SpiceJet (Delhi) has been battling media reports about cancelled flights as it reduces its schedule and its fleet. The airline is recapitalizing with new investors and will operate over 7,000 flights in January. With the planned new capital it plans to add back aircraft to its fleet.
There have been some media reports with sensational but misleading headlines like โSpice cancels 3,450 flights in Januaryโ. SpiceJet clarifies that these are not new or incremental cancellations, these are for the most part the flights that were already removed from the schedule in November and December as an outcome of our fleet reduction, which resulted in our daily flights reducing from 345 flights a day in the summer to 230 flights a day.
The schedule will remain at the reduced level until the recapitalization of the airline is completed and aircraft added back to its fleet. Even with the reduced schedule, SpiceJet is scheduled to operate over 7,000 flights in the month of January.
SpiceJet once again appeals to the media to avoid sensationalist reporting as it does a disservice not just to the airline, but to passengers, the general public, the aviation industry, and the nation at large.
Copyright Photo: Nick Dean/AirlinersGallery.com.ย SpiceJet’s Boeing 737-8GJ WL VT-SGG (msn 36368) departs from Paine Field.
Azerbaijan Airlines (Baku) and Boeing (Chicago, Seattle and Charleston) have announced the delivery of the airline’s first 787 Dreamliner. With this delivery, Azerbaijan Airlines becomes the first airline in the Commonwealth of Independent States to operate the 787.
Based at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku, state-owned Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) is the national carrier of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan Airlines currently flies a network of over 20 global destinations across the United States, China, Commonwealth of Independent States, the Middle East and Europe.
To date, 58 customers from around the world have ordered 1,055 787 Dreamliners.
Photo: Boeing. The pictured Boeing 787-8 N1789B (msn 37920) named “Fizuli” became VP-BBR on the handover.
Air France (Paris) and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam) have announced they are going to defer delivery of their combined 10 Boeing 777-300s on order due to its third profit warning in six months according to Reuters. This raises concerns for Boeing for a potential production gap for Boeing for the 777 production line until the new 777X enters production.
During its meeting on December 18, 2014, the Air France-KLM Board of Directors reviewed the updated financial outlook for the fourth quarter 2014.
The Group is revising down its 2014 EBITDA target by an additional โฌ200 million compared with the targets communicated on July 8 and October 8. There are four factors behind this revision:
The persistent weakness in unit revenues in several long-haul markets, witnessed since the summer and still prevailing in early December.
The updating of the estimated impact of the Air France pilotsโ strike on the fourth quarter including, in particular, a higher-than-expected re-invoicing charge for passenger transportation by other airlines during the strike (โinterlineโ invoicing).
Due to new fiscal regulations, the group will not recognize in its 2014 EBITDA a positive pension cost adjustment that was previously expected. Any potential adjustment will be booked under โother non-current income and expensesโ.
A limited fuel price effect in the fourth quarter, in view of the continued decline in the crude oil price which has fallen by more than that of jet fuel, of the structure of the procurement contracts and of the fuel hedging portfolio.
As announced in the third quarter results press release, with no impact on the principles of the Perform 2020 plan, the Group has decided to revise its 2015 and 2016 business plans to take into account the consequences of the pilotsโ strike and of the weaker unit revenue trend that has developed since the summer. The Group is thus planning further unit cost* reduction measures and a significant scale back in its investment plan.
Air France-KLMโs Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Alexandre de Juniac, made the following comments: โThe Perform 2020 dynamic is under way across all the Groupโs activities, based on the imperatives of an ongoing improvement in competitiveness and strict financial discipline. By significantly stepping up our cost-cutting efforts and adapting the investment plan, Air France-KLM can gain the resources and be well prepared to tackle 2015 despite the difficult competitive environment.”
Top Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Air France’s Boeing 777-328 ER F-GZNI (msn 39973) taxies at Toronto (Pearson).
Air France aircraft slide show:ย
KLM aircraft slide show:ย
Bottom Copyright Photo: Nick Dean/AirlinersGallery.com. KLM’s Boeing 777-306 ER PH-BVC (msn 37582) departs from Paine Field.
Flydubai (Dubai) has announced the addition of three new routes to its growing network. Flights to Hargeisa (Somaliland), Chennai (India), and Nejran (Saudi Arabia) will commence in the first quarter of 2015, further expanding the carrierโs footprint to 89 destinations in 46 countries.
From March 5, 2015, Flydubai will become the first carrier to operate to Hargeisa, Somaliland from Dubai with four weekly flights. Flydubai has expanded its network in Africa in 2014 to 13 points served by 60 weekly flights.
Nejran will be added on January 10, 2015 with four weekly flights followed by Chennai on March 31, 2015 with three flights a week.
Copyright Photo: Nick Dean/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-8KN A6-FDE (msn 40235) departs from Paine Field.
Kenya Airways (Nairobi) will introduce the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on the daily Nairobi-London (Heathrow) route on January 19, 2015 replacing the current Boeing 777-200 ER equipment per Airline Route.
The airline is very satisfied with the operational performance of its new 787s which are achieving a dispatch reliability rate of 99.4 percent for its five Dreamliners per Boeing and the airline.
Royal Air Maroc (Casablanca) will soon take delivery of its first Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. The pictured CN-RGB (msn 43817) has been rolled out of the paint shop at Boeing. Boeing has released this photo on Randy’s Journal.
As previously reported, the carrier is planning to introduce the new type on January 8, 2015 between Casablanca and Paris (Orly) followed by Casablanca-New York (JFK) on February 22, 2015 according to Airline Route.
The airline will also operate the new type to Montreal (Trudeau) starting on March 29, 2015, Algiers (June 14, 2015) and Jeddah (June 14, 2015).
SpiceJet (Delhi) has reported losses in its last five quarters. According to this report by The Economic Times, the airline auditorsย “in their recent report have cast doubts over the ability of media baron Kalanithi Maran’s budget carrier to run it as a “going concern”. The auditors stated the airline’s total assets are now exceeded by its total liabilities. The airline is also losing pilots at an alarming rate.
LAN Airlines (Santiago) will introduce the 247-seat Boeing 787 on the long trans-Pacific Santiago-Sydney route on April 18, 2015 replacing its older Airbus A340-300s.
Copyright Photo: Daniel Gorun/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner CC-BBF (msn 38476) arrives back at Everett (Paine Field) after a test flight.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines (Dhaka) today (October 27) is ending service to Frankfurt where it operates as an extension of the Dhaka-Rome route. The route was served two days a week.
Copyright Photo: Joe G. Walker/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-3E9 ER S2-AHN (msn 40121) departs from Paine Field, Everett.
Thomson Airways (London-Luton and Manchester) has unveiled its vision of leisure flying with these new concepts for its fleet. The airline issued this statement and images about its new five year plan:
Thomson Airways, the UKโs largest leisure airline, has unveiled its five year vision to change the face of holiday flying through new state-of-the-art aircraft, more long-haul destinations and innovative on-board product and service concepts.
The vision will be delivered through an upgraded fleet, including the announcement of two further Boeing 787 Dreamliners (above) and the delivery of 47 new Boeing 737 MAX aircrafts by 2020. This will give Thomson Airways one of the youngest and most state-of-the-art fleets in the UK at an average age of just five years.
The Dreamliner aircraft will enable Thomson Airways to increase its long-haul capacity and fly to new destinations, including the only direct flight from Europe to Costa Rica on the 787 in November 2015. It will also be the only direct flight from the UK to the destination. Other destinations currently being considered include expanding operations in the Eastern Caribbean to islands like St Lucia and Antigua, in the Antilles to Bonaire and Curacao and South East Asia to Vietnam and Malaysia.
The 737 MAX will enhance the customer experience on short and mid-haul routes and, with the aircraft expected to be around 14% more fuel efficient than the current 737, will help Thomson Airways maintain its position as the UKโs leading airline for carbon performance.
A multi-million pound refresh will also be implemented across the existing fleet of 737 and 757 aircraft this winter to enhance the levels of comfort and service and provide a more contemporary on-board environment.
The airline will also continue to invest in its on-board products and services and today revealed innovative new concepts itโs planning to implement across short, mid and long-haul flights over the next five years. This includes concepts to bring the holiday experience to life on the aircraft, help customers plan their trips from 43,000 feet and seamlessly connect the crew with the overseas holiday teams.
New 737 MAX seating concepts
Family Booth (above) โ more social seating for four to six people situated at the back of the aircraft around a table. Designed for larger families travelling to First Choice Holiday Village or Thomson Family Resort
Duo-seating (above) โ three innovative pod style seats become two with a table for champagne, in-seat charging and mood lighting for a more spacious and luxurious start to the holiday
On-board people innovations
On-board kidsโ club – bringing Thomson and First Choice child care (above) expertise to the skies with a fully trained member of the crew to help parents keep the kids entertained with arts, crafts and quizzes that relate to the destination
HolidayMaker (above) – on-board HolidayMakers on short and mid-haul flights โ a member of the resort team who has extensive knowledge of all there is to do in the destination and can offer advice and recommendations to customers
In-flight technology advancements
Inflight entertainment โ new content and channels designed specifically for holidaymakers including a bedtime story channel for little ones, bespoke teenage content and destination inspiration channels on long-haul. Further planned enhancements include room upgrades, advance check-in and resort experience bookings through the state-of-the-art system
iPad enabled crew (above) โ to personalize the customer service, share destination information and pass special requests and information over to the resort team
David Burling, Managing Director of TUI UK & Ireland, said: โOur airline business has traditionally been categorized in the charter sector which is often perceived as the poor relation to scheduled and, in reality, bears little resemblance to the Thomson Airways experience today.
โOur overall goal is to make travel experiences special and, as the flight marks both the start and end of the holiday, we see it as an integral part of the whole holiday experience.
โThat is why we want to want to define and lead a new category of flying โ the holiday airline category. This describes an airline designed for the specific needs of the holiday maker and fully connected to the holiday experience in the destination.
โWeโll achieve this by continuing to invest in our fleet, in state-of-the-art aircraft like the 787 Dreamliner and 737 MAX, in our on-board technology connecting the flight experience to that in resort and in product and service innovations that are entirely relevant to the holidaymaker both today and tomorrow.โ
Above: Beach Snack Bar in Premium Club cabin.
Top Copyright Photo: Daniel Gorun/AirlinersGallery.com. New Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner G-TUIE (msn 37227) arrives after a test flight at Paine Field near Everett, WA. G-TUIE was handed over on June 30, 2014.
You must be logged in to post a comment.