows to be resumed on subsequent flights.

Passengers onboard Singapore Airlines’ new Airbus A350-900 medium-haul aircraft will enjoy high speed WiFi service using Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (GX) satellite network. The pairing of global Ka-band connectivity and Thales’s latest IFE innovations provides a comprehensive set of onboard entertainment services that transform passenger experiences wherever they fly.

To ensure that the IFE and Connectivity systems remain at optimal performance, Thales will also provide turn-key maintenance support and services through its FlytCARE service, including line maintenance, software and media content loading, repairs and support from the Singapore Customer Support Center.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by Thales): Singapore Airlines Airbus A350-941 ULR 9V-SGB (msn 223) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 944723.

Singapore Airlines aircraft slide show:

Delta to begin new nonstop service in June 2019 between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Mexico City in partnership with AeroMexico

Delta Air Lines, in conjunction with its partner AeroMexico, will bring customers flying through its hub in the Twin Cities a new option to reach Mexico City and beyond, subject to government approval. In addition, Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport uniquely offers connections to more than a dozen cities in the U.S and Canada not available over other Delta hubs.

Service will be aboard Delta’s Airbus A319 aircraft with seating for 12 in First Class, 18 in Delta Comfort+ and 102 in the main cabin.

The new service will operate on the following schedule beginning June 8:

Flight departs MSP at 8:50 a.m. and arrives in MEX at 1:01 p.m.
Flight departs MEX at 2 p.m. and arrives in MSP at 6:14 p.m.

On a combined basis, Delta and AeroMexico offer more than 160 daily flights between the U.S. and Mexico.

Delta’s Minneapolis/St. Paul hub offers approximately 400 departures every day, connecting Minnesota to the world and moving Delta customers with ease across the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia, including Tokyo-Haneda Airport, the business traveler’s preferred airport located near central Tokyo. Earlier in 2018, Delta announced new service to Seoul-Incheon airport in conjunction with partner Korean Air to begin in April 2019. Additionally, Delta announced proposed service from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Shanghai to begin in 2020 subject to government approval.

Top Copyright Photo: Delta Air Lines Airbus A319-114 N344NB (msn 1766) JFK (Fred Freketic). Image: 935516.

Delta Air Lines aircraft slide show:

First Looks: WestJet’s first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

WestJet has releases these photos of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (C-GUDH).

airBaltic’s traffic is booming for 2018

airBaltic has carried 3 842 952 or 18% more passengers during the first eleven months of 2018 than in the same period last year to its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, CIS and the Middle East. In November 2018, 289 566 passengers or 15% more than last year travelled with airBaltic.

Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer of airBaltic: “This is another record year for airBaltic, and we will maintain our sustainable growth path also in the future, by launching at least six new destinations in 2019. Recently we were recognized as the leading Latvian exporter by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia and Ministry of Economics of the Republic of Latvia. As we expand our operations, we continue to strengthen our positions as the leading Latvian export brand.”

During the first eleven months of 2018 airBaltic has operated 51 791 flights. In November 2018, the airline performed 4 375 flights, or 12% more than in the same period of 2017. The airline’s load factor, which represents the number of passengers as a proportion of the number of available seats, during first eleven months of 2018 was at a level of 76%.

The 15-minute flight punctuality indicator for airBaltic during the first eleven months of 2018 reached a level of 88%. This means that more than 88 out of every 100 airBaltic flights departed at the planned time or with a delay of no more than 15 minutes. In November, punctuality indicator reached 92%.

Photo: airBaltic.

Embraer and Boeing approved the terms of strategic aerospace partnership, seek Brazilian Government approval

Embraer and Boeing have approved to the terms of a strategic partnership that would position both companies to accelerate growth in global aerospace markets.

The approved terms define the joint venture comprising the commercial aircraft and services operations of Embraer, in which Boeing will hold an 80 percent ownership stake and Embraer will hold the remaining 20 percent. The transaction remains subject to approval by the Government of Brazil, after which Embraer and Boeing intend to execute definitive transaction documents. The closing of the transaction will then be subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

Under the terms of the proposed partnership, Boeing will acquire an 80 percent ownership stake in the joint venture for $4.2 billion. The partnership is expected to be neutral to Boeing’s earnings per share in 2020 and accretive thereafter. Estimated annual pre-tax cost synergies of approximately $150 million are anticipated by the third year of operations.

Once the transaction has closed, the commercial aviation joint venture will be led by Brazil-based management, including a president and chief executive officer. Boeing will have operational and management control of the new company, which will report directly to Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing chairman, president and chief executive officer. Embraer will retain consent rights for certain strategic decisions, such as transfer of operations from Brazil.

“Boeing and Embraer know each other well through more than two decades of collaboration, and the respect we have for each other and the value we see in this partnership has only increased since we announced our joint efforts earlier this year,” said Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing chairman, president and chief executive officer.

“We are confident that this partnership will deliver great value to Brazil and the Brazilian aerospace industry as a whole. This alliance will strengthen both companies in the global market and is aligned with our long-term sustainable growth strategy,” said Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva, Embraer president and chief executive officer.

The companies have also agreed to the terms of another joint venture to promote and develop new markets for the multi-mission medium airlift KC-390. Under the terms of this proposed partnership, Embraer will own a 51 percent stake in the joint venture, with Boeing owning the remaining 49 percent.

The transaction is subject to approval by the Government of Brazil, ratification by the Embraer Board of Directors and its further authorization to execute the definitive transaction documents. Once the parties have executed the definitive transaction agreements, the strategic partnership will then be subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, as well as other customary closing conditions. Assuming the approvals are received in a timely manner, the transaction is intended to close by the end of 2019.

TAP Air Portugal to add San Francisco in June

TAP Air Portugal has announced its latest new destination: San Francisco. This new route reinforces and consolidates the Company’s bet in that market, now extending its reach to reach California, on the west coast of the USA.

TAP´s operation to San Francisco begins on June 10, 2019 and will have five flights per week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Flights depart from Lisbon at 10:00 am and arrive in San Francisco at 14:40 pm, local time. On the opposite direction, the departure is at 16:10 pm, arriving in Lisbon at 11:25 am, on the following day.

San Francisco will be the TAP´s eighth destination in North America and the third new destination for TAP in the United States next year. Chicago and Washington are also available for sale, with operation starting on June 1 and June 16, 2019 respectively.

In the North American market, TAP had three destinations in 2015, and now has nine routes, increasing its weekly frequencies from 16 to 56.

TAP also reinforced the number of weekly flights from Porto to Newark (from 2 to 6 weekly flights).

In the North Atlantic, TAP flies to: San Francisco, Washington, Chicago, New York – JFK, New York – Newark, Boston and Miami, departing from Lisbon, and New York – Newark departing from Porto, as well as Toronto , In Canada.

The expansion and renovation of the TAP´s fleet has made these new routes possible. The company has already received seven Airbus aircraft this year, with more arriving over the next years, to a total of 71 new aircraft by 2025. The first new aircraft the company received was an Airbus A320neo, which has been in service since June. Two Airbus A321neo’s joined the TAP fleet in September. A new Airbus A330neo arrived in Lisbon, with TAP set to become the first airline in the world to put this aircraft into service. On Saturday, December 8, 2018 a new Airbus A321neo arrived, with another A321neo arriving in Lisbon from the Airbus factory on Tuesday December 11, 2018.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by the airline): TAP Portugal – Air Portugal Airbus A330-343 CS-TOU (msn 997) LIS (Marcelo F. De Biasi). Image: 940710.

TAP Air Portugal aircraft slide show:

JetBlue adds new service between Steamboat Springs and three hubs

JetBlue Airways has announced the start of new service in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, with the arrival of inaugural flights from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and Long Beach Airport (LGB).

Service started on December 15.

JetBlue nonstop service to the Steamboat/Hayden Airport (HDN) is currently scheduled as follows:

The new routes connect the world-renowned ski destination with three key regions of JetBlue’s route map and operate on a winter seasonal schedule.

JetBlue becomes the only airline to offer nonstop service from both New England and South Florida to Steamboat Springs. And Long Beach service opens up a new and convenient airport choice for Southern California travelers. Twice-weekly Boston and Long Beach service operates Wednesdays and Saturdays, with Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood service operating weekly on Saturdays.

JetBlue flights serve Yampa Valley Regional Airport (HDN), just 30 minutes from downtown Steamboat Springs.

JetBlue will operate new Steamboat Springs flights using its Airbus A320 aircraft.

Top Copyright Photo (others by the airport): JetBlue Airways Airbus A320-232 N569JB (msn 2075) (10th Anniversary) LGB (Michael B. Ing). Image: 944819.

JetBlue aircraft slide show:

Video:

New routes:

Emirates takes delivery of its last Boeing 777-300ER aircraft

Emirates celebrated an important fleet milestone with the delivery of the final Boeing 777-300ER aircraft (A6-EQP) on its order books.

A6-EQP is the 190th Boeing 777 aircraft to be delivered to Emirates, the world’s largest operator of Boeing 777 aircraft and also the only airline in the world to have operated all the six variants of the Boeing 777 family.

One of out every eight 777 aircraft ever manufactured by Boeing has been delivered to Emirates.

Emirates will also be one of the first airlines in the world to fly the two next generation models- the Boeing 777-8 and 777-9.

It was also the 146th delivery of a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft to Emirates. The airline welcomed the first Boeing 777-300ER aircraft into its fleet in March 2005 and over the last 13 years, the 777-300ER has become the backbone of Emirates’ fleet operating currently to over 119 destinations across the airline’s global network. Emirates has operated one out of every five Boeing 777-300ER aircraft produced to date and the average age of a Boeing 777-3000ER in Emirates’ fleet is a mere 6.5 years.

Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline said: “The Boeing 777-300ER has been a cornerstone of Emirates’ success story as the world’s largest international airline. The aircraft’s efficiency, range and payload capabilities have enabled us to connect our customers across six continents to and through Dubai, and offer them a flight experience that is second to none. With 140 of these aircraft in our fleet, the Boeing 777-300ER will continue to play an integral role in our operations and facilitating global tourism and trade opportunities in the years to come.”

On the partnership with Boeing, Sir Tim said: “We’ve worked closely with Boeing on the 777 program over the last three decades, and we will build on this partnership as we start taking delivery of the 777-8 and 777-9 aircraft from 2020.”

Emirates’ Boeing 777 fleet has carried close to 350 million passengers on more than 1.28 million flights and covered over 6.6 billion kilometres since 1996. That’s the equivalent of flying almost 8600 times to the moon and back.

Setting the standards for passenger experience and safety, Emirates has continually invested in its onboard product and services. The airline recently unveiled brand new cabins for its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft including the game-changing fully-enclosed First Class private suites as well as newly-designed seats and improved inflight entertainment systems for Business and Economy class cabins. Emirates has also started a programme to reconfigure its 10 Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, installing new wider Business Class seats as well as a completely refreshed Economy Class for improved passenger comfort.

Since 2009, Emirates has also been operating the Boeing 777-F dedicated freighter aircraft to facilitate global trade. With a capacity of over 100 tonnes per flight, Emirates’ fleet of 13 Boeing 777-Fs move a variety of cargo, including heavy and outsized shipments, pharmaceuticals, flowers and race horses on scheduled weekly flights to over 40 global destinations. In 2017, Emirates’ Boeing 777-F aircraft also executed more than 370 charter flights over and above regular operations.

Emirates operates one of the youngest aircraft fleets in the world with an average aircraft age of 5.87 years, a figure that is much lower than the accepted norm in the aviation industry. The airline pursues an ambitious fleet renewal strategy by retiring older aircraft and introducing newer and more advanced aircraft leading to more efficient operations.

From 2020, the airline will start taking delivery of 35 Boeing 777-8s and 115 Boeing 777-9s. These next generation aircraft will have a more fuel efficient design and will feature larger windows, increased cabin pressure and humidity, higher ceilings, wider cabin and an advanced inflight entertainment system contributing to a superior customer experience.

Video:

Milestones of the Emirates Boeing 777 program

June 1996	Emirates receives delivery of its first Boeing 777 aircraft A6-EMD, a Boeing 777-200 classic
June 2003	Emirates announces order for 26 Boeing 777-300ERs at the 2003 Paris Air Show, worth US$ 5.6 billion
March 2005	Emirates receives its first Boeing 777-300 ER
2009	Emirates becomes the world’s largest operator of the Boeing 777 aircraft
November 2013	Emirates makes aviation history with a record-breaking order for 150 Boeing 777x aircraft
October 2014	Emirates receives its 100^th Boeing 777-300ER aircraft
September 2015	Emirates receives its 150^th Boeing 777 aircraft
November 2016	Emirates starts taking delivery of its new generation Boeing 777-300ER with enhanced Business Class seats and improved environmental performance
November 2017	Emirates unveils brand new cabins for its Boeing 777 fleet including the Game-changing, fully enclosed private suites in First Class

Ryanair takes delivery of the last Boeing 737NG

Boeing announced on social media:

It’s the end of an era and the start of a new one. Ryanair took delivery of its last 737 NG on December 13. Thanks for being all-Boeing and get ready for the 737 MAX “Gamechanger”.

Boeing delivers first airplane from new Delivery Center in Zhoushan, China

Boeing and joint venture partner Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd (COMAC) today celebrated the delivery of the first airplane from the new 737 Completion and Delivery Center in Zhoushan, China. Air China received the first plane, marking a new era in Boeing’s partnership with the Chinese aviation industry.

Delivery of the first MAX 8, assembled in Renton, Wash. and completed in China, comes 20 months after construction began at the 100-acre site. The 737 Completion and Delivery Center is the first such Boeing facility outside of the United States. The facility has been built in partnership with the Zhejiang Provincial and Zhoushan Municipal Governments and will become fully operational in phases as capacity is expanded over time.

Boeing 737 MAXs for Chinese airlines will be flown from Seattle to Zhoushan, where the joint Boeing-COMAC Completion Center will complete interior work on the airplanes. The statement of work will gradually expand to include painting with the addition of three paint hangers. Once completed, airplanes will move to the adjacent Boeing-operated delivery center for customer acceptance activities and delivery formalities.

The facility, which covers 666,000 sq ft in total, is designed to support the entire 737 MAX family of airplanes, from the long-range MAX 7 to the high-capacity MAX 10. With about one third of all 737 deliveries going to Chinese customers, the Zhoushan facility will enable Chinese airline customers to update and expand their fleets with the most technologically-advanced Boeing single-aisle airplanes available. In addition, the business and the partnerships Boeing is developing in Chinaare integral to adding capacity and aerospace jobs in the U.S

China is on course to become the largest commercial aviation market in the world. Boeing’s latest Commercial Market Outlook forecasts that China will need 7,680 new airplanes worth $1.2 trillion USD over the next 20 year and another $1.5 trillion USD in commercial services to support the country’s growing fleet of airplanes.

Photos: Boeing.