Tag Archives: Airbus A330-302

Finnair to fly to nearly 100 destinations in summer 2022 – opens new routes to Busan, Tokyo Haneda and Dallas/Fort Worth

Finnair is preparing for the continued expected gradual opening of Asia, and plans to serve nearly 100 destinations in Asia, the US and Europe during the summer season, which begins on 27 March 2022. Finnair will open new long-haul routes to Busan in South Korea, Tokyo Haneda, Dallas in the US, and will also have Sapporo as a summer destination for the first time.

If travel restrictions allow, Finnair will resume service to all the five destinations in Japan it served before the pandemic – Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Sapporo – and launch a new service to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. Altogether, Finnair will fly up to 40 weekly flights between Helsinki and Japan in summer 2022. Finnair flies daily to Tokyo Narita and Haneda, offering a total of 14 weekly frequencies to the capital of Japan. Finnair also flies daily to Nagoya and Osaka and will introduce double dailies to Osaka in June. Finnair’s Sapporo route will be introduced for the summer season for the first time with two weekly frequencies, and Fukuoka in Southern Japan is served with three weekly flights.

Finnair connects customers to key Asian megacities, flying to Shanghai and daily to Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore and Bangkok. Finnair offers daily flights to Delhi as of June. The new Busan route in South Korea will be launched in March with three weekly frequencies.

In North America, Finnair will fly to Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, and open a route to Dallas as a new destination. Dallas will be added to the network as of 7 February 2022 and will be operated four times a week, with excellent connections to Finnair’s partner American Airlines’ network.

As intercontinental traffic grows, Finnair will also strengthen its European network from Helsinki with smooth connections to more than 70 European cities, including new destinations Zagreb and Larnaca. Finnair offers double daily flights to cities like Amsterdam, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Vienna, Zürich, Gdansk and Milan, and even more daily frequencies to Paris, London, Berlin, Warsaw, Brussels, St Petersburg as well as the Scandinavian and Baltic cities.

The Helsinki Airport is expanding, with the new Terminal 2 entrance, arrivals hall and travel centre with the new parking and public transportation arrangements opening in December 2021, and new security control and check-in area opening in summer 2022. The expansion of the airport further supports the Finnair customer experience with smooth and reliable transfers at Helsinki.

Top Copyright Photo: Finnair Airbus A330-302 OH-LTU (msn 1173) JFK (Fred Freketic). Image: 949673.

Finnair aircraft slide show:

Finnair aircraft photo gallery:

Finnair reports a clear improvement especially in short-haul passenger traffic figures, excellent month for cargo

Finnair issued this traffic report:

In September, Finnair carried 298,200 passengers, which was 158.1% more than in September 2020. The number of passengers in September 2021 was 11.9% more than in August 2021 (month-on-month figures are not fully comparable as there is one fewer day in September).

The overall capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometers (ASK), increased in September by 151.3% year-on-year and by 12.9% month-on-month. Finnair operated, on average, 144 daily flights (cargo-only included), which was 73.5% more than in September 2020 and 13.4% more than in August 2021. The differences between capacity figures compared to September 2020 are explained by the longer average stage length of flights operated and by the larger gauge of aircraft operated. Finnair’s traffic, measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPKs), increased by 220.0% year-on-year and by 8.9% month-on-month. The Passenger Load Factor (PLF) increased by 8.7% points to 40.5% year-on-year but decreased by 1.5% points month-on-month.

The ASK increase in Asian traffic was 20.9% year-on-year. In European traffic, the ASKs were up by 179.6%. The ASKs in domestic traffic increased by 25.2%.

RPKs increased in Asian traffic by 26.6%, in European traffic by 339.8% and in domestic traffic by 34.3% year-on-year.

The PLF was 19.4% in Asian traffic and 16.1% in North Atlantic traffic but both were supported by the very strong cargo operations and a high cargo load factor. The PLF was 65.5% in European traffic and 70.7% in domestic traffic.

Passenger numbers increased in Asian traffic by 27.6%, in European traffic by 254.6% and in domestic traffic by 35.2% year-on-year.

In North Atlantic traffic, ASK, RPK and passenger number growth rates year-on-year cannot be calculated as there were no passenger flights in September 2020.

In September, available scheduled cargo tonne kilometers increased by 165.7% year-on-year (increased by 9.6% month-on-month) and revenue scheduled cargo tonne kilometers increased by 136.8% (increased by 14.9% month-on-month), both due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on scheduled flights, especially in North Atlantic traffic, in September 2020. Cargo-related available tonne kilometers increased by 167.8% year-on-year (increased by 37.8% month-on-month) and revenue tonne kilometers increased by 148.8% (increased by 45.1% month-on-month) and both include the cargo-only flights, operated mainly between Europe and Asia, as well as between Europe and North America. Cargo-only tonnes were up by 156.3% year-on-year and by 137.6% month-on-month. Demand for cargo capacity was exceptionally strong in September and, therefore, the total cargo tonnes increased by 139.4% year-on-year and by 45.9% month-on-month (September was a record month during the pandemic). Also, the cargo load factor remained high.

In September, 92.7% of all Finnair flights arrived on schedule (96.2%).

Traffic statistics for October 2021 will be published on Friday 5 November 2021.

Finnair Traffic Performance September 2021
	Month	% Change	YTD	% Change
Total traffic
Passengers 1,000	298.2	158.1	1,329.3	-58.6
Available seat kilometers mill	1,246.6	151.3	5,913.3	-49.4
Revenue passenger kilometres mill	505.0	220.0	2,110.1	-72.9
Passenger load factor %	40.5	8.7p	35.7	-30.9p
Cargo tonnes total	9,567.2	139.4	63,351.9	21.5
Available tonne kilometers mill	245.1	127.5	1 474.3	-27.4
Revenue tonne kilometers mill	115.7	172.6	656.4	-36.8

Asia
Passengers 1,000 Asia	8.1	27.6	46.4	-90.5
Available seat kilometers mill Asia	314.3	20.9	2,315.1	-57.6
Revenue passenger kilometres mill Asia	60.9	26.6	349.3	-90.7
Passenger load factor % Asia	19.4	0.9p	15.1	-53.4p

Europe
Passengers 1,000 Europe	217.9	254.6	874.9	-53.8
Available seat kilometers mill Europe	530.0	179.6	2,217.7	-52.3
Revenue passenger kilometers mill Europe	347.4	339.8	1,282.6	-56.6
Passenger load factor % Europe	65.5	23.9p	57.8	-5.7p

North Atlantic
Passengers 1,000 North Atlantic	7.6	N/A	31.7	-61.4
Available seat kilometers mill North Atlantic	344.0	N/A	998.6	17.6
Revenue passenger kilometers mill North Atlantic	55.5	N/A	230.9	-64.3
Passenger load factor % North Atlantic	16.1	N/A	23.1	-53.1p

Domestic
Passengers 1,000 Domestic	64.5	35.2	376.2	-49.4
Available seat kilometers mill Domestic	58.3	25.2	381.9	-47.0
Revenue passenger kilometers mill Domestic	41.2	34.3	247.3	-43.9
Passenger load factor % Domestic	70.7	4.8p	64.7	3.5p

Cargo traffic
Europe tons	309.3	5.3	1,805.1	-78.1
North Atlantic tons	2,205.9	N/A	6,256.9	146.1
Asia tons	3,210.4	47.0	23,832.2	-11.4
Domestic tons	31.4	-1.5	247.5	-1.1
Cargo scheduled traffic total tons	5,757.0	129.4	32,141.8	-15.3
Cargo flights tons**	3,810.2	156.3	31,210.1	120.1
Cargo Traffic tons total	9,567.2	139.4	63,351.9	21.5
Available tonne kilometers* mill	91.5	167.8	587.4	5.1
Revenue tonne kilometers mill	70.8	148.8	468.8	36.6
Available sched. cargo ton kms* mill	55.7	165.7	297.2	-30.6
Revenue sched. cargo ton kms mill	41.2	136.8	230.6	-3.9
Cargo load factor* %	77.4	-5.9p	79.8	18.4p
– North-Atlantic cargo load factor* %	69.5	N/A	68.4	2.1p
– Asia cargo load factor* %	85.8	-2.0p	85.6	24.9p
Scheduled traffic cargo load factor* %	73.9	-9.0p	77.6	21.6p

* Based on average operational cargo capacity

** Including purchased traffic

Change %: Change compared to the figures of the respective periods in the previous year (p = points, N/A = not available).
Available seat kilometres, ASK: Total number of seats available multiplied by kilometres flown.
Revenue passenger kilometres, RPK: Number of revenue passengers carried multiplied by kilometres flown.
Passenger load factor: Share of revenue passenger kilometres of available seat kilometres.
Available tonne kilometres, ATK: Number of tonnes of capacity for carriage of passengers, cargo and mail multiplied by kilometres flown.
Revenue tonne kilometres, RTK: Total revenue load consisting of passengers, cargo and mail multiplied by kilometres flown.
Overall load factor: Share of revenue tonne kilometres of available tonne kilometres.

Top Copyright Photo: Finnair Airbus A330-302 OH-LTN (msn 1007) JFK (Fred Freketic). Image: 949671.

Finnair aircraft slide show:

Finnair reports a 54.5% jump in traffic in June over May

In June, Finnair carried 127,900 passengers, which was 131.5% more than in June 2020. The COVID-19 impact was already clearly visible then as Finnair only operated a minimum network due to strict and extensive travel restrictions. The number of passengers in June 2021 was 54.5% more than in May 2021 (month-on-month figures are not fully comparable as there is one fewer day in June).

The COVID-19 impact, including the strict travel restrictions imposed by several countries, still affected all passenger traffic figures. It was particularly visible in the North Atlantic and Asian figures. The overall capacity measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASK) increased in June by 359.2% year-on-year and by 44.6% month-on-month. Finnair operated 78 daily flights (cargo-only included) on average, which was 59.2% more than in June 2020 and 20.0% more than in May 2021. The differences between capacity figures compared to June 2020 are explained by the longer average stage length of flights operated and by the larger gauge of aircraft operated. Finnair’s traffic, measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKs), increased by 263.6% year-on-year and by 73.0% month-on-month. The Passenger Load Factor (PLF) decreased by 9.1% points to 34.7% year-on-year but increased by 5.7% points month-on-month.

The ASK increase in Asian traffic was 100.0% year-on-year as there were no comparable passenger flights in June 2020. In North Atlantic traffic, the ASKs increased by 5,243.3%: there was only a single passenger flight in June 2020, and the Chicago and Los Angeles routes were re-opened in June 2021, complementing the New York route, which was re-opened in March 2021. In European traffic, the ASKs were up by 85.7%. The ASKs in domestic traffic increased by 116.3%.

RPKs increased in Asian traffic by 100.0% year-on-year, in North Atlantic traffic by 16,780.5%, in European traffic by 156.8% and in domestic traffic by 135.7%.

The PLF was 14.4% in Asian traffic but it was supported by the strong cargo operations and a high cargo load factor. The PLF was 25.5% in North Atlantic traffic, 57.9% in European traffic and 73.1% in domestic traffic.

Passenger numbers increased in Asian traffic by 100.0% year-on-year, in North Atlantic traffic by 15,154.2%, in European traffic by 118.4% and in domestic traffic by 110.9%.

In June, available scheduled cargo tonne kilometres increased by 3,014.5% year-on-year (increased by 38.9% month-on-month) and revenue scheduled cargo tonne kilometres increased by 4,342.9% (increased by 36.6% month-on-month), both due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on scheduled flights especially in Asian and North Atlantic traffic in June 2020. However, cargo related available tonne kilometres increased only by 64.4% year-on-year (decreased by 5.5% month-on-month) and revenue tonne kilometres increased by 64.8% (decreased by 6.7% month-on-month) as they both also include the cargo-only flights operated mainly between Europe and Asia as well as Europe and North America. Cargo-only tonnes were down by 28.6% year-on-year and by 34.6% month-on-month. The total cargo tonnes increased by 52.2% year-on-year but decreased by 8.1% month-on-month. Demand for the cargo capacity remained strong especially in Asian traffic. As a result, the cargo load factor remained high.

In June, 87.9% of all Finnair flights arrived on schedule (96.6%).

Traffic statistics for July 2021 will be published on Thursday 5 August 2021.

Finnair Traffic Performance June 2021
	Month	% Change	YTD	% Change
Total traffic
Passengers 1,000	127.9	131.5	550.8	-80.0
Available seat kilometres mill	594.1	359.2	2,619.7	-73.8
Revenue passenger kilometres mill	206.0	263.6	740.8	-89.6
Passenger load factor %	34.7	-9.1p	28.3	-43.0p
Cargo tonnes total	6,216.0	52.2	40,315.3	-0.5
Available tonne kilometres mill	141.5	40.9	857.1	-49.3
Revenue tonne kilometres mill	64.7	95.2	363.3	-59.6

Asia
Passengers 1,000 Asia	4.8	100.0	20.8	-95.5
Available seat kilometres mill Asia	248.5	100.0	1,360.8	-71.0
Revenue passenger kilometres mill Asia	35.8	100.0	155.6	-95.7
Passenger load factor % Asia	14.4	N/A	11.4	-64.9p

Europe
Passengers 1,000 Europe	88.0	118.4	304.9	-80.8
Available seat kilometres mill Europe	213.7	85.7	854.1	-78.0
Revenue passenger kilometres mill Europe	123.9	156.8	402.1	-84.2
Passenger load factor % Europe	57.9	16.0p	47.1	-18.7p

North Atlantic
Passengers 1,000 North Atlantic	3.7	15,154.2	4.7	-94.3
Available seat kilometres mill North Atlantic	105.2	5,243.3	159.9	-81.2
Revenue passenger kilometres mill North Atlantic	26.8	16,780.5	33.6	-94.8
Passenger load factor % North Atlantic	25.5	17.4p	21.0	-55.2p

Domestic
Passengers 1,000 Domestic	31.4	110.9	220.4	-64.2
Available seat kilometres mill Domestic	26.7	116.3	244.9	-59.7
Revenue passenger kilometres mill Domestic	19.5	135.7	149.5	-59.2
Passenger load factor % Domestic	73.1	6.0p	61.1	0.8p

Cargo Traffic
Europe tonnes	169.4	-21.9	1,041.2	-85.7
North Atlantic tonnes	688.0	2,272.1	1,148.4	-54.8
Asia tonnes	2,609.4	100.0	14,151.8	-31.7
Domestic tonnes	25.5	18.8	161.6	-2.2
Cargo scheduled traffic total tonnes	3,492.3	1,206.2	16,503.0	-46.3
Cargo flights tonnes**	2,723.7	-28.6	23,812.3	142.7
Cargo Traffic tonnes total	6,216.0	52.2	40,315.3	-0.5
Available tonne kilometres* mill	56.8	64.4	363.9	-20.3
Revenue tonne kilometres mill	46.3	64.8	297.6	14.1
Available sched. cargo tonne kms* mill	31.3	3,014.5	143.1	-60.8
Revenue sched. cargo tonne kms mill	25.2	4,342.9	117.7	-38.2
Cargo load factor* %	81.5	0.2p	81.8	24.7p
– North-Atlantic cargo load factor* %	75.5	-24.5p	77.5	11.2p
– Asia cargo load factor* %	86.2	N/A	86.0	30.2p
Scheduled traffic Cargo load factor* %	80.5	24.1p	82.3	30.1p

* Based on average operational cargo capacity

** Including purchased traffic

Change %: Change compared to the figures of the respective periods in the previous year (p = points).
Available seat kilometres. ASK: Total number of seats available. multiplied by the number of kilometres flown.
Revenue passenger kilometres. RPK: Number of revenue passengers carried. multiplied by kilometres flown.
Passenger load factor: Share of revenue passenger kilometres of available seat kilometres.
Available tonne kilometres. ATK: Number of tonnes of capacity for carriage of passengers. cargo and mail. multiplied by kilometres flown.
Revenue tonne kilometres. RTK: Total revenue load consisting of passengers. cargo and mail. multiplied by kilometres flown.
Overall load factor: Share of revenue tonne kilometres of available ton kilometres.

In other news, Finnair announced changes for travel to Finland:

Finland’s new entry model opens up Finland for leisure travelers: travelers from EU and Schengen countries can enter Finland freely as of 12 July without any additional health safety measures when

they are fully vaccinated, or
have had a covid-19 infection before, or
are born in 2006 or later, or
arrive from a country with low virus incidence.

Those with one vaccination only are instructed to take a covid-19 test earliest 72 hours after arrival to Finland, and those without any vaccinations are required in addition to have a negative test result before departure to Finland or a test on arrival.

In line with this new model, Finnair will as of July 12, 2021 discontinue its requirement for customers to present covid certificates before boarding flights to Finland.

“With the new legislation, the requirements for entry are checked on arrival, so our customers do not need to show their certificates to Finnair customer service agent at the check-in, when their destination is Finland”, says Jaakko Schildt, Finnair Chief Operating Officer. “We continue to check the documents for those transiting to an international flight at Helsinki, per authority requirements.”

“The health and safety of our customers is a key priority for us, and we continue to have comprehensive measures in place on our flights to ensure safe travel. These include, among others, the obligation to wear a mask for the duration of the flight”, Schildt says.

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare recommended earlier this year that all airlines with flights to Finland require their customers to show either a negative test result, a certificate of recovery, or a vaccination certificate, and Finnair has been the only airline flying to Finland who has adhered to this recommendation. With the discontinuation of this practice, Finnair does not have any requirements of its own regarding covid certificates.

During the interim period of 12-25 July 2021 Finnair will however check that customers traveling to Finland meet the Finnish entry requirements, when they depart from a country that is outside the group of normalized border traffic, as internal border control continues and leisure traffic is not yet allowed from all EU and Schengen countries during the interim period.

More details on entry to Finland are available at https://www.finnair.com/fi-en/flight-information/travel-updates/travelling-to-finland-2166364

Many countries are open for travel, but continue to require covid certificates from travelers, so customers are advised to always check the requirements of their destination country from the local authorities’ website or from Finnair’s travel map at https://www.finnair.com/fi-en/travel-requirements-map.

Finnair flies to approximately 60 destinations during the summer season, with more destinations being added for the winter season.

Top Copyright Photo: Finnair Airbus A330-302 OH-LTT (msn 1088) LHR (SPA). Image: 948136.

Finnair aircraft slide show:

Aer Lingus takes delivery of the last Airbus A330-300

Aer Lingus on Friday, February 28, took delivery of the last Airbus A330-300 (EI-EIN) built by Airbus.

Aer Lingus now has 11 Airbus A330-300s.

In other news, previously on February 19, Aer Lingus launched a new Shannon based aircraft along with the early return of Aer Lingus’ popular New York JFK service. The service recommenced on February 19, a month earlier than in previous years. It will operate six days a week, rising to seven days a week for the summer schedule.

Additionally Aer Lingus announced two new summer routes from Shannon to Barcelona and Paris-Charles De Gaulle. Summer 2020 will see Aer Lingus’ highest capacity in 30 years from Shannon Airport.

Above Copyright Photo: Aer Lingus Airbus A321-253NX WL EI-LRC (msn 8965) LHR (Robbie Shaw). Image: 949251.

The new A321neo LR is the second such Aer Lingus aircraft to arrive at Shannon. The first aircraft was delivered last October and has been operating on the Shannon-Boston route.

Top Copyright Photo: Aer Lingus Airbus A330-302 F-WWCH (EI-EIN) (msn 1951) TLS (Eurospot). Image: 949166.

Aer Lingus aircraft slide show:

Finnair is adding extra frequencies to New York JFK for summer 2020

Finnair is adding additional frequencies to its popular New York JFK route for the upcoming summer 2020 season. Between April 4 and October 24, 2020 Finnair will operate three additional weekly frequencies on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Between May 4 and October 24, a fourth additional frequency will be added on Tuesdays. Furthermore, a fifth additional frequency will be flown on Sundays for the peak summer season between June 8 and August 30, 2020.

Finnair has flown to New York for over 50 years and currently flies daily flights to JFK airport. With these new frequencies, Finnair is adding a total of 250 flights between both destinations. The new frequencies will be operated primarily with an Airbus A350 aircraft.

Since 2013, Finnair has partnered with fellow oneworld alliance members American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia to provide customers with more flight choices, better connections, better pricing and greater service recovery on transatlantic routes through its Atlantic Joint Business (AJB).

This year, Finnair will fly to five transatlantic destinations, including year-round services to New York JFK and Los Angeles LAX as well as seasonal flights to Chicago O’Hare, San Francisco and Miami. Finnair has significantly increased its US capacity in recent years by adding over 117% of seats on the transatlantic corridor since 2015. Last September, Finnair announced David Posey as its first ever US Signature Menu Chef. Chef Posey curated Nordic-inspired dishes for Business class customers on flights departing from the United States to Helsinki.

Top Copyright Photo: Finnair Airbus A330-302 OH-LTO (msn 1013) (Unikko poppy – Marimekko) LHR (Wingnut). Image: 949062.

Finnair aircraft slide show:

Finnair updates its financial targets, aims for sustainable profitable growth

Finnair has issued this statement:

Following a period of accelerated growth, Finnair is now moving into a new phase. The company seeks to grow in line with the market, targeting sustainable and profitable growth.

Finnair’s Board of Directors has defined the following targets for the 2020-2025 strategy period:

Comparable EBIT of over 7.5% over the cycle (at constant fuel and currency), after a 12-18 month build-up period
ROCE of over 10% over the cycle (at constant fuel and currency), after a 12-18 month build-up period
On-time-performance of over 85%
Improved Net Promoter Score and improved employee Net promoter score

Finnair aims to deliver these targets through a focused strategy that leverages the geographical advantage of Finnair’s hub in connecting Europe and Asia.

During its Capital Markets Day on November 12, 2019, Finnair will elaborate on network and fleet optimization, operational excellence, retailing strategy and sustainability. Finnair’s management will also discuss its estimated investments for the strategy period and their potential financial implications.

Additional guidance for the 2020-2025 strategy period includes the following indicative items:

Capacity growth, measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASK) of 3-5% CAGR
Optimize liquidity, yet keeping cash to sales ratio above 15% (34% as per 30 September 2019)
Gearing ratio 175% at maximum (74% as per 30 September 2019)
Assess renewal and downsizing of the hybrid bond
Increase the share of owned aircraft vs. leased aircraft
Keep the dividend policy unchanged

Top Copyright Photo: Finnair Airbus A330-302 OH-LTT (msn 1088) LHR (SPA). Image: 948136.

Finnair aircraft slide show:

Gulf Times: Qatar Airways to replace all Airbus A330s by 2022 and all A320s by 2024

CEO Al-Baker of Qatar Airways was interviewed by the Gulf Times on its fleet plans.

The carrier will replace its remaining Airbus A330-200s and A330-300s with new Airbus A350s and Boeing 787 Dreamliners over the next three years.

“From 2024, our fleet will consist of Boeing 777s and 787s and Airbus A350s and A321s. At that time, there will not be any more Airbus A320s and A319s in our fleet,” stated Al-Baker.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Top Copyright Photo: Qatar Airways Airbus A330-302 A7-AEI (msn 813) LHR (SPA). Image: 932957.

Qatar Airways aircraft slide show:

Delta will boost available seats between Atlanta-San Juan, anticipating heavy holiday travel

Delta Air Lines made this announcement:

Holiday travel to San Juan is on the rise and Delta Air Lines is prepared to accommodate increased demand by upgauging the aircrafts used to serve the Atlanta-San Juan route. The route will operate one of its four daily flights with an Airbus A330-300 aircraft.

The airline will transition to the Airbus A330-300, from December 21 to March 31. The 293-passenger aircraft includes 34 seats in First Class, 40 Comfort + seats, and 219 Main Cabin seats.

DL 559 will operate daily and will depart ATL at 9:40 am

Delta continues to support Puerto Rico’s local economy by bringing people together to promote the unique attractions the island has to offer. Recently, the airline’s employees earned $726,000 in profit-sharing and were compensated for 1,000 hours of volunteer work. This year the airline sponsors Saborea Puerto Rico for the fifth year, an annual event that showcases the island’s culinary talent. In 2018, Delta transported more than 750,000 people to and from Puerto Rico.

Top Copyright Photo: Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-302 N822NW (msn 1627) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 946076.

Delta aircraft slide show (Airbus):

Finnair increases capacity to London for summer 2019 with a second wide-body aircraft upgauge and a new daily frequency

Finnair has made this announcement:

In line with its growth strategy, Finnair is adding capacity on its route between Helsinki and London Heathrow for the summer 2019 season starting on March 31, 2019.

Finnair will add a new daily frequency to and from London Heathrow, operated with an Airbus A320 family aircraft. Providing good connection opportunities from London with Finnair’s oneworld partners, the new flight will leave Helsinki at 11:40 and the return flight from London will depart at 13:50.

In addition, Finnair will further increase its capacity on the London route by upgauging the 16:00 flight between Helsinki and London, as well as the 18:10 flight from London to Helsinki, with an Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft (top). The change will provide more than 50 additional seats per flight compared to the current A321 narrow-body aircraft.

Finnair currently flies an Airbus A350 aircraft (above) daily for the first flight leaving Helsinki in the morning and for the return flight from London. Customers traveling from London via Helsinki to Finnair’s Asian destinations can now have a seamless business class experience with full-flat seats on their way to Asia and back.

During the upcoming summer season, Finnair will operate up to seven daily flights between both cities, including two frequencies with a wide-body aircraft. With the announced changes, Finnair will be adding approximately 21% more capacity on the route compared to the previous summer 2018 season.

Top Copyright Photo: Finnair Airbus A330-302 OH-LTT (msn 1088) BKK (Michael B. Ing). Image: 936233.

Finnair aircraft slide show:

IAG reports strong financial results, livery change coming at Aer Lingus

International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG) on October 26, 2018 presented Group consolidated results for the nine months to September 30, 2018.

The IAG is the holding company of Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Level and Vueling.

IAG period highlights on results:

Third quarter operating profit €1,460 million before exceptional items (2017 restated⁽¹⁾: €1,450 million)
Net foreign exchange operating profit impact for the quarter adverse €111 million
Passenger unit revenue for the quarter up 1.3 per cent, up 2.4 per cent at constant currency
Non-fuel unit costs before exceptional items for the quarter up 0.5 per cent, down 0.7 per cent at constant currency
Fuel unit costs for the quarter up 14.3 per cent, up 15.0 per cent at constant currency
Operating profit before exceptional items for the nine months period €2,575 million (2017 restated⁽¹⁾: €2,400 million), up 7.3 per cent
Completion of second €500m share buyback programme on October 24
Interim dividend of 14.5 euro cents per share

Performance summary:

	Nine months to September 30
Highlights € million	2018	2017 (restated)⁽¹⁾	Higher / (lower)

Passenger revenue	16,326	15,507	5.3 %
Total revenue	18,346	17,450	5.1 %
Operating profit before exceptional items	2,575	2,400	7.3 %
Exceptional items	584	(271)	nm
Operating profit after exceptional items	3,159	2,129	48.4%

Available seat kilometres (ASK million)	244,343	231,417	5.6 %
Passenger revenue per ASK (€ cents)	6.68	6.70	(0.3)%
Non-fuel costs per ASK (€ cents)	4.84	5.01	(3.2)%

Alternative performance measures	2018	2017 (restated)⁽¹⁾	Higher / (lower)

Profit after tax before exceptional items (€ million)	1,970	1,805	9.1 %
Adjusted earnings per share (€ cents)	91.9	81.7	12.5 %
Adjusted net debt (€ million)	7,475	7,183	4.1 %
Adjusted net debt to EBITDAR	1.4	1.4	(0.0x)

Statutory results € million	2018	2017 (restated)⁽¹⁾	Higher / (lower)

Profit after tax and exceptional items	2,514	1,597	57.4 %
Basic earnings per share (€ cents)	121.9	75.3	61.8 %
Cash and interest-bearing deposits	6,923	7,523	(8.0) %
Interest-bearing long-term borrowings	7,342	7,578	(3.1) %

For definitions refer to the IAG Annual report and accounts 2017.
⁽¹⁾Restated for new accounting standards IFRS 15 ‘Revenue from contracts with customers’ and IFRS 9 ‘Financial instruments’.

Willie Walsh, IAG Chief Executive Officer, said:

“We’re reporting a good quarter 3 performance with an operating profit of €1,460 million before exceptional items, up from €1,450 million last year.

“These were strong results despite significant fuel cost and foreign exchange headwinds. At constant currency, our passenger unit revenue increased by 2.4 per cent while non-fuel unit costs went down 0.7 per cent.

“We’re pleased to announce an interim dividend of 14.5 euro cents per share and this week we completed our second €500 million share buy-back programme”.

Trading outlook

At current fuel prices and exchange rates, IAG expects its operating profit before exceptional items for 2018 to show an increase of around €200m from a base of €2,950m in 2017. Both passenger unit revenue and non-fuel unit costs are expected to improve at constant currency for the full year.

It’s back! College Football is returning to Dublin for the Aer Lingus College Football Series. Five epic games from 2020-2024. First up: Notre Dame Football v Navy Football.

Top Copyright Photo: Aer Lingus Airbus A330-302 EI-ELA (msn 1106) JFK (Stephen Tornblom). Image: 910752. The desire to create larger profits are driving an upcoming livery change at Aer Lingus. Look now, the amount of green is expected to be significantly reduced with the upcoming new livery. The first Aer Lingus aircraft in the new colors is expected at the end of January, 2019. The pictured Airbus A330-302, registered as EI-ELA, will probably be the first aircraft to be repainted (always subject to change). The new livery is expected to be something like Iberia Express with green engine cowlings and a dark green shamrock on the tail with two cheat lines down the fuselage. The size and style of the titles are still under discussion pending a final livery decision.

In other news, Aer Lingus is expecting their first Avro (BAe) RJ85 (EI-RJN) on Sunday with Aer Lingus titles and a shamrock in green decals.

Below Copyright Photo: Aer Lingus Airbus A330-302 EI-ELA (msn 1106) DUB (SM Fitzwilliams Collection). Image: 925195.