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.

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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.

Hainan Airlines to launch Xi’an-Los Angeles service on December 31

Hainan Airlines Holding Company, Ltd. (Hainan Airlines) plans to launch nonstop service between Xi’an and Los Angeles on December 31, 2018. It will be the first scheduled service between Xi’an and Los Angeles and the only intercontinental route between Xi’an and the United States.

The Xi’an–Los Angeles service is scheduled to take off from Xi’an at 9:10 pm every Monday and Thursday BJT, and land at Los Angeles at 18:10 pm PT after being in the air for 12 hours and 10 minutes.

The new route will be serviced by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft.

Hainan Airlines already has several routes that originate in Xi’an, with services to Tokyo, Rome, Sydney and Melbourne.

Hainan Airlines has to date launched 18 North American routes covering Seattle/Tacoma, San Jose, Los Angeles, New York (JFK), Chicago (O’Hare), Boston, Las Vegas, Toronto (Pearson), Calgary, Vancouver, Mexico City and Tijuana.

Hainan Airlines’ Xi’an-Los Angeles Flight Schedule (All times are local):

Flight No.	Aircraft	Schedule	Departure City	Departure Time	Arrival Time	Arrival City
HU493	Boeing 787	Monday/Thursday	Xi’an	9:10 pm	6:10 pm	Los Angeles
HU494	Boeing 787	Monday/Thursday	Los Angeles	11:20 pm	5:10 am+2	Xi’an

The airline is also starting Paris (CDG) – Chongqing service on December 19, 2018.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by the airline): Hainan Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner B-2728 (msn 34938) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 944785.

Hainan aircraft slide show:

Delta recaps its Investor Day presentation

Delta leaders explained to Wall Street how 2018 performance shows Delta is on track to continue leading the industry.

Here’s a recap of what Delta leaders are saying from the stage in New York at Delta’s 2018 Investor Day. Speakers are highlighting a successful 2018, setting 2019 targets and explaining to Wall Street why Delta’s durable and sustainable business model creates resiliency for employees, customers and owners.

CEO Ed Bastian

Investor Day 2018 began with a recap of the year’s successes, including how the Delta team enabled an industry-leading operation and offset 90 percent of a fuel cost headwind through revenue growth.

He said that 2018 will be the fourth year in a row that Delta will post a profit of $5 billion, though he emphasized continued focus on costs, saying Delta has to “stay disciplined.”

On the revenue side, Bastian said strategic moves have boosted diversity of revenues. “At Delta, 30 percent of our total revenue stream is coming from premium products, which is twice what it was six years ago.”

Bastian said Delta’s unique culture drives all of its strategic initiatives, and that Delta never loses sight that it is ultimately a people enterprise.”This is a business of caring for people and we have the best people who care in the business.”

He closed with five takeaways about Delta:

Delivering superior financial results – 2019 is expected to deliver profits over $5 billion for a fifth consecutive year, with a return to margin expansion driving double-digit earnings-per-share growth and 15 percent after-tax returns on invested capital.
A powerful consumer brand rooted in a unique culture, with building momentum and a sustainable revenue premium.
An increasingly diverse revenue stream with less than half of revenues from Main Cabin, and strong growth prospects from premium products.
Non-fuel cost trajectory below inflation as efficiency initiatives gain momentum, and fleet transformation continues.
Opportunity to drive top-line growth and margin expansion from fleet transformation, technology innovation, joint ventures, loyalty program and maintenance, repair and overhaul business expansion.

President Glen Hauenstein

He expounded on Delta’s projection of 4-6 percent top-line revenue growth in 2019, saying demand remands strong for all of Delta’s products and services, and the company is just getting started to really provide what customers want in the marketplace.

“We have a long runway of opportunity,” Hauenstein said. “We feel very, very confident that we have a long way to go to improve our margins and to improve our customer experience and our brand.”

Delta’s opportunity lies in four areas, he said:

Providing the leading domestic network.
Fleet transformation to highly-efficient and customer experience-rich aircraft with larger gauge and better efficiency.
Excellent global partners that provide seamless worldwide access for customers.
Premium onboard products like Delta One and Delta Premium Select.

Runway of opportunity slide

Gil West, Chief Operating Officer

West told attendees that more customers arrive on-time on Delta than on any other airline, through industry-best completion factor and on-time arrivals as measured by preliminary DOT data.

He underscored that a high degree of operational reliability is a bedrock for continuous improvement across all aspects of Delta’s business, and is a catalyst for applied innovation as well as boosting Delta’s competitive advantage at its subsidiary businesses, like Delta Material Services and Delta Flight Products.

Tim Mapes, Chief Marketing Officer

“Delta has the best understanding of the customer.”

That’s how Mapes began his remarks, noting that Delta excels at gathering and interpreting data from nearly 200 million customers a year to evaluate their likes, dislikes and much more. “We have a bias toward action that feeds into this idea of listen, respond, listen,” he said.

Mapes said the Delta brand is moving beyond a high-quality industrial transport to a consumer brand, and a more trusted one every day through the work of Delta’s people and culture to consistently drive superior travel experiences.

Investor Day slide - Consistently Delivering

Eric Phillips, Senior Vice President – Revenue Management

Phillips detailed Delta’s trajectory to improve choice and customizability for Delta’s customers through a growing array of products and service.

“Over the last 10 years, Delta has moved closer to the customer. When we connected with the customer, what they told us they wanted was choice.”

He added that premium products are top of mind for Delta customers and that their behavior has validated Delta’s investments in Delta Comfort+, Delta Premium Select, the Delta One suite and, most recently, the ability to purchase upgrades with Delta SkyMiles.

He also said the ability to pay for checked bags with miles is expected to be available in 2020 as well as ongoing enhancements to the delta.com shopping experience and overall personalization.

Investor Day slide - Improving all aspects

Rahul Samant, Chief Information Officer

Samant emphasized that technological innovations are both customer and employee centric, adding that as recently as five years ago, innovations that customers today enjoy at Delta would have been “beyond the realm of reality.”

What’s driving Delta’s approach to technology going forward? “It’s all about practical and applied innovation,” he said.

“Just in the 15 mins I’ve been on stage, we’ve had 600,000 customer interactions in our physical and digital platforms,” he said. “That’s the population of Washington, D.C. These are the opportunities to make a real difference.”

Investor Day slide - Empowering

Joanne Smith, Chief Human Resources Officer

Smith detailed why Delta’s unique culture provides a competitive advantage and how making a great place to work for employees is what sets Delta apart from competitors.

“Culture is not something that’s trending, it’s something that’s been going on for 94 years,” she said. “The theme is, from our founder to our CEO Ed Bastian, this is a people business. We take care of our employees and they take care of our customers.”

Delta’s culture is the foundation of Delta’s success and creates the conditions for a sustained margin premium, a metric of growing importance to investors, and operates in a cycle that continually feeds on itself and creates momentum, she explained.

Investor Day slide - Culture

Paul Jacobson, Chief Financial Officer

“I feel very good about where we are today, with less unknowns and more in the hands of execution which is where our team excels,” Jacobson said, summing up for investors Delta’s strong position heading into 2019.

The fact that 35 percent of Delta’s mainline fleet will be replaced by 2023 is a huge opportunity for boosting efficiency through reduced fuel burn and larger gauge, he said. At the same time, these new aircraft will enhance the customer experience and offer more premium seats.

Toys for Tots check presentation

Bastian and a group of frontline employees capped off Delta’s 2018 Investor Day with a $25,000 check presentation to Gen. Pete Osman (ret.) CEO and President Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.

“Delta has really stepped up this year in a year that’s really important to the Marine Toys for Tots program,” said Gen. Osman. “I can guarantee it will make a big difference in the lives of children this year. The demand is up and getting support like we’ve got from Delta really makes a difference.”

All images by Delta.

QANTAS launches 787 Dreamliner services to Hong Kong

The first QANTAS Boeing 787 Dreamliner service from Australia to Hong Kong took off on December 13, marking the first destination in Asia to be served by the airline’s Boeing 787-9.

QF29 pushed back from Melbourne just after 10 am in the morning and arrived in Hong Kong at 4.15pm (local time).

The launch follows the arrival of QANTAS’ eighth Dreamliner in November, joining the national carrier’s A330 and A380 aircraft that also fly to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong joins Los Angeles, New York, London and San Francisco as international destinations served by the QANTAS Dreamliner, as the more efficient aircraft gradually replaces the 747 on key routes.

QANTAS has also re-timed one of its two daily flights from Sydney to Hong Kong from March 31, 2019, offering customers the choice of a midday or evening departure from Sydney.

QF117 will operate overnight and arrive into Hong Kong in the morning, providing more options for onward connections to other destinations in Asia, including those operated by QANTAS’ new codeshare partner Cathay Pacific.

QANTAS’ Dreamliner carries 236 passengers across three cabins. It features the latest version of the airline’s Business Suite, nicknamed “mini First Class” by some frequent flyers, as well as a next generation Premium Economy seat and a significantly improved Economy seat with extra storage compartments and more legroom.

QANTAS operates 28 flights per week to Hong Kong from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Top Copyright Photo (all other by the airline): QANTAS Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner VH-ZNC (msn 39040) LHR (Keith Burton). Image: 944781.

QANTAS aircraft slide show:

Aer Lingus to hire over 100 new pilots

Aer Lingus has made this announcement on its blog:

We’ve launched our latest pilot recruitment drive, with over 100 direct entry pilot positions available. Positions are open to qualified pilots, who, if successful, will join our flight team for an exciting and rewarding career, flying our modern aircraft, such as the Airbus A320/321 and A330, to over 80 destinations worldwide.

Aer Lingus Pilots Cockpit

The pilot recruitment drive comes as we continue to expand, having recently announced our ambitious growth strategy that will see our North Atlantic fleet increase from 17 to 30 aircraft by 2023. The growth strategy will see significant investments in guest experience, brand, fleet, network expansion and our people.

Over the coming years, we’ll add the new Airbus A321neo long-range aircraft, giving successful pilots the opportunity to fly the longest-range, single-aisle aircraft in the world when introduced.

We already fly to over 80 destinations worldwide but is continuing to eye new opportunities across the Atlantic and within Europe. This will give successful candidates exciting travel opportunities.

We’ve a strong track record of supporting female pilots, employing twice as many compared with the international airline industry average. We are continuing to make a concerted effort to attract more female pilots and we encourage them to apply for a position to join our team.

Aer Lingus Female Pilot

Candidates should be highly motivated individuals who are committed to delivering our excellent service and who are tuned into the challenging commercial priorities faced by a value carrier in today’s highly competitive aviation sector.

Successful candidates will be offered a very competitive package, which includes an incremental starting salary and excellent benefits.

Our direct entry pilot application process is now open and will close on Friday, 28th December.

Applicants are invited to apply online via the Aer Lingus careers website http://careers.aerlingus.com.

Wizz Air expands its Varna base in Bulgaria

Wizz Air, the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe and the leading airline of Bulgaria, has announced further capacity expansion to its Varna network, allocating an additional Airbus A320 aircraft, adding 6 new routes and updating the frequencies of some of the airline’s existing routes.

The new Airbus A320 will be joining Wizz Air’s Varna fleet in July 2019.

With the arrival of the new aircraft in Varna Wizz Air’s Bulgarian fleet will grow to a total of 9 aircraft, with 2 based in Varna and 7 in Sofia. The fleet growth will increase Wizz Air’s capacity in Bulgaria further by 14% year on year, manifesting in both new routes and frequency updates.

Starting in July 2019, the newest Wizz Air routes will connect Varna with three exciting German cities. The beautiful port town of Hamburg, Cologne the gothic gem and the remarkable cultural hub Berlin are all among the airline’s newest direct routes from Varna. The romantic vibes of Paris, the exciting Mersey-side in Liverpool and the historical harbors and the colorful creativity in Copenhagen are now available for passengers travelling from Varna at Wizz Air’s genuinely low fares.

Wizz Air’s first Varna flight took off in 2007 and since then, the airline has become the leading carrier at Varna Airport. In the first eleven months of 2018, Wizz carried over 400,000 passengers on its low fare routes to and from Varna representing 48% year on year growth, while more than 2.8 million passengers to and from Bulgaria, which represents 17% increase compared to 2017.

Wizz now offers more than 500,000 seats on its 14 routes from Varna, while in total more than 3 million seats on 49 services to and from Bulgaria in 2019, as it aims to create more opportunities for Bulgarian travellers and their visitors to enjoy low fares and outstanding travel experience.

Wizz now offers 49 routes from three Bulgarian airports to 18 countries.

All images by Wizz Air.

KLM opens the first phase of the new Crown Lounge at AMS

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines on December 13 opened the first part of the new KLM non-Schengen Crown Lounge at Schiphol for its customers.

The lounge now boasts a completely new setup and ambience. The primary point of departure here is the ultimate customer experience. The lounge features the latest technologies and innovations, along with top-notch service and catering provisions. Customers can already take advantage of this in a temporary setup. Refurbishment of the second part of the lounge continues until its festive opening in summer 2019, the year in which KLM will celebrate its 100^thanniversary.

The international KLM Crown Lounge is located between the E and F Piers at Schiphol. The lounge caters to KLM’s most important customers travelling on intercontinental flights. The lounge is easy to find thanks to its new impressive entrance on the Holland Boulevard. Customers can access the lounge by escalator or elevator, are welcomed individually by personal lounge assistance and can gain easy access by scanning their boarding passes at the self-service devices. The lounge facilities are located on the second floor and on the completely rejuvenate third floor.

New service and catering concepts

Taken together, the new food & drink concepts, kitchen layout, logistics, digital innovations including self-service access and rejuvenated service provided by lounge staff all contribute towards an entirely personal experience. In so doing, KLM has created the lounge of the future.

New decor and fittings & fixtures catering to customer requirements

The new decor of the KLM non-Schengen Crown Lounge focuses on providing customers with a completely new experience. To this end, KLM has set up different zones to satisfy the diverse wishes and requirements of its customers: work, relaxation, food & drink, entertainment and fine dining. Capacity has also been expanded in order to accommodate anticipated growth in the number of (intercontinental) lounge visitors in the future. Once renovated completely, the lounge will offer around 1,500 seats in comparison with the previous 800 and will boast a surface area of 6,800 m2 compared to 3,600 m2 now.

JetBlue Airways arrives in Bozeman, Montana

JetBlue Airways on December 13 announced the start of new service in Bozeman, Montana, with the arrival of the airline’s inaugural flight landing on schedule just before 2:30 p.m. local time (below).

Above Photo:. Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport.

Roundtrip flights between Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) and Long Beach Airport (LGB) will operate twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays on a summer and winter seasonal schedule.

Bozeman is JetBlue’s first destination in Montana.

JetBlue will operate new Bozeman flights using its Airbus A320 aircraft. The first flight was operated with the pictured N805JB.

Top Copyright Photo: JetBlue Airways Airbus A320-232 WL N805JB (msn 5148) (Barcode) LGB (Michael B. Ing). Image: 931273.

JetBlue aircraft slide show:

The new route: