Tag Archives: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Lufthansa’s first 100th anniversary aircraft lands in Frankfurt

Lufthansa announced:

It has landed! The Boeing 787-9 with its impressive special livery marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the first Lufthansa arrived in Frankfurt today, Tuesday. Numerous plane spotters, travelers, and spectators welcomed the special aircraft at Germany’s largest airport, which was transferred from the Boeing plant in Everett, Washington. The divisional board of Lufthansa Airlines also personally welcomed the Dreamliner with the registration D-ABPU and the name “Berlin”.

Jens Ritter, Chief Executive Officer of Lufthansa Airlines: “These are the particularly beautiful and unforgettable moments in our job. It’s always a special moment to take delivery of a brand-new aircraft – but today’s landing of this anniversary Boeing 787-9, with its extraordinary special livery marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the first ‘Luft Hansa’, was even more exciting and fascinating.”

The Dreamliner “Papa Uniform” combines tradition and the future in an iconic design: the blue fuselage is adorned with a white XXL crane, whose wings merge into the wings, turning the aircraft into a flying anniversary ambassador for Lufthansa. In addition to the crane, a “100” is integrated on the left side of the fuselage and the lettering “1926 | 2026” on the right side. A “100” can also be seen on the underside of the aircraft.

In 2026, Lufthansa will celebrate a special anniversary: On January 6, 1926, almost exactly 100 years ago, the first Lufthansa was founded. The official maiden flight then took off on April 6, 1926. To mark this special occasion, a special anniversary fleet comprising a total of six aircraft will take off in 2026: The Boeing 787-9 will lead this XXL crane fleet. An Airbus A380, an Airbus A350-1000, an Airbus A350-900, an Airbus A320, and a Boeing 747-8 will also be receiving the new livery. The aircraft will gradually be given the new design, with the anniversary fleet expected to be complete in fall 2026.

Air Europa adds RCD Mallorca logo to EC-NBM

The Supercopa de España, also known as the Spanish Super Cup, is a super cup tournament in Spanish football. Founded in 1982 as a two-team competition, the current version has been contested since 2020 by four teams: the winners and runners-up of the Copa del Rey and La Liga.

The tournament is held at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia .

This year the contenders will be Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Athletic BIlbao and Real Mallorca.

For this trip Real Mallorca has used a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner from Air Europa with special decals. The airliner is seen on departure at Palma de Mallorca Airport.

Javier Rodriguez is reporting from Spain.

Riyadh Air prepares for the arrival of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Riyadh Air announced:

In a hugely positive move, Riyadh Air is preparing for the arrival of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The leased aircraft, painted in the airline’s resplendent pearl livery and set to be used as a technical spare and for training purposes, will be unveiled at the airline’s home airport at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport.

With the airline’s highly anticipated cabin interiors set to be revealed soon, this aircraft will not feature the new cabin but does have a high-specification interior to meet guests’ expectations when flying with a world-class modern airline.

This aircraft is separate from the original Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft order of 72 aircraft and will be utilized over the coming months for training purposes. It will continue the process of Air Operator Certificate (AOC) with the General Authority of Civil Aviation before operating as Riyadh Air’s technical spare to allow operations to commence later in 2025.

The opportunity to lease this plane demonstrates the innovative nature of Riyadh Air to create solutions and start serving the people of Riyadh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2025.

Austrian Airlines to introduce the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on May 17

Austrian Airlines is planning to introduce the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner into revenue service on May 17.

Austrian is acquiring 11 787-9s through 2028.

Initially the new type will be introduced on two short-range European routes as a way of the crews getting used to the new airliner.

Vienna-Frankfurt and Vienna-Berlin will be the first two routes before the 787 is introduced on transAtlantic routes in June.

OE-LPM was handed over to the carrier on March 26, 2024.

The new 787s will replace the older 767-300 and 777-200 models.

Austrian Airlines aircraft photo gallery:

China Airlines orders 16 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, will replace Airbus A330-300 fleet

China Airlines, the Taiwan-based carrier, announced the purchase of 16 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners fitted with the General Electric GEnx engine.

Deliveries are expected to commence in 2025 and the next-generation aircraft will become the mainstay of the medium-capacity wide-body fleet.

China Airlines had previously introduced the 777-300ER, A350-900 and A321neo.

The new fleets have been dispatched on long-haul, medium-haul and regional routes as part of the overall network strategy. The next generation fleets ready for post-pandemic boom.

China Airlines embarked on its wide-body passenger aircraft replacement program in 2018 but evaluations were pushed back in 2020 due to COVID-19. With the pandemic easing and the revival of the global passenger market, the evaluation and introduction process resumed in September 2021. Outside consultants were brought in to provide input and a thorough study was conducted to select the optimal aircraft model to support business development.

The 787-9 passenger aircraft is Boeing’s next generation flagship product, offering distinct advantages in terms of aircraft design, operational performance, and product penetration. The next generation cabin design offers travelers a superior flying experience with adjustable cabin pressure and humidity providing greater comfort. The exceptional fuel efficiency of the 787-9 means fuel consumption and carbon emissions are approximately 20% lower than the previous model. This will not only greatly optimize the cost structure but also contribute to China Airlines’ goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The operational flexibility of the Boeing 787-9 will simplify fleet dispatching and improve competitiveness. It will also facilitate the expansion of the network for medium to long-haul passenger traffic. The Boeing 787-9 has excellent cargo-carrying capacity as well and its bellyhold can hold 36 containers. This gives it a clear advantage over other aircraft models, making it a valuable addition to China Airlines’ cargo capacity.

China Airlines currently operates 86 passenger and cargo aircraft including the A350-900, 777-300ER, A330-300, 737-800, and A321neo. These include 65 passenger aircraft as well as twenty-one 747-400F/777F cargo aircraft.

The A330-300 passenger aircraft will be phased out with the introduction of the new 787-9 aircraft in accordance with the fleet revitalization plan.

The order included options for eight more aircraft as well as conversion to the high-capacity 787-10 model. China Airlines will continue to manage its fleet size in response to developments in COVID-19 and the market. Corporate sustainability will be realized by providing travelers with superior passenger services and products.

China Airlines aircraft photo gallery:

Lufthansa takes delivery of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner, arrives in Frankfurt

Boeing and the Lufthansa Group on August 29 celebrated the delivery of the first 787 Dreamliner, a 787-9, to Europe’slargest airline group at Paine Field, Everett, Wash.

The first copy is registered as D-ABPA and is named “Berlin”. It will go into service on the Franfkurt – Toronto route.

Photo: Boeing.

The Lufthansa Group has 32 firm orders for the 787 and joins nearly 50 customers worldwide in operating the industry’s most fuel efficient and capable airplane. Boeing designed the 787 family with superior efficiency, which allows airlines to profitably open new routes and fly people directly where they want to go in exceptional comfort.

Using 25% less fuel and creating 25% fewer emissions than the airplanes they replace, the 787 family has avoided more than 125 billion pounds of carbon emissions since entering service in 2011.

Since revenue service began in 2011, the 787 family has launched more than 325 new nonstop routes around the world, including approximately 50 routes opened since 2020. The 787-9 can fly 296 passengers up to 7,565 nautical miles (14,010 km) in a typical two-class configuration.

In addition to 32 787 Dreamliners on order, the Lufthansa Group has firm orders for 20 777-9 passenger airplanes and recently placed a firm order for seven of the new 777-8 Freighter.

Finally the time has come! The first @Boeingairplanes 787 of Lufthansa just landed at 11:00 am at @Frankfurtairport! Welcome home! ✈️ pic.twitter.com/iTxamvWyAv

— Lufthansa News (@lufthansaNews) August 30, 2022

Lufthansa aircraft photo gallery:

Air New Zealand is taking proactive measures to protect the travel plans of its customers as sickness levels continue to cause disruption

Air New Zealand has issued this statement:

Over the next six months, the airline will operate a slightly reduced schedule of 1.5 percent fewer seats than originally planned, meaning a change to some flights.

Most customers who experience a flight change will be transferred to another flight on the same day for domestic travel, and for international travel, on the same day or a day either side of their original booking. Where customers cannot be accommodated within these timeframes, they may change their booking online, opt into credit or request a refund.

Those customers with changes will start to see them from today and will be automatically transferred to another flight. Those with further onward connections may also be disrupted and we will work through these directly with impacted customers.

Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran says making these changes now gives customers advance notice and will help the airline provide a service that’s more reliable during its rebuild.

“Like many airlines around the world, we’ve been ramping up our operation at a time when Covid and the flu continues to impact the aviation industry. Looking at the disruptions our customers and staff have faced over the past five weeks, we’ve made some adjustments to reduce short-notice cancellations in the months ahead.

“While we did factor sickness into our ramp up plan, we’ve seen the highest rates of crew sickness in over a decade. We see these challenges continuing not just for crew, but for our whole operation, and so we’re making proactive changes to address them.”

Mr Foran says reducing the number of flights means the airline will be able to have crew on standby to cover illness, which has not been possible lately.

“We’re pulling out all the stops to minimise disruption and provide surety for our customers over the next six months. We have rehired or brought on more than 2,000 pilots, airport staff, cabin crew, contact centre and engineers, and we’re going as fast as we can with recruitment and training.

“We’re also exploring options to lease a crewed widebody aircraft for the busy summer period. We know customers want the Air New Zealand experience, and that’s what we want to deliver too. But at the moment we’re stretched to capacity and making sure our customers are able to travel is our top priority. The lease of an additional crewed aircraft may help us achieve that.”

Air New Zealand’s domestic and international schedule will be operating at 90% of pre-Covid capacity for the next six months.

In other news, ANZ is bring back grounded Boeing 777-300 aircraft:

Nau mai hoki mai to our first Victorville 777-300 🥳 After 696 days in the Mojave Desert we’re welcoming back our largest widebody aircraft! Helping us connect even more Kiwis around the world 💜 pic.twitter.com/4IGhdeeTEd

— Air New Zealand (@FlyAirNZ) August 10, 2022

Top Copyright Photo: Air New Zealand Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner ZK-NZG (msn 37963) HNL (Ivan K. Nishimura). Image: 956949.

Air New Zealand aircraft photo gallery:

Air Premia to lease two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners from Aergo Capital

Aergo Capital Limited has remarketed two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, bearing manufacturer serial numbers 63314 and 63315, to be delivered on operating lease to Air Premia.

The transaction is being executed on behalf of UKEF, with the lease agreement signed in Singapore. Aergo Capital has acted as the asset manager and remarketing agent with the first aircraft (63314) being delivered in the coming weeks and the second aircraft (63315) scheduled to deliver early in 2023.

Above Copyright Photo: Air Premia Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner HL8387 (msn 66407) PAE (Nick Dean). Image: 953323.

British Airways delays the return of the Bangkok route

British Airways has delayed the retun of the London – Bangkok route until at least the end of March 2023.

The flag carrier had been planning to restore the route in October.

Top Copyright Photo: British Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner G-ZBKR (msn 60627) LHR (Andi Hiltl). Image: 958317.

British Airways aircraft photo gallery (Boeing):

American Airlines Group reports second quarter net income of $476 million

American Airlines Group Inc. today reported its second-quarter 2022 financial results, including:

Second-quarter net income of $476 million, or $0.68 per diluted share. Excluding net special items¹, second-quarter net income of $533 million, or $0.76 per diluted share.
Record second-quarter revenue of $13.4 billion, which represents a 12.2% increase over the same period in 2019, despite flying 8.5% less capacity.
Ended the second quarter with $15.6 billion of total available liquidity.
Company continues to execute on its plan to pay down approximately $15 billion of total debt² by the end of 2025.

“We are very pleased to report a quarterly profit, excluding net special items, for the first time since the start of the pandemic, driven by the strong demand environment and the hard work of our team,” said American’s CEO Robert Isom. “The American Airlines team has stepped up to meet the surge in demand for air travel while running a reliable operation in very challenging conditions. We are encouraged by the trends we’re seeing across the business, and we remain well-positioned for the continued recovery.”

Running a reliable operation

In the second quarter, American flew a schedule that was more than 25% larger than its closest competitor as measured by total departures. American and its regional partners operated more than 500,000 flights in the quarter, an 8% increase over the second quarter of 2021, with an average load factor of 87%, which is 10 points higher than the second quarter of 2021. Despite a challenging operating environment in June, American’s on-time departure rate, on-time arrival rate and completion factor for the second quarter of 2022 were each improved versus the second quarter of 2019.

American is proud to offer customers the youngest fleet among U.S. network carriers and the largest network of any U.S. airline, with an expected average of more than 5,400 daily departures for the remainder of the summer.

Returning to profitability

American produced revenues of $13.4 billion in the second quarter, a 12.2% increase versus 2019 and a record for any quarter in company history. This record revenue was achieved while flying 8.5% less capacity than the same period in 2019, and there remains significant revenue potential going forward to the extent business and international travel improve further.

Domestic leisure travel remains very strong and surpassed 2019 levels in the second quarter and American also saw improvements in corporate and government revenue in the quarter. Demand for international travel also improved steadily during the second quarter and the company expects this to continue following the lifting of the COVID-19 testing requirement for inbound travel to the U.S.

Liquidity and balance sheet

American ended the second quarter with $15.6 billion of total available liquidity. Total debt reduction continues to be a top priority and the company remains on track to reduce overall debt levels by $15 billion by the end of 2025.

In the second quarter, the company made $1.0 billion in scheduled debt and finance lease payments, including paying off the remaining $433 million outstanding balance of its $750 million unsecured senior notes that matured in June. To date, American has reduced its overall debt by $5.2 billion from peak levels in the second quarter of 2021.

Guidance and investor update

American will continue to match its forward capacity with the resources required to support its operation. Based on current trends, the company expects its third-quarter total revenue to be 10% to 12% higher versus the third quarter of 2019 on 8% to 10% lower capacity. Based on these demand trends and the current fuel price forecast, the company expects to be profitable in the third quarter.

Notes

See the accompanying notes in the financial tables section of this press release for further explanation, including a reconciliation of all GAAP to non-GAAP financial information.

¹ The company recognized $84 million of pre-tax net special items in the second quarter of 2022, which principally included mark-to-market net unrealized losses associated with certain equity investments.

² Total debt includes debt, finance leases, operating lease liability and pension obligations.

Top Copyright Photo: American Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner N832AA (msn 40638) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 958263.

American Airlines aircraft photo gallery (Boeing):