Tag Archives: A340-300

Air France-KLM to increase the number of flights to North America this summer

Air France-KLM Group (Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines) (Paris and Amsterdam) have issued this statement:

This summer, in response to high market demand, Air France-KLM is strengthening its network in North America with new seasonal service between the United States and Europe. Starting May 4, Air France will operate nonstop flights between Minneapolis-Saint Paul and Paris-Charles de Gaulle. In addition, beginning May 8, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will operate nonstop flights between Dallas-Fort Worth and Amsterdam-Schiphol.

Air France Service from Minneapolis-Saint Paul

For the third consecutive year, Air France is offering nonstop flights between Minneapolis-Saint Paul and Paris-Charles de Gaulle. From May 4 until September 27, 2015, Air France will operate up to 14 flights a week connecting Minneapolis-Saint Paul and Paris, seven of which will be operated in codeshare by its joint-venture partner Delta Air Lines (Atlanta). The Air France flights will operate on an Airbus A340-300 (above), featuring a capacity of 275 seats (30 seats in Business, 21 in Premium Economy and 224 in Economy).

Flight schedules (local times)

AF673: Departure from Minneapolis at 7:55 p.m., arrival at 11:25 a.m. the next day
AF694: Departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 1:45 p.m., arrival in Minneapolis at 3:50 p.m.

From May 4 to June 7, 2015, flights are scheduled on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. From June 8 to August 30, flights are scheduled daily. From August 31 to September 27, flights are scheduled every day except Tuesdays and Thursdays.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Service from Dallas-Fort Worth

From May 8 until October 24, 2015, nonstop flights operated by KLM will connect Dallas-Fort Worth and Amsterdam-Schiphol. Over this period, the airline will operate up to five flights per week. An Airbus A330-200 (below) will be used for the flights, with a capacity of 243 seats (30 seats in Business and 213 in Economy). KLM has been flying to this seasonal destination since March 2008.

Flight schedules (local times)

KL670: Departure from Dallas-Fort Worth at 3:30 p.m., arrival at Amsterdam-Schiphol at 7:55 a.m. the next day.
KL669: Departure from Amsterdam-Schiphol at 10:35 a.m., arrival at Dallas-Fort Worth at 1:40 p.m.

From May 8 to October 4, 2015, flights are scheduled every day except Tuesdays and Thursdays. From October 5 to October 24, flights are scheduled on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

19 Destinations in North America

During the 2015 summer season, Air France-KLM will serve 19 destinations in North America. In addition to the two new seasonal connections to Minneapolis and Dallas, the group is increasing its flights from Vancouver, Canada, with Air France operated flights to Paris-Charles de Gaulle that started on March 29, 2015. Starting May 19, 2015, KLM will begin service between Edmonton, Canada, and Amsterdam-Schiphol. Air France-KLM’s network is further strengthened by the transatlantic joint-venture between Air France, KLM, Alitalia, and Delta Air Lines – a partnership that represents 25% of total airline capacity between Europe and North America.

Top Copyright Photo: Rolf Wallner/AirlinersGallery.com. Air France Airbus A340-313 F-GLZO (msn 246) lands in Zurich.

Air France aircraft slide show:

KLM aircraft slide show:

Bottom Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. KLM’s Airbus A330-203 PH-AOF (msn 801) taxies at the Amsterdam hub.

Lufthansa Group reports a first quarter profit of €425 million ($474 million)

The Lufthansa Group (Frankfurt) reported a net profit of €425 million ($474 million) for the first quarter. Here is the full report:

The Lufthansa Group has reported a positive course of business for the first quarter of 2015. At total revenue of nearly 8 per cent higher, the EBIT and adjusted EBIT both rose by EUR 73m. Both key performance indicators were thus 30 per cent higher than in the previous year. The Group closed the first quarter with an adjusted EBIT of EUR -167 m (previous year: EUR -240 m).

Simone Menne, Chief Officer Finance and Aviation Services of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, says: “All operating business segments were able to increase their results in the first quarter. Above all, Swiss International Air Lines (Zurich) and Lufthansa Cargo (Frankfurt) have done better than in the previous year. But Lufthansa German Airlines has also shown a positive development, although it was worse hit by strikes and other one-off effects than in the previous year.”

The Group result rose significantly more strongly than the adjusted EBIT in the reporting period. With a plus of EUR 677 m in comparison with the same quarter in the previous year, the Lufthansa Group achieved a consolidated result of EUR 425 m. An extraordinary effect from the premature exchange of JetBlue swaps made a significant contribution to this development. This transaction alone improved the financial result without an effect on equity by EUR 503m.

The result was once again overshadowed by the consequences of the strike called by the trade union Cockpit among the pilots of Lufthansa German Airlines, Lufthansa Cargo and Germanwings on a total of six days between January and March 2015. Flight cancellations caused by strikes led to a burden on the result of EUR 42m. Due to weaker advance bookings in the following quarters as a consequence of the strike, Lufthansa expects a further burden on the result of EUR 58m.

Cash flows, which are important in view of high total investments, developed positively in the reporting period. Cash flow from operating activities rose to EUR 1,394m (previous year: EUR 855m), the free cash flow improved to EUR 532m (previous year: EUR 195m).

The actuarial interest rate for valuing pension obligations declined further in the first three months of the year, in Germany from 2.6 per cent to 1.7 per cent now. Thus the arithmetic pension burden rose by EUR 3.4bn. This was contrasted with a growth in pension assets of around EUR 500m. The equity ratio fell by 5.7 percentage points to 7.5 per cent now.

“This development shows once again how volatile the key figure ‘equity ratio’ has become since the introduction of the new IFRS accounting standards. We are not alone in this situation. However, other groups have already made the necessary structural change from a cover oriented to a contributions oriented pension commitment. Here, more urgently than ever, we need sustainably financeable solutions in place of obsolete structures. We can only achieve this together with our collective bargaining partners,” says Simone Menne.

Operating costs and income showed strong fluctuations in comparison with the same quarter in the previous year. What was decisive here was the significantly lower oil price, the continuing weakness of the euro and low interest rates. Fuel costs were EUR 209m lower than in the same quarter in the previous year, while expenses on fees went up by nearly 7 per cent, despite the lower number of flights and passengers. The weak euro and the rise in pension expenses also led to an increase in staff costs of nearly 7 per cent.

Simone Menne summarised the interim report for the first three months of the year: “We see positive developments in the result and in cash flow. This shows we are on the right course. At the same time, we continue to see great pressure to act. The enormous pension burdens are putting considerable pressure on our equity. And we cannot accept the continuing increase in fees or the development of our unit costs. Great efforts remain to be made here in order to strengthen the international competitiveness of all the business segments of the Lufthansa Group.”

Copyright Photo: Rolf Wallner/AirlinersGallery.com. Swiss and Lufthansa Cargo did better than in the same quarter than the previous year. The aging Swiss Airbus A340-300s will be replaced with the new Boeing 777-300 ERs on order. A340-313 HB-JMK (msn 169) taxies at the Zurich hub.

Swiss aircraft slide show:

LAN Airlines retires the Airbus A340-300

LAN Airlines (Chile) (Santiago) on Friday, April 17, 2015, operated its last Airbus A340-300 revenue flights. The planned last official flight, flight LA 800, was operated with the pictured Airbus A340-313 CC-CQF (msn 442) from Sydney and Auckland to Santiago, arriving at 12:35 (local time) on Runway 17L at Santiago International Airport. The last planned revenue flight was received with the typical water cannon salute (above) from the airport’s fire and rescue service.

Ironically, a few hours later, sister ship Airbus A340-313 CC-CQC (msn 363) was pressed into replacement revenue service and operated flight LA 642 to Lima, Peru.

It is expected the three remaining Airbus A340-300s will be leaving Chile in the near future.

LAN Airlines (Chile) aircraft slide show:

Air France is operating its long-haul flights despite the strike by some French Air Traffic Controllers

Air France (Paris) and its subsidiary French carriers continue to deal with a strike by several French air traffic controller unions. The strike started yesterday and continues today.

Here is the forecast by Air France for today:

The call for strike action by several French air traffic controllers’ unions is disrupting air traffic on Wednesday and Thursday April 8-9, 2015. The DGAC (French Civil Aviation Authority) has requested airlines to adapt their flight schedule to and from certain French airports.

On Thursday April 9,

LONG-HAUL FLIGHTS

• Air France expects to operate all its long-haul flights to and from Paris.

SHORT AND MEDIUM-HAUL FLIGHTS

• Air France expects to operate half its medium-haul flights to and from Paris-Charles de Gaulle
• HOP ! Air France expects to operate 25% of its flights to and from Paris-Orly
• HOP ! Air France expects to operate approximately 40% of its flights to and from French provincial airports

For customers with connections to or from a long-haul flight, whose medium-haul flight is cancelled, Air France is doing all it can to offer rerouting solutions.

There may be long delays on all flights.

On the short-haul and medium-haul network, there may be last-minute delays and cancellations. The Company recommends customers to postpone their trip to after 10 April, at no extra cost.

Airport teams and commercial staff remain mobilized to inform customers and minimize the inconvenience this strike action may cause.

Copyright Photo: Ole Simon/AirlinersGallery.com. The Airbus A340-300s will be phased out in 2016 along with the Boeing 747-400s. Airbus A340-313 F-GLZL (msn 210) taxies at the Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) hub.

Air France aircraft slide show:

Cathay Pacific to drop Moscow due to high operating costs

Cathay Pacific Airways (Hong Kong) is planning to drop the Hong Kong – Moscow (Domodedovo) route after June 1. The airline cited high operating costs.

Cathay Pacific launched flights to Moscow in July 2010. It currently serves the route three days a week with Airbus A340-300s.

Cathay Pacific aircraft slide show:

Philippine Airlines returns to New York after 17 years

Philippine Airlines (Philippines) (Manila) as planned, departed from Manila yesterday (March 15) for its return to New York. The airline restored regular service to New York after an absence of 17 years. The Airbus A340-300 (above) will operate four days a week via Vancouver.

Philippine Airlines Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Dr. Lucio C. Tan presented a Boeing 777 model aircraft to US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg during the March 15, 2015 send-off ceremony of the airline’s inaugural flight to New York.

Photo Below: Philippine Airlines. PAL Chairman and CEO Dr. Lucio Tan and PAL President and COO Jaime Bautista with US Ambassador to the Philippines Phillip Goldberg makes PAL’s New York official with the traditional ribbon cutting in Manila on the departure.

Photo Below: Philippine Airlines. The flight crew for the historic return to New York poses with CEO Dr. Lucio C. Tan.

Top Copyright Photo: Airbus A340-313 RP-C3435 (msn 302) taxies at London’s Heathrow Airport.

Philippines aircraft slide show:

LAN Airlines to retire the last Airbus A340-300

LAN Airlines (Chile) (Santiago) is getting ready to replace its aging Airbus A340-300s (above) with the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners (below). The venerable A340s are currently assigned to the long-range Santiago-Auckland-Sydney Southern Hemisphere trans-Pacific route.

The last regularly-scheduled revenue flight is currently scheduled for the morning of April 17 when flight LA 800 arrives from Auckland at 11:35 am (1135) in Santiago. However the A340 may be kept as a reserve aircraft after this last scheduled flight, pending any last minute changes.

The Chilean carrier took delivery of its first stretched Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (CC-BGA) on February 5.

In other news, LAN Airlines on January 27, 2016 will start to operate a weekly Boeing 787 flight on the Santiago-Caracas-Miami (on Wednesdays) route per Airline Route.

Top Copyright Photo: Alvaro Romero/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A340-313 CC-CQC (msn 363) arrives back at the Santiago (SCL) hub.

LAN Airlines (Chile) aircraft slide show:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Steve Bailey/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner CC-BGB (msn 35318) prepares to depart from Paine Field on a test flight on March 6. It is pending delivery to the carrier.

Cathay Pacific Airways to retire its 11 Airbus A340-300s

Cathay Pacific Airways (Hong Kong) will retire its last Airbus A340-300 in 2017. The airline has announced a deal with AerFin to gradually take and dispose the aircraft from this month through 2017. The airline issued this statement:

AerFin Ltd (UK) and Cathay Pacific Airways have announced that AerFin has been selected to provide an end-of-life solution for the fleet of 11 A340-300 aircraft operated by the Hong Kong-based carrier. The agreement will see AerFin acquire and/or consign the aircraft over a three-year period through to 2017. The first A340 will be delivered to AerFin in March 2015 and will be disassembled to provide Cathay Pacific continued support for its operational fleet, and at the same time provide AerFin’s customer base with Serviceable Used Material to support continued operations.

Cathay Pacific is retiring the A340-300s as part of ongoing fleet modernization program that is seeing the airline replace older, less-efficient aircraft with new, more fuel-efficient aircraft. Cathay Pacific currently operates 147 aircraft in what is one of the youngest all-wide-body fleets in the world. The airline has some 79 aircraft on firm order for delivery up to 2024, including 48 Airbus A350s and 21 Boeing 777-9Xs.

UK based AerFin Limited specializes in providing end-of-life fleet solutions for investors, MROs, and airlines exposed to technically challenging assets. US based CarVal Investors LLC took an 80% shareholding in AerFin in December 2014 and their experienced team has navigated ever-changing credit market cycles, investing more than $78 billion in 5,200 transactions across 71 countries.

Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A340-313 B-HXI (msn 220) completes its final approach to the runway at London (Heathrow).

Cathay Pacific aircraft slide show:

Air Tahiti Nui set to become a new Boeing customer, will finalize an order for two 787-9 Dreamliners

Air Tahiti Nui (Papeete) is switching to Boeing for its long-range needs. The airline has announced it is committed to finalizing an order for two new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The new type will replace its aging fleet of Airbus A340-300s (above and below).

Boeing issued this statement:

Boeing is pleased that Air Tahiti Nui has announced a commitment to purchase two 787-9 Dreamliners (below). The order, valued at $514 million at current list prices, will be posted on Boeing’s Orders and Deliveries website when finalized.

Update: Separately on March 3, 2015 Air Lease Corporation (ALC) announced an agreement to lease two new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft to Air Tahiti Nui. Both aircraft are from ALC’s order book with Boeing and scheduled to deliver to French Polynesia’s flag carrier airline in the fall of 2018.

Above Copyright Photo: Joe G. Walker/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner N789EX (msn 41988) lands at Boeing Field.

Air Tahiti Nui, the flag-carrier for French Polynesia, has headquarters in Papeete and operates from Faa’a International Airport on the island of Tahiti.

Air Tahiti Nui aircraft slide show:

Route Map:

Video: Air Tahiti Nui using a GoPro camera:

Video: Air Tahiti Nui. Celebrating 15 years of flying:

Kuwait Airways is coming back to Munich after 17 years

Kuwait Airways (Kuwait City) is returning to Munich. According to Airline Route, the airline will restore the Kuwait City – Munich route (three flights a week) starting again on July 16.

Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A340-300s will be operated on the restored route. Airbus A340-313 9K-ANA (msn 089) approaches the runway at London (Heathrow).

Kuwait Airways aircraft slide show: