Tag Archives: Airbus A340-300

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:

Virgin Atlantic moves up the retirement date for the last Airbus A340-300 flight

Virgin Atlantic Airways (London) has moved up the planned date for the final revenue flight of the Airbus A340-300 according to Airline Route. The last flight is tentatively scheduled as flight VS 251 from Shanghai (Pudong) to London (Heathrow) on March 29.

Virgin Atlantic aircraft slide show:

Lufthansa to fly to Panama City

Lufthansa (Frankfurt) is further expanding its route network to South America. From November 16, 2015, the airline will offer year-round flights to Panama City for the first time, subject to government approval.

An Airbus A340-300 aircraft will fly five times a week between Frankfurt and the economic metropolis in Central America. Flight LH 484 will take off from Lufthansa’s Frankfurt hub in the morning at 10.15 a.m. and arrive in Panama City in the afternoon at 4.40 p.m. (local time) after a flight time of 12 hours and 25 minutes. The return flight LH 485 will depart from Panama City in the early evening as a night flight and land at Frankfurt Airport the following morning.

Lufthansa is also expanding its partnership with Copa Airlines. Lufthansa passengers will in future be able to easily reach a further 50 destinations in Central and South America and the Caribbean with the partner airline.

Lufthansa aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Europe-2/Airlines-Europe-2/Lufthansa

Virgin Atlantic Airways to retire the last Airbus A340-300 on October 24, 2015

Virgin Atlantic Airways (London) is currently scheduling the last Airbus A340-300 revenue flight on October 24, 2015 subject to change. The last route for the type is currently planned to be from Johannesburg to London (Heathrow) per Airline Route. The A340 is currently also operated to Boston (ending on May 14, 2015) and New York (JFK).

In other news, Virgin Atlantic will now introduce the new Boeing 787-9 on the daily London (Heathrow) – Shanghai (Pudong) route on June 15, 2015 (moved up from October 25 per Airline Route).

Virgin Atlantic aircraft slide show:

Turkish Airlines is coming to Manila

Turkish Airlines (Istanbul) will start a new route from Istanbul (IST) to Manila next year. The new route will be operated three days week with Airbus A340-300 aircraft starting on March 30, 2015 according to Airline Route.

Turkish Airlines aircraft slide show:

Acting CEO of South African Airways demands the company implement a 90-day turnaround plan

South African Airways (Johannesburg) continues to lose money and up until now has relied on state funding. However the SAA board recently appointed Mr. Nico Bezuidenhout as the new acting Chief Executive Officer of the struggling airline. Mr. Bezuidenhout has given the company a 90-day turnaround plan to turnaround the loss-making company by March according to EWN. The new CEO is warning the company is facing insolvency unless the plan is fully implemented. The airline has also reportedly reached out to Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi) for a possible minority investment and guidance by the fast-growing Gulf carrier. Etihad has been investing in struggling carriers and helping to turn them around and also feed traffic to its Abu Dhabi hub.

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In other news, South African Airways announced on December 2 that it has commenced adding additional frequencies to its network which will substantially increase air services to some of its key African routes.

According to the airline, “The additional capacity injection answers the commercial mandate of the Long-Term Turnaround Strategy (LTTS), and is in response to positive market growth. As of yesterday, Harare (Zimbabwe) and Maputo (Mozambique), have included additional frequencies, with Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo), and Mauritius to follow.”

“The strengthening of these routes comes in the wake of positive load factors and increased traffic between the countries,” says SAA Acting Chief Executive Officer Nico Bezuidenhout. Presently, GDP growth in Mozambique (7% – African Development Bank) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (8.1%- African Development Bank) exceed World Bank growth statistics for the continent (4.7%-2013) while South Africa’s trade and demand for leisure and business travel to Mauritius is growing at a steady pace. “Air lift services traditionally lead GDP in all markets and also track the rate of increased leisure travel, investment and business engagement between South Africa and its continental peers.”

Effective December 1, SAA increased frequencies between Johannesburg and Maputo by 24% from 17 to 21 weekly frequencies, effective 1 December Johannesburg and Harare from 18 to 19 every week (6%), effective 4 December Johannesburg and Kinshasa from 6 to 7 a week (17%) and effective 4 December Johannesburg and Mauritius from 9 to 10 weekly frequencies (11% increase).

Finally, Air China and South African Airways (SAA) have announced the further strengthening of their bilateral cooperation within the Star Alliance as part of the strengthened cooperation between the two countries.

The key element in this strengthened relationship will be some network reconfiguration for both airlines to provide better passenger and cargo services between South Africa and China and countries adjacent to both.

Copyright Photo: Fred Freketic/AirlinersGallery.com. The company has already retired the Airbus A340-200s. The fuel-inefficient Airbus A340-300s are likely to be the next type to retired and replaced in any reorganization. Airbus A340-313 ZS-SXC (msn 590) taxies at New York’s JFK International Airport.

South African aircraft slide show:

Lufthansa to be hit again by a pilot’s strike starting tomorrow

Lufthansa (Frankfurt) is facing another strike by its pilots starting tomorrow, Monday, December 1. The airline issued this statement:

Strike by pilots union Vereinigung Cockpit from 12.00 on December 1 to 23.59 on December 2

The pilots union Vereinigung Cockpit has announced a strike for all Lufthansa short-haul and continental flights departing between 12.00 CEST on December 1 to 23.59 CEST on December 2, and for all intercontinental flights departing between 03:00 CEST to 23:59 CEST on December 2. During the strike period disruptions of Lufthansa flights are expected. Lufthansa is currently working intensely on a special timetable for the strike period. All flights operated by the Lufthansa Group airlines Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Germanwings, Swiss and Air Dolomiti (operated by OS, SN, 4U, LX, EN) will not be affected.

Passengers, whose flights have been cancelled, can rebook free of charge to alternative flights.

Lufthansa aircraft slide show:

Lufthansa hands over an Airbus A340-300 for the transport of Ebola patients

Lufthansa (Frankfurt) has turned over an Airbus A340-300 for Ebola patient humanitarian evacuation flights by the German government. Airbus A340-313 D-AIGZ (msn 347) has been converted from a passenger aircraft to this special transport aircraft. The airline issued this statement:

Federal Foreign Minister Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Federal Minister of Health Hermann Gröhe accepted receipt of the world’s first evacuation aircraft for transporting and treating Ebola patients on behalf of the German government.

Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr handed over an Airbus A340-300 for its new role in Berlin on Thursday (November 27). At the request of the Federal Foreign Office, Lufthansa Technik spent the last few weeks converting what was previously a passenger aircraft called the “Villingen-Schwennigen” so that it could be used for this special humanitarian mission. Under its new name, the “Robert Koch”, it now serves as the world’s only evacuation facility for highly contagious patients. Unlike the smaller aircraft that have been sporadically available to date, the facility can provide comprehensive intensive care on board. The Lufthansa Group was able to complete such a complex and technically demanding undertaking so quickly because the airline was in a position to provide a long-haul aircraft at short notice that was suitable for the specific requirements of the project. As a global leader in aviation technology, Lufthansa Technik also has a wealth of experience in installing a diverse range of non-standard cabin interiors on aircraft for governments, VIPs and the business travel sector. It was able to draw on this expertise for the construction and installation of the special isolation unit in the aircraft cabin. The aircraft conversion, which started on November 17 in Hamburg, was carried out in partnership with the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

In the middle and rear of the long-haul aircraft, passenger seats, kitchen and washing areas, and baggage lockers were removed to make way for a patient transport isolation unit surrounded by an airtight tent with negative pressure. Inside, medics can provide patients with intensive care and treatment during the flight while remaining fully protected. Two exterior tents, which are also airtight, serve as buffers so that the treatment tent can be entered and exited safely. At the front of the cabin, there are still seats for up to 19 passengers such as doctors, attendants from the RKI, isolation tent technicians and a Lufthansa engineer. Within a short space of time, a total of more than 700 pilots and flight attendants volunteered as cockpit and cabin crew for the “Robert Koch” humanitarian project, which will initially run for six months.

Lufthansa aircraft slide show: