Gulf Air (Bahrain) will increase the number of flights to and from Frankfurt, Larnaca and Paris (CDG) during the upcoming peak summer travel period until September 2015, due to growing passenger numbers.
This follows the airlineโs recent announcement of its enhanced Istanbul summer schedule which now offers seven weekly flights during the summer period.
Gulf Air will operate eight weekly flights from Bahrain to both Frankfurt and Paris (Charles de Gaulle Airport) and six weekly flights to Larnaca.
Gulf Airโs European summer schedule further supplements the airlineโs existing four weekly Athens service and double daily London Heathrow service.
Copyright Photo: Paul Denton/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A321-231 A9C-CC (msn 5180) prepares to land at Dubai.
Saudia-Saudi Arabian Airlines (Jeddah), the national carrier of Saudi Arabia will become the first airline in the world to operate the new Airbus A330-300 Regional.
The new aircraft will join Saudi Arabian Airlinesโ existing Airbus fleet of twelve A330-300s and 50 A320 Family.
Passenger demand in Saudi Arabia is experiencing high growth both on domestic and regional routes. The new A330-300 Regional variant, specially designed for regional and domestic operations, is Airbusโ solution for markets with large populations and fast growing, concentrated air traffic flows. The A330-300 Regional is set to boost capacity on several of Saudi Arabian Airlines most in-demand routes, enabling the airline to better serve the Saudi Arabian and regional travelling public.
The A330-300 Regional is optimized to seat up to 400 passengers in Airbusโ best in class 18 inch wide economy seat comfort on missions up to 3,000 nm and offers significant cost savings through a reduced operational weight of around 200 tons. The reduction in fuel burn per seat and maintenance costs will result in an overall cost reduction by up to 26% compared with the todayโs long-range A330-300. In addition, the A330 Regional benefits from the latest A350 XWB and A380 technologies.
Saudi Arabian Airlines has signed an operating lease agreement with IAFC for the 20 Airbus A330-300 Regional and 30 A320ceo aircraft, which Saudia isย planning to also add with this order.
Top Image: Airbus. The Airbus A330-300 Regional.
Saudia-Saudi Arabian Airlines aircraft slide show:ย
Bottom Copyright Photo: Tony Storck/AirlinersGallery.com. Saudia is also ordering 30 of the current version of the Airbus A320. Airbus A320-214 HZ-ASF (msn 4955) in the SkyTeam livery taxies at Frankfurt.
Yes, itโs that time of year again. The International Paris Air Show returns. 106 years old and 50 shows on, number 51 is here and it promises to be another great show.
For those who donโt know, the Paris Air Show is a bi-annual event, with the Farnborough Air Show filling in the gap year, in which aircraft manufacturers from around the world, both civil and military, showcase their latest and greatest models to potential buyers and the viewing public; that is the ones that can afford to go. But donโt worry, if you can’t attend, World Airline News will be giving you day to day coverage of the new aircraft orders that are due to come in next week.
Here is a preview of what is to come.
Weโll start with the “home team”. Airbus comes to the show with a line up of commercial aircraft. With its A319, A320, A380 and A350-900 XWB all being on the static display, the Toulouse-based manufacturer will also fly its long-haul aircraft, surprisingly all in the grey and burgundy livery of Qatar Airways (below).
Above Copyright Photo: Bernhard Ross/AirlinersGallery.com. Qatar Airways Airbus A350-941 A7-ALA (msn 006) is seen at Frankfurt, its first destination from Doha.
The A319 and A320 aircraft are not part of Airbusโ official roster, with both showcasing Qatarโs all business class cabin and the A320 displaying the Doha-based airlineโs newly upgraded cabins including its 180-degree lie flat-beds, new 15.4 inch smart monitors and touch-screen remote control handsets as well as power, USB ports and connectivity for smart devices in Business Class.
Last time around, Airbus secured $68.7 billion worth of business for a total of 466 aircraft, which shows the resilience of the commercial aviation industry. The deals comprise Memorandum of Understanding agreements (MOUs) for 225 aircraft worth $29.4 billion and firm purchase orders for 241 aircraft worth $39.3 billion. The previous time around, the A350 was a brand new airliner and only made a cameo visit, flying briefly over Le Bourget Airport as a treat to the public. This time itโs goes into next week with three of new type in service with Qatar Airways and others soon to be delivered to Vietnam Airlines, Finnair and TAM respectively.
Video above: Airbus. Before the show, Airbus is featuring the first Airbus A330 delivery to Tunisair. More videos are expected next week.
For the A380, it may be “make or break” time. With orders for the Super Jumbo slowing down (none in the past year) and also with the delaying and deferring of delivery dates by some customers, Airbus will be hoping to attract new orders for their double-decker giant or more from their established customers. Airbus is reported to be looking at a revamp of the aircraft towards the end of this year. Could an A380neo or sharklet equipped variant be in the cards for next week? Seems a bit desperate in my opinion. The aircraft isnโt 10 years old yet. It took the rest of Airbusโ in service aircraft 27 years (A320) and 24 years (A330 – expected neo introduction) to introduce a major upgrade to its DNA. Either the A380 takes off again or it doesnโt (pun intended).
Airbus will also be looking to get some firm orders for itโs newest project, the A330neo. Since being launched at the Farnborough Air Show last year the new wide-body only has seven customers in Avolon, AirAsia X, Delta Air Lines, CIT Group, ALC, Hawaiian Airlines and TransAsia Airways. Other guaranteed orders will be for the Airbusโ A320 and A320neo types, with the latter due to have its first delivery by October of this year with Qatar Airways.
Above Copyright Photo: Royal S. King/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner VN-A861 (msn 35151) arrives back at Paine Field near Everett, Washington in Vietnam Airlines colors after a test flight.
The other side of the aviation coin, U.S. manufacturer Boeing comes to the show with three of itโs aircraft: The Boeing 777-300 ER (in China Airlines livery) and both variants of the 787 Dreamliner. The 787-9 makes itโs Paris debut in the colors of Vietnam Airlines (above), with the aircraft set to join the carrier soon after it leaves the show.
Photo Above: Boeing. Boeing 777-36N ER N5017Q (msn 43980) lands at Le Bourget Airport today. It will eventually become B-18002 for China Airlines.
As previously reported, the aircraft manufacturer released this stunning practice video (above).
The other two aircraft will be in the livery of China Airlines and guess whose colors the other is wearing? If you didnโt guess Qatar Airways, you need to keep up with the latest trends. Qatar Airways is really stealing the show this time around.
Boeing recently released figures predicting a demand for 38,050 new airplanes over the next 20 years, an increase of 3.5 percent from last year’s forecast. As we previously reported, Boeing released its annual Current Market Outlook (CMO) on June 11, estimating the total value of those new airplanes at $5.6 trillion.
Do the manufacturers stack up potential orders and MOUs prior to the show to release them during the show? The “numbers game” is important to the manufacturers.
Last time around in Paris, Boeing fell to second place with firm and provisional orders for 442 aircraft valued at more than $66 billion, narrowly behind Airbus. That was the year Boeing launched the 787-10 and 777X projects and will be hoping to rack up huge orders for their new long-haulers; with the stretched Dreamliner only having seven customers in ALC, Singapore Airlines, United Airlines, International Airlines Group/British Airways, Etihad Airways, ANA-All Nippon Airways and GECAS.
Image above: Boeing. Qatar Airways also has placed an order for the new 777X.
The 777X is doing just as well with only six customers in Lufthansa, Etihad, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways and ANA.
Boeingโs narrow-bodies are another miss for the show but you can guarantee an order for the 737NG and 737 MAX will be flying in (again, pun intended) and most likely carrying Boeingโs orders.
Another big miss for the show is the Boeing 747-8. The type is in the same situation as the A380, with orders slowing down and production most likely set to slow down once more from the current 1.5 aircraft per month. Itโs quite surprising the manufacturer isnโt trying to advertise their โSky Queenโ to the best of their ability.
The eye catchers of the show are, without a doubt, Bombardier. Trying to steal Qatar Airwaysโ thunder by bringing along their CRJ1000 variant for the third show running, the Q400 NextGen and both of itโs CSeries family: the CS100 and the CS300, are both making their Farnborough debuts and are being included in the flying display.
Video above: Bombardier. The first CS100 in Swiss livery heads to Paris.
The first delivery of the CSeries Family will be to Swiss International Air Lines. The first copy is due to happen next year, and the CS100 will pay a visit to Zurich shortly after the show as a sample of whatโs to come for the Lufthansa subsidiary. The CS300 will also visit Bombardierโs Belfast facility on June 19 where Bombardierโs employees and partners eagerly await the arrival of the first CS300 aircraft. It will mark the first time the CSeries aircraft and its Belfast-produced wing will fly on site. Last time around, Le Bourget Airport wasnโt a happy hunting ground for the Canadians, with the CSeries failing to capture a single aircraft order, the CRJ only capturing one order from Arik Air, and the Q400 only securing orders from Alaska Airlines (Horizon Air) and Arik Air. Bombardier will hope for a major improvement ย and for this year to be more like Farnborough of last year, where a total of 74 orders were captured.
Video above: The Bombardier CS300 ferries to Le Bourget Airport.
Video above: The Q400 in Falcon Aviation livery heads to Paris.
Video above: The CRJ manufacturing at the Montreal Mirabel plant.
The rest of the major players: ATR, Embraer and Sukhoi, will display one aircraft each. With the Brazilians displaying their ERJ 135, the French-Italians showing off their ATR 72-600 in the colors of Air New Zealand Link, and the Russians exhibiting the Superjet 100 in the colors of Interjet, marking the second anniversary of the first aircraft being delivered to the airline.
For ATR itโs more of the same, marketing their ATR 42 and 72 products. Le Bourget 2013 went down as the best show in ATRโs history, with the turboprop manufacturer announcing orders for 173 planes, including 83 firm orders, with the total value of the contracts exceeding $4.1billion; creating a new record for them. Unless theyโre planning a shock reveal of the ATR 42/72-700/800/900, it will be business as usual.
Video above: The building of Lion Group’s 50th ATR 72-600.
For Embraer they will hope 2015 is just as good for them as Paris 2013 was. Two years ago, the E-Jets E2 was officially launched and they were the standout performers of the show, taking Day 1 by storm with the E2 dominating the orders when they announced the sale of over 300 customers, with the majority belonging to SkyWest Airlines and ILFC, and the rest going to unnamed customers around the world. For them, it is a case of gaining more orders for the E2 and maybe current generation of E-Jets.
Video above: Embraer. Embraer E2 – The Power of 2.
Sukhoi displayed this Superjet 100 at the previous Paris Air Show. Copyright Photo: Gerd Beilfuss.
For Sukhoi, itโs the same situation. 2013 only got the SuperJet one order from Ilyushin Finance, with two of those aircraft going to VLM at some point next year. They will hope to go one better than the big zero they got last year at Farnborough.
The non-flying aircraft of the show: the Irkut MC-21 and the COMAC C919, may bring in a few orders at the show but only time will tell.
The Financial Times told us not to expect much from this year’s aviation event; but donโt let that deter you from keeping up to date on proceedings at Le Bourget Airport. Weโll be watching in anticipation and ready to update you on anything and everything. Nous vous verrons la semaine prochaine.
Assistant Editor Oliver Wilcock reporting from Manchester.
Video below: Boeing. Boeing is celebrating its historic relationship with the United Kingdom prior to the show:
Lufthansa (Frankfurt) starting on October 27ย will resume flying to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. The airline will utilize Airbus A340-300s to fly between Frankfurt and Nairobi four times a week in winter 2015/16 and five times a week from December 11. Flight LH 590 will leave Lufthansa’s Frankfurt hub every morning on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays (and on Fridays from December 11, 2015 to the end of January 2016) and will reach Nairobi in the evening after a journey of more than eight hours.
The return aircraft will take off from Nairobi as a night flight in the late evening and lands the morning of the following day at Frankfurt Airport.
Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A340-313 D-AIFF (msn 447) approaches the runway at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Lufthansa Group (Frankfurt) tomorrow (June 9) will operate a special Lufthansa Cargo (Frankfurt) McDonnell Douglas MD-11F flight from Marseille to Dusseldorf which will bring home the remains of the victims of Germanwings (Cologne/Bonn) ill-fate flight 4U9525 which crashed in the French Alps. Transfer of the remains to the victim’s families will occur on June 10. Lufthansa Cargo will operate more flights in the coming weeks until the end of June. The group issued this statement:
Lufthansa is working with all its available resources to ensure the repatriation and transfer of victims of the Germanwings flight 4U9525 to the relatives in the originally planned schedule. To start off the repatriation flights, Lufthansa will arrange at short notice a special flight with a MD-11 of Lufthansa Cargo from Marseille to Dusseldorf. The plane will take off from Marseille on June 9 at 20:50 and is expected at Dusseldorf at 22:30. There will be 30 coffins of the victims of flight 4U9525 on board.
The repatriation of the victims was initially scheduled for next week. At short notice, however, a delay had resulted due to regulatory requirements. The Federal Government Commissioner for the victims’ relatives had then turned immediately to the authorities and received assurances that preparations for repatriation could be made immediately.
After this first special flight to Dusseldorf, the other victims will be gradually transferred to their home countries in the coming weeks. The French authorities are working hard in order to create the formal conditions for the transfer of the victims as soon as possible. Lufthansa is in close contact with the relatives to ensure that the transfer of the victims is carried out according to the relativesโ wishes.
Copyright Photo: Pascal Simon/AirlinersGallery.com. McDonnell Douglas MD-11F D-ALCM (msn 48805) departs from the Frankfurt cargo hub.
Lufthansa (Frankfurt) according to TASS, will drop three Russian destinations from Frankfurt as the Russian routes have become unprofitable. Moscow (Vnukovo) will be dropped on August 31, Nizhny Novgorod on September 7 and Samara on September 6.
Read the full report from LNR Media quoting TASS: CLICK HERE
Copyright Photo: AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A319-114 D-ALD (msn 623) taxies at London (Heathrow).
Qatar Airways (Doha) has announced that Philadelphia will be the first destination it will fly to in the USA using the new Airbus A350-900.
Qatar Airways plans to begin operating an A350-900 on its daily service from Dohaโs Hamad International Airport to Philadelphia International Airport from January 1, 2016. The date will coincide with the launch of services to Los Angeles, one of three new Qatar Airways destinations in the US for 2016.
Starting on March 1, 2016 and March 16, 2016, the A350-900 will also fly on one daily flight to New York (JFK) and also to Boston; meaning three of Qatar Airwaysโ US destinations will all be served by the A350-900.
The introduction of the state-of-the-art A350 on the daily flights between Doha and Philadelphia brings an additional capacity of more than 9% compared to the Boeing 777-200 LR which is being operated on the route. Qatar Airwaysโ daily capacity to Philadelphia will grow from 259 seats on the Boeing 777-200 LR to 283 seats on the A350-900 aircraft.
Qatar Airwaysโ A350-900s feature 36 seats in Business Class in a 1-2-1 configuration, featuring 80โ inch fully flat horizontal beds, and a 247 seating capacity in Economy Class in a 3-3-3 layout.
All seats in Business Class have direct aisle access with 17โ HD in-flight entertainment screens. Economy Class features 10.6โ in-flight entertainment screens and more space for passengers in window seats, thanks to a vertical side wall panel design.
Qatar Airways now operates 47 passenger flights a week between the United States and Doha โ daily from New York, Washington (Dulles) DC, Chicago (O’Hare), Houston (Bush Intercontinental), Philadelphia, Dallas/ Fort Worth, and five flights a week from Miami. In addition to this, over the next few months, Qatar Airwaysโ US network will grow further with new routes Los Angeles ย January 1, 2016), Boston (March 16, 2016), Atlanta (July 1, 2016) and a second daily flight to New York from March 1, 2016.
Copyright Photo: Bernhard Ross/AirlinersGallery.com. Pictured in action at the first destination of Frankfurt is the first copy, Airbus A350-941 A7-ALA (msn 006).
flyVista (Tbilisi), the airline division of Vista Georgia, has ended scheduled passenger operations according to ATW. Their website has gone dark.
The airline was hurt by the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH 17 and the on-going conflict in the eastern part of the Ukraine.
flyVista was partnering with Aerovista (Dubai), an aircraft leasing, trading and management company, which provided the two Boeing 737-300 aircraft. Aerovista has decided to operate the aircraft elsewhere.
Read the full account from The Rakayat Post: CLICK HERE
The Georgian airline began operations on August 5, 2014.
Qatar Airways (Doha), as the global launch customer for the Airbus A350-900 XWB, became the first airline to operate the worldโs newest aircraft to Singapore and the Asia Pacific region today (May 11), with the inaugural A350-900 XWB service arriving in Singapore’s Changi Airport.
Upon touching down at Singapore Changi Airport, flight QR 944 was greeted by a traditional water cannon salute (above), a long-held tradition to welcome special flights or planes to an airport, and an exclusive welcome ceremony.
Qatar Airwaysย currently operates a double-daily service to Singapore with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner (below) and the aircraft will be progressively replaced by the next-generation A350-900 XWB.
Photo Above: Qatar Airways. Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner A7-BCB (msn 38320).
In addition, from later this summer, Qatar Airways will add an additional daily flight to Singapore, as part of its global expansion drive and to cater to the increase in passenger demand. All three daily flights will be operated using the A350-900 XWB by mid-August.
In addition,ย Qatar Airways has announced an expansion to its UAE services with the launch of nonstop flights to Ras Al Khaimah, commencing on October 1, 2015.
Operating daily, flight QR 1120 will depart Dohaโs Hamad International Airport at 20:15 hours and arrive at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport at 22.30 hours. The return flight QR 1121 will depart at 23:30 hours and arrive in Doha at 23:45 hours.
Additionally the carrier announced the introduction of Qatar Airwaysโ newest offering, the Doha-Dubai Shuttle. Having launched this week, the Doha-Dubai Shuttle will offer flights from Dohaโs Hamad International Airport to Dubai International Airport, as well as Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai.
The new service which is the first of its kind flying between the two cities brings with it a number of enhanced services that will reduce overall travel time and increase convenience for passengers. The shuttle service, along with its many perks, will be offered on each of the 18 daily flights between the two cities, with 14 flights to and from Dubai International Airport and four to and from Al Maktoum International Airport.
Copyright Photo Above: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A321-231 A7-ADX (msn 3397) departs from tropical Doha, Qatar.
According to the airline, “passengers on the Doha-Dubai Shuttle will also be able to enjoy the newly unveiled Qatar Airways inflight entertainment system with its brand new design and identity. The new brand โOryx One – Explore. Play. Share.โ embraces Qatar Airwaysโ corporate colours and will provide passengers with a comprehensive experience of entertainment, information and connectivity.
Video: Qatar Airways. The new Oryx One on Qatar Airways.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker (below) announced the launch of the Doha-Dubai Shuttle and the unveiled new brand identity of the airlineโs inflight entertainment during a press conference on the opening day of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) โ the Middle Eastโs premier travel show โ taking place in Dubai this week.
Photo Above: Qatar Airways.ย Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker announces the carrier’s 2015 expansion plans and latest undertakings during a press conference at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.
Specially branded and dedicated check-in counters located at Row 5 at Hamad International Airport will be available for all passengers travelling from Doha to Dubai on the Doha-Dubai Shuttle. Passengers who plan on checking in baggage must check in no later than one hour before their scheduled departure time. Return flights from Dubai to Doha also require check in of a minimum of one hour before the scheduled departure time for all passengers, including those with only hand baggage.
Passengers flying on the Qatar Airways Doha-Dubai Shuttle will also be able to take advantage of fast-track immigration in Doha, allowing them to clear passport control in a minimum amount of time before proceeding to their boarding gates located in either Concourse A or B, which are no more than a seven to 10 minute walk, on average, from passport control.
Qatar Airways has so far announced an the addition of seven destinations to its international map this year โ Amsterdam, Ras Al Khaimah, Zanzibar, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Multan and Durban โ and is gearing up for more route expansion in 2016 with three new US cities, Los Angeles, Boston and Atlanta.
Finally,ย Qatar Airways and Royal Air Maroc (Casablanca) have announced the launch of a strategic joint business agreement on their services between the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Morocco.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker and Royal Air Maroc Chairman and CEO, Mr. Driss Benhima signed the joint business agreement today at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, in the presence of international press and travel trade partners.
The joint business will benefit passengers by providing enhanced links between Qatar and Morocco, greater choice of flights to more destinations and improved frequent flyer benefits. With this new agreement, passengers will be able to purchase a single itinerary combining flights on both carriersโ global networks, affording them the ease of one-stop ticketing and baggage check-in.
Royal Air Maroc will be operating three weekly flights with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Doha complimenting Qatar Airwaysโ existing seven times weekly flights to Casablanca, giving passengers the flexibility of using a combination of flights from both airlines between Qatar and Morocco, significantly increasing their options.
Video Below: Qatar Airways.ย Qatar Airways First Officer Robby and his wife talk about the wonderful life they have made for themselves in Doha since he joined the airline. Find out how they have rapidly adapted to the Middle Eastern way of life and why they plan to spend the foreseeable future in this fast-growing, dynamic city, which has so much to offer pilots and their families looking for an exciting new chapter in their lives.
Qatar Airways aircraft slide show:ย
Copyright Photo below: Bernhard Ross/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A350-941 A7-ALA (msn 006) pis pictured at Frankfurt.
Sea Air (Osijek) of Croatia will launch scheduled passenger operations on May 18 from Osijek ย to Frankfurt, Munich and Vienna using a 160-seat McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 wet leased from Ten Airways (Tend Air) of Romania according to Balkans.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.