Tag Archives: TLS

On September 28, 2016 RwandAir took delivery of a new 244-seat Airbus A330-200, named “Ubumwe” (Unity).

The aircraft is the first Airbus A330-200 in East Africa. A second copy will be delivered in November 2016.

The new type is expected to be assigned initially to the Dubai route.

RwandAir is also planning to add new service to Harare, Zimbabwe, Mumbai, India, and Guangzhou, China before expanding to western Europe.

The Rwandair fleet is now nine aircraft.

AirAsia’s first Airbus A320neo

https://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Asia-1/Airlines-Asia1-AE/AirAsia-Malaysia/i-f2psf4G/A

Copyright Photo: AirAsia-AirAsia.com (Malaysia) Airbus A320-251N WL F-WWBN (9M-NEO) (msn 7150) TLS (Eurospot). Image: 934735.

Thai takes delivery of its first Airbus A350-900

https://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/World-Airline-News/World-Airline-News-August-2016/i-qknQVmv/A

Thai Airways International has become the eighth operator of the Airbus A350-900, following the delivery on August 30, 2016 of the first of 12 aircraft (HS-THB) set to join the carrier’s fleet. The aircraft delivered is being operated on lease from US-based CIT.

Thai has configured its A350-900 with a premium two class layout with a total of 321 seats, comprising 32 THAI’s Royal Silk Class, convertible to fully lie-flat beds, and 289 in the main cabin.

After an initial period flying on regional services between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, the aircraft will be deployed on long haul flights soon thereafter, starting with the Bangkok-Melbourne route.

Altogether Thai has ordered 12 Airbus A350-900s. Four of these are being purchased directly from Airbus, with the other eight aircraft being acquired under lease agreements.

To date, Airbus has recorded a total of 810 firm orders for the A350 XWB from 43 customers worldwide, already making it one of the most successful widebody aircraft ever.

Tibet Airlines takes delivery of its first Airbus A330

https://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/World-Airline-News/World-Airline-News-July-2016/i-fhkxSxW/A

Tibet Airlines (Lhasa) has received its first widebody aircraft, an Airbus A330-200 with increased 242 ton maximum take-off-weight (MTOW), following a handover in Toulouse, France on June 30, 2016.

The increased MTOW, the first A330-200 in China, allows airlines to operate from the most demanding high altitude airports where takeoff performance, additional range and improved operating costs are key.

The aircraft is configured in a three-class cabin layout (12 business, 32 premium economy, 235 economy) and deployed to open up new international routes.

Tibet Airlines currently operates an all-Airbus fleet comprising of 14 A319s and 2 A320s. The airline is famous for its high-altitude operations with its operating base at Lhasa Airport which is at over 3,500 meters altitude. With the proven performance of Airbus narrow body, especially the A319 in high-altitude airports, Tibet Airlines has been successfully connecting Tibet with more domestic cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

The A330 is the first widebody equipped with the Required Navigation Performance with Authorization Required (RNP-AR) and the only widebody airliner today flying over Tibet’s sky. It will exceed the airlines’ expectation on high-altitude performance also offer unrivalled efficiency, also greater comfort to the passengers.

SaudiGulf Airlines to start operations on June 22, 2016

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SaudiGulf Airlines is expected to receive its Air Operating Certificate (AOC) in June 2016 and the new airline is now planning to launch operations on June 22, 2016.

Previously SaudiGulf Airlines had stated in October 2015 that it intended to start operating flights on November 1, 2015 from Dammam to Jeddah, Riyadh and one international destination but the start date was delayed until now.

GoAir takes delivery of the first of 72 Airbus A320neo aircraft

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GoAir (Mumbai) on June 1, 2016 took delivery of its first Airbus A320neo aircraft (the pictured VT-WGA), becoming the world’s third operator to do so. The A320neo powered by Pratt and Whitney engines, is the first of 72 A320neo on order and joins GoAir’s existing fleet of 19 A320 aircraft.

The aircraft is configured in a conformable layout and is the first A320neo equipped with the innovative Spaceflex cabin configuration with 186 seats. GoAir currently flies to 22 Indian destinations. With the NEO induction, GoAir will expand its network and offer fliers better connectivity and continue its growth as one of India’s preferred low-cost airline.

GoAir’s first A320neo is the first of the type to be financed on a sale and leaseback through SMBC Aviation Capital.

Airbus A320neo with CFM LEAP-1A engines receives joint EASA and FAA Airworthiness Type Certification

https://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/World-Airline-News/World-Airline-News-June-2016/i-f98sL4b/A

Airbus issued this statement:

On May 31, 2016, the world’s best-selling single-aisle aircraft, the A320neo, received on-schedule the Type Certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the second engine option to be certified – CFM International’s LEAP-1A engine. This certification paves the way for the delivery of the first A320neo equipped with this engine type in mid-2016. This award follows by six months the initial Certificate of Airworthiness received from the EASA and FAA for the A320neo, powered by the Pratt & Whitney engine option. The first A320neo was delivered on January 20, 2016.

The two LEAP-powered aircraft assigned to the flight test campaign have now successfully accumulated over 1,000 flight hours in more than 350 flights – including 150 flight hours completed with the same aircraft in an airline-like environment to ensure operational maturity at entry into service. Certification of the remaining aircraft/engine variants with LEAP engines will follow in the coming months. When all flight testing has been completed, the NEO development fleet (with both engine options) will have achieved a combined total of 3,000 flight hours.

The A320neo Family offers unbeatable fuel efficiency. Featuring latest engine technologies, Sharklet wing-tip devices and cabin innovations, the A320neo Family aircraft offers the lowest operating costs of any single-aisle aircraft delivering 15% fuel burn per seat reduction at entry into service in 2016, and a 20% reduction by 2020. Furthermore, everyone will benefit from the A320neo’s enhanced environmental credentials – which include a significant decrease in C02 emissions and a nearly 50 percent lower noise footprint.

The A320neo Family offers airlines an engine choice between the Pratt & Whitney Pure Power PW1100G-JM and the CFM LEAP-1A engines. With one aircraft in three sizes (A319neo, A320neo, A321neo), the A320neo Family, seating from 100 to 240 passengers, allows operators to match the right aircraft size to demand and seamlessly covers the entire single-aisle segment on low to high-density domestic to longer range routes up to 4,000nm. Thanks to their widest cabin, all members of the A320neo Family offer unmatched comfort in all classes and Airbus’ 18-inch wide seats in economy as standard. Since its launch on 1st December 2010, the A320neo Family has received a tremendous market endorsement with more than 4,500 orders from over 82 customers, representing some 60 percent share of the market.

Copyright Photo: Airbus A320-271N D-AVVA (msn 6286) (Airbus A320 NEO – Unbeatable fuel efficiency) TLS (Paul Bannwarth). Image: 929870.

Airlines PNG rebrands as PNG Air with the first ATR 72-600

Airlines PNG (Port Moresby) is rebranding as PNG Air with the delivery of the first new ATR 72-600. The company is replacing its older de Havilland Canada DHC-8-100 Dash 8 fleet with the new ATRs and has taken the opportunity to change its image.

According to the airline’s Chairman Murray Woo, “The Company’s capital was restructured so that the Company is now unambiguously PNG owned and a permanent part of the country’s infrastructure and economy. The decision was made to re-fleet with the ATR 72-600, meaning the airline will be the only carrier in the country servicing all major ports in the domestic market with new, efficient, highly reliable, state of the art aircraft. That will allow the airline for the first time to offer what is clearly the premium product on domestic routes.

We expect to have 3 brand new ATRs operating by February 2016 and 7 by December 2017. After that the plan is to replace all our Dash 8s and become a 100% ATR operator by 2020. The ATR is the only aircraft currently in production that can fly to all major ports in PNG. ATR have invested heavily to make their product by far the most widely chosen regional turboprop aircraft around the world.”

The company also commented on the decision to rebrand:

“The Board has also taken the decision to rebrand the airline, to reinvigorate its image. Re-fleeting gives the Company this opportunity, as a fleet of new, larger and more comfortable aircraft will improve public perception of the airline’s safety and service. Rebranding will reinforce that the airline is offering something new and genuinely improved. A new appearance will also emphasise improvements in the airline’s service culture.”

Copyright Photo: Eurospot. The pictured ATR 72-212A (ATR 72-600) F-WWEQ (msn 1287) will become P2-ATR on delivery. It displays the new brand.

Route Map:

Finnair to take delivery of its first Airbus A350-900 on October 7, will fly to Shanghai starting on November 21

Finnair (Helsinki) will welcome its first Airbus A350-900 aircraft from Airbus in a delivery ceremony to be arranged on October 7, 2015. Finnair has 19 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft on order, to be received in 2015-2023.

Finnair’s first Airbus A350-900 enters into long-haul service on November 21, 2015 when the aircraft flies from Helsinki to Shanghai. The next A350 long haul destinations include Beijing, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore as previously announced. Finnair will also take the aircraft to New York later this year, becoming the first airline in the world to fly to the US with this new aircraft type.

For the first few weeks, the new aircraft will serve crew familiarization flights in Europe, with the first commercial flights taking place on October 9 to Amsterdam and Oslo.

The company continued;

Finnair has slightly adjusted its Airbus A350 long-haul launch schedule, due to changes in the expected delivery schedules of the company’s first A350 aircraft, the needs of the crew familiarization program, and other operational factors. The company wants to offer the best possible customer experience for its customers, and has therefore adopted a slightly more conservative launch schedule than previously indicated.

”Introducing 19 new aircraft into our fleet over a period of eight years is a major program for Finnair. We have built the necessary flexibility into our preparedness plans and our A340 exit plan to adjust to any changes that may arise over the course of this massive program, ensuring a smooth introduction of the new aircraft into our fleet,” says Ville Iho.

Photo: F. Lancelot/Airbus. Airbus A350-941 F-WZFM (msn 018) arrives back at Toulouse on September 16 after its first flight. The new type will become OH-LWA on the handover.

Finnair aircraft slide show: