Airbus corporate foundation coordinates relief aid to the Philippines

By BA Staff

An Airbus A340-300 test flight aircraft left Lyon, France at 7:45 Nov. 15, for Cebu, Philippines with 28 logistics and emergency rescue specialists on board plus nearly 30 tonnes of water purification equipment and energy biscuits, destined for the victims of the Haiyan typhoon in the Philippines. This relief mission has been jointly organised with Action Contre la Faim (ACF). The aircraft is scheduled to arrive on Saturday morning at 7 a.m. locally.

In addition a delivery-flight of an all new A321 to Philippine Airlines is being used to send a medical team of 10 doctors and nurses as well as 11 tonnes of medical equipment and food to Tacloban via Manila, Philippines. This help has been facilitated together with the Foundation partners Philippine Airlines, Humedica e.V. and Kühne & Nagel. The flight will leave the Airbus site in Hamburg, Germany, this Friday evening and is expected to arrive at Manila Capital airport on Sunday 8:30 p.m. local time. The medical personnel and goods will then be transported by an onward flight to Tacloban.

Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO and Chairman of the Airbus Foundation said:

"The Philippines have been struck by a true human disaster and it is natural, that we look at all possibilities about how we can contribute in facilitating relief in this tragic situation quickly and efficiently. It fills me with gratitude and pride to see our teams being engaged so strongly with our Foundation Partners to work towards this common objective, and I wish to thank everybody involved."

Jean-Baptiste Lamarche, Logistics Director ACF, stated:

"This partnership is very valuable to ACF. As one of our privileged logistics partners, Airbus helps us to intervene rapidly and efficiently during emergency situations, like after the natural disasters in Haiti in 2010, and recently in the Philippines. This logistical support allows us fulfill our mission, which consists in saving lives and helping the most vulnerable."                                                                                                                           

Wolfgang Gross, Managing Director of Humedica e.V. said:

"We are very grateful for this opportunity to quickly bring further aid to Tacloban. By now we have twelve medical specialists in Tacloban who are working non-stop and urgently need further support and medical goods.”

The Airbus Corporate Foundation has completed 34 relief or goodwill flights to destinations around the globe to date and has built up a global network of airlines and relief organisations to support international humanitarian causes.

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Germania becomes new Airbus A321 operator

By BA Staff

S.A.T., the holding company of the Berlin-based German carrier Germania, has taken delivery of its first out of two A321s on order. Both aircraft are equipped with Airbus’ wing tip fuel saving devices, called Sharklets. The airline has already been operating eight A319 successfully since 2011.

The new Germania A321 will operate exclusively for Alltours, one of Germany’s biggest travel agencies. The airline has chosen a single class cabin layout for 208 passengers.

The cabin will be equipped with a state-of-the-art entertainment system, featuring video screens and in-seat audio channels. The aircraft will be powered by CFM engines.

Andreas Wobig, Germania Chief Executive Officer said:

“The delivery of our first brand-new A321 marks the beginning of a new era for Germania. With 208 seats, the aircraft capacity is one third higher than the jets we currently operate. This means that in the future, charter and scheduled flights on particularly popular routes can be operated even more economically. We are delighted with our A321s as they are especially fuel-efficient and make an important contribution to climate protection.”

John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer, Customers said:

“We are delighted that Germania has become the latest operator of the largest member of the hugely successful A320-Family. Thanks to Airbus’ unique commonality, the new A321s will fit seamlessly into Germania’s exiting fleet of Airbus A319s. The Sharklets will deliver Germania up to four percent in reduced fuel burn whilst passengers will benefit from the A320 family’s widest and most comfortable cabin.” 

Sharklets are made from light-weight composites and are 2.4 meters tall. They offer operators up to four percent fuel burn reduction on longer range sectors and provide the flexibility of either adding an additional 100 nautical miles range or increased payload capability of up to 450 kilograms.

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JetBlue deal marks 10,000th Airbus A320 family order

By BA Staff

Just days after taking delivery of its very first A321 aircraft, JetBlue Airways has placed a new order for 15 A321ceo (current engine option) and 20 A321neo (new engine option) aircraft.

In addition, the airline has opted to up size 8 A320ceo and 10 A320neo aircraft currently on backlog to 8 A321ceo and 10 A321neo, respectively.

This order marks the 10,000th order for an Airbus A320 Family aircraft.

JetBlue President and CEO Dave Barger said:

"We are pleased to convert some of our A320 positions to A321s, and order additional A321s to better match capacity with demand. The A321 is the ideal aircraft for our high density markets. In addition, a subfleet of the A321s will power our Mint premium service on the New York-Los Angeles and New York-San Francisco markets. It is the right aircraft for JetBlue's lucrative routes. We eagerly look forward to the Sharklet retrofits and -NEO aircraft to further reduce operating costs."

John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer – Customers said:

“JetBlue launched its business with an all-Airbus fleet, demonstrating they are a forward-thinking airline. The fact that they are turning to the NEO and larger Airbus aircraft overall makes it clear that they know how to please their passengers and maximize profits. In addition, JetBlue has always been a great partner in the Airbus Sharklet programme and have been instrumental in our ability to launch the in-service retrofit option.”

This order marks, with JetBlue as a partner, the launch of the Sharklet retrofit programme, which allows airlines currently flying A320ceo aircraft the option of improving their aircraft’s fuel performance with the addition of winglet devices called Sharklets.

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Pakistan routes news and analysis: Gulf Air, Pakistan International Airlines, and Turkish Airlines

by Vinay Bhaskara

Several pieces of routes news from Pakistan emerged over the past week, and Bangalore Aviation has prepared a summary of these changes

Gulf Air increases frequency to Pakistan

• Bahrain based  Gulf Air has added 7 new weekly frequencies on its offering to Pakistan, from mid-December 2013, bringing its total Pakistani operation to 21 flights per week to four destinations. A summary of the changes is shown below
• Bahrain - Islamabad increases from 2x weekly to 3x weekly Airbus A330-200
• Bahrain - Karachi increases from daily to 10x weekly Airbus A320
• Bahrain - Lahore increases from 3x weekly to 4x weekly A330-200
• Bahrain - Peshawar increases from 2x weekly to 4x weekly, split as 2x weekly Airbus A321, 1x weekly A330-200, and 1x weekly A320

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) increases service to Manchester/Toronto from November 2013

• Total frequency to Toronto increases to 4x weekly with addition of second weekly Karachi - Lahore - Toronto flights using Boeing 777-200LR equipment
• Total frequency to Manchester increases to 6x weekly with addition of third weekly Islamabad - Manchester on Boeing 777-200ER equipment
• Pakistan International Airlines continues to persist in operating a potpourri of routings for its intercontinental flights, by having low frequencies from each of Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, and even Peshawar. This is certainly not unprecedented; Saudia has a similar setup out of Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam. But it would likely be more efficient for PIA to choose just one airport to serve as its gateway for long haul flights; either Karachi, which has the highest yielding traffic, or Islamabad, which has the highest volume of passengers. 

Turkish Airlines switches to 737-900ER

• Istanbul based Turkish Airlines is planning on switching aircraft for some of its flights to Pakistan, replacing the Boeing 737-800 with the Boeing 737-900ER
• Interestingly, the decision to replace the 737-800 with the 737-900ER actually represents a downgrade in capacity, as the 737-800s are configured with 165 seats (12Y+ / 153Y), while the 737-900ERs are configured for 151 seats (16C / 135Y) including a true regional business class product. This is an indication that Turkish Airlines is seeing strong premium demand on its Pakistani routes, but volumes are a bit soft (understandable given the residual weakness in the Pakistani economy)
• The routes affected are:
• All 4x weekly flights to Karachi, Pakistan's business capital
• One of 3x weekly flights to Islamabad, Pakistan's political capital

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Analysis: Etihad announces huge increase in flights and seats between Abu Dhabi and India

Bangalore-Abu Dhabi-Chicago, Mumbai-Abu Dhabi-New York, Delhi-Abu Dhabi-Newark amongst new flights requested

by Devesh Agarwal and Vinay Bhaskara

Image Credit: Etihad Airways

On the back of the new bilateral air services agreement which has almost quadrupled capacity, Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, will greatly increase both seats and flights for travel to and from India, introducing more flights and wide-bodied jets by the end of this year, and further increases and new routes next year, subject to regulatory approval.

From 1 November this year, Etihad Airways plans to more than triple the number of seats it now offers on the prime Abu Dhabi – Mumbai and Abu Dhabi – New Delhi routes, reflecting the growing importance of the Indian market, and delivering significant economic benefits to the economies of India and Abu Dhabi.

Enriching the expanded schedules will be new connection opportunities between Etihad’s global network and its expanded Indian services, via the airline’s Abu Dhabi hub.

The President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, James Hogan, said: “India is one of the world’s fastest-growing destinations, and a key market in the growth strategy of Etihad Airways.

“Following the recent signing of a new air services agreement between India and the UAE, we now have the opportunity to add significant capacity between the two countries, not only meeting existing demand for trade and tourist travel but also ensuring that we can meet the continued strong growth which is expected between our two countries. The big winners will be our passengers and freight customers and the economies of India and Abu Dhabi.”

By 31 December, 2013, Etihad Airways plans to:

• Increase from daily to double-daily its Abu Dhabi-Mumbai and Abu Dhabi-New Delhi flights;
• Use wide-bodied Airbus A340-600 aircraft on one of the daily Abu Dhabi – Mumbai flights, offering First, Business and Economy Classes, replacing a Jet Airways A330-200
• Use wide-bodied Airbus A330-200 aircraft on one of the daily Abu Dhabi - New Delhi flights, offering Business and Economy Class, replacing an Etihad A320
• Upgrade daily Abu Dhabi – Chennai flights from 136-seat Airbus A320s to new Airbus A321s, seating 174 passengers with an expected two class configuration of (12J / 162Y)
• Subject to regulatory approval, Etihad also intends to codeshare on a wide range of flights operated within India by Jet Airways. Jet will feed Abu Dhabi from eight cities initially: Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram and Cochin

Specific details of new routes between Abu Dhabi and India and codeshare services with Jet Airways will be announced progressively, as approvals are received and operational details are finalised.

Separately, Jet Airways is set to move its international scissors hub for services to the United States to Abu Dhabi from Brussels. Jet will launch Mumbai-Abu Dhabi-Newark, Bangalore-Abu Dhabi-Chicago, and Delhi-Abu Dhabi-New York JFK. Interestingly, no mention has yet been made of services to Toronto, which Jet Airways currently serves as the final leg of its New Delhi - Brussels - Toronto services. However, Toronto-India traffic is notoriously low yielding. Furthermore, the UAE and Canada have a tense bilateral agreement, so it's likely that Jet might not even be allowed to operate to Toronto via Abu Dhabi.

Either way, the massive expansion from Jetihad brings the carrier to parity in the Indian market with Middle Eastern rival Emirates, who generates 12% of its network traffic from India. As the Jetihad partnership continues to solidify, expect to see more Indian expansion from both carriers.

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American Airline's new transcontinental A321s feature full lie flat seats in premium classes

by BA Staff

Dallas-Fort Worth based American Airlines will soon become the first airline to utilise an Airbus A321 aircraft outfitted with a three-class cabin, including full lie-flat seats in business and first class when it receives Sharklets equipped A321ceo (current engine option) jetliners later this year

American Airlines new Airbus A321, first class. Image courtesy Airbus S.A.S.

In addition to the upgraded seat offerings in first and business class, passengers throughout the cabin will experience full Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as in-flight entertainment (IFE), 110v universal AC power outlets and USB jacks at every seat. For the first time on an A321, the interior also contains four full-service galleys.

American Airlines new Airbus A321, business class. Image courtesy Airbus S.A.S.

American Airlines plans to begin operations in early 2014 with this new aircraft, starting with the 2,500-mile route between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and later adding additional service on the nearly 2,600 mile JFK to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) route.

American Airlines new Airbus A321, economy class. Image courtesy Airbus S.A.S.

Earlier in July this year, American Airlines took delivery of its first A320 Family aircraft – a Sharklet equipped A319 – as part of the carrier’s fleet renewal plan.

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Photo: Finnair receives world's first Airbus A321 fitted with Sharklets

by BA Staff

Finnish national carrier, Finnair, became the launch customer for the new Sharklets equipped A321 by taking delivery of the first of five aircraft on order. The aircraft was officially handed over to Ville Iho, Finnair Chief Operating Officer, during a delivery ceremony at the Airbus facilities in Hamburg, Germany.

Image copyright and courtesy Airbus S.A.S. Used under fair use for editorial purpose only.

The A321 aircraft will eventually replace Finnair’s existing fleet of 757s, making it an all Airbus operator. The airline currently operates an Airbus fleet of 40 aircraft (25 A320 family aircraft and 15 A330s/A340s). Finnair was the first airline to commit to the A350 XWB with a total of 11 aircraft on order.

The A321 is an extended version of narrow body A320 Family. To date, more than 9,800 A320 family aircraft have been ordered and over 5,700 delivered to more than 390 operators worldwide.

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British Airways long haul network changes: Summer 2014

by BA Staff

London based full service carrier British Airways has already begun to announce changes to its long haul network for the Summer 2014 season. Bangalore Aviation has prepared a summary of those changes below.

London Heathrow

• Accra - 10x weekly service introduced for Winter 2013/14 continues and sees capacity increase from daily Boeing 777 + thrice weekly Boeing 767 to daily 747-400 plus thrice weekly 767.
• Austin - NEW nonstop route to be served 5x weekly with Boeing 787 Dreamliner beginning 3rd March 2014, and up-gauged to daily from 4th May. 
• Entebbe - Service increases from 3x weekly to 4x weekly
• Jeddah - Upgraded from 3-class 767 to 4-class 777
• Johannesburg - Frequency decreased from 17x weekly in Summer 2013 to 14x weekly in Summer 2014: 8x weekly 747-400, 6x Airbus A380
• Los Angeles - Capacity decreased from 3x daily 747-400 to 2x daily A380
• Seattle - Frequency increased from 10x weekly introduced for Winter 2013/14 to 12x weekly: now daily 777 plus 5x weekly 747-400
• Tel Aviv- One of 3x daily flights up-gauged from 3-class Airbus A321 to 4-class 777

London Gatwick

• Antigua - Punta Cana - Increases from 2x weekly to 3x weekly 777
• Kingston - Increases from 3x weekly to 4x weekly
• Orlando - Increases from 10x weekly to 13x weekly
• St. Lucia - Increases from 6x weekly to 7x weekly

All changes are Summer 2014 vs. Summer 2013 unless otherwise noted

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Philippine Airlines takes delivery of first Airbus A321

by BA Staff

Image courtesy Airbus S.A.S. Used under fair use license.

Philippine Airlines (PAL) has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321. It is the first of 64 new Airbus aircraft ordered by the airline in 2012 under a major fleet modernisation programme. These include 44 single aisle A321s and 20 widebody A330s.

Philippine Airlines will operate the A321 primarily on international routes across the Asian region, and a few domestic flights, in a two class cabin. 12 seats in business and 187 in economy class.

Ramon Ang, President and CEO, Philippine Airlines said

“We are excited about the A321 not only because its size fit our expansion plans, but the flexibility it gives us in matching the aircraft to specific route requirements is tremendous,” “With the A321 we will be able to add capacity without compromising comfort, offering our passengers a choice between full premium class and a great range of value fares.”

Philippine Airlines operates 22 A320 Family aircraft, eight A330s, and and seven A340-300s in its fleet.

Philippine Airlines will take delivery of the first of its 20 new A330s in the third quarter of the year. The carrier is also currently adding four A340-300s to its fleet for deployment on new non-stop services from the Philippines to Europe, scheduled to begin next month.

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Trip Report: India and Europe Summer 2013 - Introduction

Introduction
United Club Newark
United Economy Class Newark to Hamburg
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Hamburg
Turkish Airlines Economy Class Hamburg to Istanbul
Turkish Airlines CIP Lounge Istanbul
Turkish Airlines Economy Class Istanbul to Mumbai 
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Mumbai
Thai Airways Business Class Mumbai-Bangkok
Thai Airways First Class Lounge and Spa Bangkok
Thai Airways First Class Bangkok to Frankfurt
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt
Lufthansa Business Class Frankfurt to Zurich
*tentative*
Swiss Business Lounge Zurich
Air Canada Executive First Zurich to Toronto
Air Canada Maple Leaf Club Toronto
Air Canada Business Class Toronto to Philadelphia
*tentative*
_________________________________________________________________________________

This post is meant to serve as an introduction to a trip I will be taking later this summer. The trip report will be updated as I actually do the flying.

So the genesis of this trip is that I am taking a trip to India in August of this year, and on the return I will be stopping over in Europe to visit with family.

Now within the parameters of a standard United Airlines award ticket, I booked the itinerary you see above, Economy Class going to India, and First Class on the return. My first step was finding award inventory in the India-US direction, which is incredibly difficult to do in the summer time, as this is a peak period for US origin travel to India. I eventually managed to find a one-stop from Newark via Munich to Mumbai on August 7th, but instead I opted for a more circuitous Newark-Hamburg-Istanbul-Mumbai routing. This routing would allow me to visit two new airports (Hamburg and Istanbul), and fly a new aircraft type (the Airbus A321 --  most of my short haul flying has been on United and American, neither of whom currently have A321s) in the spirit of a true aviation connoisseur.

The advantages of this routing are that I have a comfortable 4 hour layover in Hamburg (allowing me to shower in the lounge) as opposed to the hour long sprint I'd have to endure in Munich, as well as 4 hours to review the Turkish Airlines CIP lounge in Istanbul, considered by many to be the best business class lounge in the world. It also allows me to provide a review of Turkish Airlines' service offering in economy class on flights between India and the West. And the Istanbul-Mumbai sector is currently scheduled on a Boeing 777-300ER leased from Jet Airways.

Turkish Airlines Business Class (CIP) Lounge - Istanbul
Image Credit - One Mile at a Time

The return flights from Mumbai are also notable. On a first class award, I will have a business class flight overnight from Bangkok to Mumbai, and then I will be able to experience Thai Airways famed first class services in Bangkok- including a golf cart ride to the lounge, hour long complementary Thai massages, and a full service restaurant. Then I will be on to the highlight of my trip; First Class on the Thai Airways A380 between Bangkok and Frankfurt, my first time in international first class and my first time flying an A380. Then its a couple of hours of layover in Frankfurt and off to Zurich,.

Thai Airways Royal First Class on A380
Image Credit - Australian Business Traveler

Now its the flights home to the US that I am still unsure about. The only flight home I could find at the time of booking was the Air Canada itinerary displayed. However, what I am banking on is that Lufthansa tends to release its first class award inventory to United 14 days before departure; Lufthansa First Class and the First Class Terminal at Frankfurt would be  a perfect way to end this trip. Either way, I am excited for my journey!

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25th anniversary of the first Airbus A320 delivery

by Devesh Agarwal

25 years ago today, Airbus entered the hither-to US dominated market of narrow body airliners when it delivered its first A320 to Air France. The A320 shook up the market segment with the highest demand. As of today Boeing and Airbus estimate the single aisle narrow body segment to purchase about 20,000 airframes in the next 20 years.

The A320 which seats 180 passengers in a single class high density configuration, was the first member of the A320 family. Launched in March 1984, it first flew on 22 February 1987, and without a doubt, has significantly altered the face of "Code C" market segment, which sees the highest demand of aircraft. As of today Boeing and Airbus estimate the single aisle narrow body segment to purchase about 20,000 airframes in the next 20 years.

The A320 family. A318, A319, A320, A321. The number of over-wing doors is the secret to identifying the variants.

The A320 family was soon expanded to include the extended length A321 seating 220 passengers in a single class high density configuration, first delivered in 1994, the shorter A319 seating 156, first delivered in 1996, and the really short A318, seating 132, first delivered in 2003.

All economy class Kingfisher Airbus A321 VT-KFW.

The A320 family pioneered the use of digital fly-by-wire flight control systems, as well as side-stick controls, in commercial aircraft, and extensive use of automation and flight envelope protection, causing Boeing supporters to deride the aircraft as flying a video arcade.

Final assembly of the A320 family takes place in Toulouse, France, and Hamburg, Germany, and in Tianjin, China. Airbus has announced the construction of a final assembly line (FAL) in Mobile, Alabama, USA, the home turf of arch-rival Boeing.

Winglets and Sharklets

The first series of A320s, the A320-100 did not feature any winglets. Only 21 aircraft were produced for Air Inter and British Caledonian Airways, both bought by Air France and British Airways respectively.

An Airbus A320-100 (F-GGEA) of Air Inter without winglets. Image courtesy Wikimedia

The all familiar wing-tip fence was added from the -200 series onwards. Indian Airlines an early adopter of the A320 had Airbus develop special four-wheel main gear bogies for use on rough under-prepared airstrips which the large dual wheel bogies could not handle. Unfortunately these non-standard four wheel bogies have become a curse for the airline, which now cannot find a buyer for these aircraft.

Airbus A320-200 VT-EPC of Indian Airlines (now Air India) featuring winglets and four wheel main gear bogie.

Now the A320 optionally ships with new blended winglets called "Sharklets". Both of India's low cost carriers GoAir and IndiGo operate Sharklet equipped A320s.

Airbus A320-200 of GoAir VT-GOL featuring the new "Sharklets". Image courtesy Airbus.

Competition

The Airbus A319, A320, A321 today compete with the Boeing 737-700, 737-800, and 737-900ER respectively. The venerable Boeing 737, even today, is the best selling aircraft in the world, Boeing having just delivered its 7,500th 737 aircraft recently; but this lead is slender and the A320 is closing the gap. The McDonnell Douglas MD80, MD83, MD88, and MD90 which morphed in to the Boeing 717 are no more in contention. Newcomers like the Bombardier C series and COMAC C919 are expected to offer competition, especially in the smaller sizes.

Delivery history Airbus A320 vs. Boeing 737

As of December 2012, Airbus has delivered 5,402 A320 series aircraft since their first delivery on March 26, 1988, with another 3,629 on firm order. In comparison, Boeing has shipped 5,919 737s in the same period and has a further 3,074 on firm order.

Annual deliveries of Airbus A320 (in green) vs Boeing 737 (in red). Image courtesy Wikipedia.

The future

On 1 December 2010, Airbus officially launched the next generation of the A320 family with the A320neo or "New Engine Option". The neo offers a choice of larger diameter engines which offer significant fuel savings, which can top 15%, when combined with airframe improvements and the standard fit of Sharklets. Airbus enjoys an advantage in larger diameter fan engines, since its A320s are taller and there is more space under the wing, unlike Boeing which needs to so 

Cut and make your own A320neo paper model airplane

Operators are offered an engine choice of the CFM International LEAP-X or the Pratt and Whitney Pure Power PW1000G Geared Turbo-Fan (GTF). With well over 1,400 aircraft on order from 22 airlines, the A320neo family is the fastest ever selling commercial aircraft.



Boeing subsequently responded with its re-engined option of the 737 called 737 MAX which has scored impressive wins but lags behind the neo on backlogs of the newest generation orders 40%-60%.

Read our analysis of the A320neo vs. the 737 MAX

The re-engined aircraft will carry the two behemoth airframers for the next ten years. The narrow body single aisle aircraft segment is the hottest in the industry and both Airbus and Boeing are going to face competition from the Bombardier C Series, Sukhoi SuperJet, COMAC C919, Embraer E195, and UAC/Irkut MS21. Expect a new aircraft from both manufacturers about 12 years to 15 years from now. A paper by the US Congressional Research Service (CRS) documents well, the challenges the duopoly of Airbus and Boeing face in the coming years. You can download the PDF here.

For now, just a simple congratulations to the team at Airbus for developing an option.

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Jumbo orders from Turkish Airlines and Lion Air further consolidate A320neo lead

On the eve of the 25th anniversary of its first delivery, the European Airbus A320 narrow body, is ratcheting up the pressure on competitor the American Boeing 737 booking two high profile orders during this month.

The first order cames from national Turkish Airlines (THY), which signed a contract, the biggest ever by a Turkish carrier, for up to 117 A320 Family aircraft (25 A321ceo, four A320neo, 53 A321neo and options for 35 additional A321neo aircraft). Turkish Airlines already operates 75 A320 Family aircraft. (ceo=classic engine option, neo=new engine option).

The coup, though, was a 234 A320 Family aircraft order, comprising 109 A320neo, 65 A321neo and 60 A320ceo, from Indonesian carrier Lion Air, until now a Boeing only operator, which had placed Boeing's largest commercial airplane order, at the time. The carrier currently operates a fleet of Boeing 737s dominated by 737-900ERs in an all economy 213 seat configuration. Lion Air will configure its A320 family in an all economy layout, with its A320's seating 180 passengers and its A321's seating 236.

Incorporating new engines and large Sharklet wing tip devices, the A320neo will enter into service from late 2015, followed by the A319neo and A321neo in 2016.

Below is a video of the thank you extended by Airbus employees to Lion Air.

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US FAA and EASA issue Emergency Airworthiness Directive on Airbus A320 family aircraft

DATE: December 17, 2012
AD #: 2012-26-51

Emergency airworthiness directive (AD) 2012-26-51 is sent to owners and operators of
Airbus Model A318, A319, A320, and A321 series airplanes.

Background
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the European Community, has issued EASA Emergency Airworthiness Directive 2012-0264-E, dated December 17, 2012 (referred to after this as the Mandatory Continuing Airworthiness Information or “the MCAI”), to correct an unsafe condition for the specified products.

EASA has advised that an Airbus Model A330 airplane equipped with Angle of Attack (AoA) sensors installed with conic plates recently experienced blockage of all sensors during climb, leading to autopilot disconnection and activation of the alpha protection (Alpha Prot) when Mach number was increased. Based on the results of subsequent analysis, it is suspected that these conic plates may have contributed to the event. Investigations are ongoing to determine what caused the blockage of these AoA sensors.

Blockage of two or three AoA sensors at the same angle may cause the Alpha Prot of the
normal law to activate. Under normal flight conditions (in normal law), if the Alpha Prot activates and Mach number increases, the flight control laws order a pitch down of the airplane that the flight crew might not be able to counteract with a side stick deflection, even in the full backward position.

This condition, if not corrected, could result in reduced control of the airplane. EASA also issued Emergency AD 2012-0258-E, dated December 4, 2012, for Airbus Model A330 and A340 airplanes to require an amendment of the AFM to ensure that flight crews apply the applicable emergency procedure.

AoA sensor conic plates of similar design are also installed on Model A320 series airplanes. Installation of these AoA sensor conic plates was required for Model A318, A319, A320, and A321 series airplanes by EASA AD 2012-0236, dated November 9, 2012 (corrected November 12, 2012).

Subsequently, EASA issued AD 2012-0236R1, dated December 17, 2012, to remove the requirement to install AoA sensor conic plates.

Read the full Emergency AD here.

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Timeline and Fleet Matrix of Turkish Airlines expansion

by Vinay Bhaskara

Istanbul-based Turkish Airlines has been pursuing a strategy of rapid fleet and destination growth over the past few years. Already, they are the airline which serves the most countries in the world, and  they have already announced plans to start 41 new destinations over the next two years.

The following table details Turkish Airlines' expansion plans over the next two years. Of the 41 destinations, 26 have definite start dates spread across the end of 2012 through June 2013 while the rest have more nebulous timelines. Geographically, there are 16 new destinations in Africa, 11 in Europe, 7 in the Americas, 6 in the Middle East and Central Asia, and 3 in Asia proper. These new flights would add a grand total of 147 new weekly frequencies to Turkish Airlines' already massive hub in Istanbul.

Meanwhile, Bangalore Aviation can also release the fleet matrix for Turkish Airlines' growth plans. Currently, the plan calls for Turkish Airlines to grow from a fleet of 192 aircraft today (37 widebody, 155 narrowbody) to a fleet of 220 aircraft (69 widebody, 151 narrowbody) by the end of 2017. With a current orderbook of 67 aircraft, this means that Turkish Airlines will be retiring more than 39 aircraft from the fleet (3 widbodies and 36 narrowbodies). The widebody fleet plans seem relatively definite, as the next generation Boeing 787 and A350 are sold out till past 2017. However, the fleet growth plans may change slightly, given that Turkish Airlines has expressed interest in ordering between 6-12 large widebodies (Boeing 747-8 intercontinental or Airbus A380). On the narrowbody side, Turkish Airlines will likely order both the 737 MAX and the Airbus A320neo reengined products, but the majority of such deliveries would take place after 2017 anyhow given the current respective orderbooks. Turkish Airlines could also add a smaller type such as the Embraer E190 or the Bombardier C-Series and those would be available more quickly, changing the dynamic of the fleet plan considerably. In fact, Bangalore Aviation thinks that it is likely that Turkish Airlines will order a smaller narrowbody (probably the C-Series given its longer range) as it vanquishes current expansion paths and adds even-thinner new routes.

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The Kingfisher Airline's Airbus storage at Mumbai airport, ATR72 graveyard at Bangalore airport

In the Google Maps photograph below, you can see the storage yard, some may say, graveyard, of the Airbus fleet of Kingfisher Airlines at Mumbai airport.


View Larger Map

This parking area is at the 14 end of runway 32-14 next to the Kalina hangars of Air India.

From the top you can see an Airbus A330-200 parked in an East-West alignment next to the private jet. In the lower part of the image, from left to right, a representative of each of the Airbus jets in the Kingfisher fleet. 2 x A321's, 1 x A320, 1 x A319.

From a ground view the planes look somewhat like this.

Mean while, Bangalore airport is host to the ATR graveyard of the airline. This photo taken by me on October 24, shows the ATR 72-500 aircraft parked. The aircraft on the left of the picture have their engines stripped. The ones on the right are more recent additions, two of them without any logos on their tails, which typically means the airline does not own/lease them any more.

In related news, The Economic Times reports the Mumbai airport operator, MIAL, may ask Kingfisher to vacate the terminal, due to non-payment of dues.

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Photos: Kingfisher Airline's stripped and decaying Airbus A321s and A330

Some depressing photos to commence the week of three Kingfisher Airline's Airbus aircraft VT-KFR, VT-KFW, and VT-VJO lying grounded, getting stripped of parts and engines, and slowly decaying at Indian airports,

Kingfisher Airbus A321 VT-KFR.

Kingfisher Airbus A321VT-KFW.

Kingfisher A330 VT-VJO. Sources indicate this aircraft is also getting canibalised internally.

While one can understand the business strategy of Kingfisher of reducing costs and performing fire-fighting cost-cutting, it is depressing to see these beautiful aircraft being canibalised like this. Souces inform us that the insides are gutted much like the outside.

See photos of these aircraft in happier times. VT-KFR, VT-KFW, VT-VJO.

I am particularly proud of this photo of VT-KFR gracefully lifting off runway 27 in to the setting sun at Mumbai airport.

I just shudder when I see what Kingfisher has done to this beautiful bird. Let Kingfisher know of your revulsion. Send them a mail or visit them on Facebook or on Twitter.

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Lufthansa to use biosynthetic fuel on long-haul transatlantic flight

German carrier Deutsche Lufthansa announced that it will operate the first scheduled transatlantic flight using biosynthetic fuel from 12 January 2012 under its PureSky program.

Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 D-ABVX at Mumbai CSI airport.

A modified Boeing 747-400, carrying about 40 tonnes of a biosynthetic fuel mix, will fly from Frankfurt to Washington. With this flight alone, Lufthansa expects to reduce CO2 emissions by 38 metric tonnes, equivalent to the CO2 emissions of six scheduled flights between Frankfurt and Berlin.

The flight comes after Lufthansa announced positive results of a six-month practical trial involving biosynthetic fuel in which 1,187 biofuel flights were operated between Hamburg and Frankfurt which appear to have reduced CO2 emissions by 1,471 metric tonnes.

Lufthansa A321 D-AIDG fitted with a biofuel engine

From 15 July to 27 December 2011 a Lufthansa Airbus A321 was used to operate scheduled flights on the Hamburg-Frankfurt route. One of the aircraft’s engines was powered by a 50-50 blend of regular fuel and biosynthetic kerosene. Apart from gaining experience on the use of biofuels, the test allowed the carrier to collect long-term data and examine the effects of the biofuel on the engines and the environment.

Biosynthetic kerosene is just as reliable as conventional Jet A-1 fuel which in addition to reducing CO2 emissions by 50% also allows a 1% reduction in fuel consumption with its higher energy density. Furthermore, biosynthetic fuels are free of sulphur and aromatic compounds.

Lufthansa's biofuels project manager Joachim Buse stressed

“As a next step, we will focus on the suitability, availability, sustainability and certification of raw materials. But first we must tap into this market. However, Lufthansa will only continue the practical trial if we are able to secure the volume of sustainable, certified raw materials required in order to maintain routine operations,”

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PHOTOS: Airbus delivers its 7000th aircraft, an A321 to its largest operator, US Airways

European airframer Airbus S.A.S. delivered its 7,000th aircraft delivered, an A321-231 to US Airways, the airline which operates the largest Airbus fleet in the world.

MSN 4957 which was test registered at D-AZAE was delivered with a registration N552UW.

By the end of the year, US Airways is expected to operate a fleet of 93 A319s, 72 A320s, 63 A321s and 16 A330s. The airline also has firm orders for an additional 58 A320 Family aircraft, eight A330 aircraft and 22 A350 XWBs on backlog. Strangely though, the airline has not ordered the neo (new engine option) of the A320.

The first Airbus aircraft ever delivered was an A300B2 delivered to Air France in 1974. The 1,000th Airbus delivery was an A340-300 to Air France in 1993. The 2,000th delivery was in 1999. The 3,000th in 2002, the 4,000th in 2005. The 5000th was an A330-200 to Australian flag carrier QANTAS, and the 6,000th was an A380 superjumbo to Emirates in January 2010.

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Investigative agency to file criminal charges in Airbus Indian Airlines aircraft purchase deal

The Press Trust of India and other media is reporting that the India's federal investigative agency the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is getting ready to file a criminal case against European airframer Airbus, the erstwhile national domestic carrier Indian Airlines (which is now merged in to Air India), senior civil aviation officials, for alleged irregularities in the 43 narrow body jetliner procurement in 2005, worth over Rs. 8,000 crore ($1.6 billion).

Airbus A320 from the order on delivery flight

The CBI had started probing the deal after the clauses concerning the set-up of a $175 million MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) facility as part of offsets under the deal were apparently diluted by some officials to favour Airbus.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), in September, had severely criticised the aircraft procurement by Indian Airlines and Air India from Airbus and Boeing respectively. The CAG had crticised the committments of Airbus on the MRO as being "open ended" while noting that in 2008, Indian Airlines entered a joint venture with EADS, the parent company of Airbus, for the MRO, but there was no tangible progress.

In a demonstration of how politicians and bureaucracy protect themselves, quoting the PTI report

The agency has concluded its preliminary enquiry in the matter and sought the permission of the Civil Aviation Ministry to prosecute officials in the case, CBI sources said.

If there is prima facie evidence of criminal conduct, why is permission required to prosecute?

Do you feel that there are irregularities in the Boeing aircraft procurement by Air India? If yes, do you feel the culprits in either case will ever be brought to justice?

Post your thoughts via a comment.

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American Airlines announces largest aircraft order in aviation history. Tops IndiGo and AirAsia

AMR Corporation (NYSE: AMR), the parent company of American Airlines and American Eagle, today announced the largest order in aviation history of 460 narrow-body single aisle jet aircraft with another 465 on option. This tops the recent record setting orders of 180 Airbus A320 family aircraft by India's IndiGo, and 200 A320neo aircraft by Malaysia's AirAsia. The deliveries will commence in 2013 and run through 2022.


The carrier has firm plans to acquire 260 A320 family aircraft from Airbus and 200 737 family aircraft from Boeing. The carrier has options with Boeing for another 100 737 family aircraft and with Airbus for an additional 365 A320 family aircraft. The new aircraft will see American to transition four Boeing fleet types (MD-80, 737-800, 757 and 767-200) to two (the 737 and the A320 families) which are also expected to offer significant commonality benefits within each family.

American has broken its long time exclusive loyalty to US airframer Boeing by giving a larger part of its order to their arch-rival, Europe's Airbus S.A.S. A major reason for this decision is the availability of the highly fuel efficient neo (new engine option) version of the A320. This order is a wake-up call for Boeing which has finally shaken off its complacency and appears to have finally ended the speculation, at least for now, of whether to re-engine the venerable 737 or develop a new aircraft.


The contract with Airbus is for 130 each of the "classic" and neo (new engine option) versions of the A320 family aircraft i.e. A319s, A320s and A321s. All 260 aircraft will feature the new blended fuel-saving wingtip devices known as Sharklets. The airline will commence taking the classic versions by 2013 and the neo versions by 2017. The contract provides full flexibility to American allowing it to choose aircraft types. The A321neo is seen as a fuel efficient next generation replacement for the carrier's ageing workhorse, the Boeing 757 fleet and can be expected in large numbers.

Under the agreement with Boeing, American plans to acquire a total of 200 aircraft from the 737 family in addition to its existing orders. 100 additional current 737NG family with flexibility to choose between the 737-700, 737-800, or 737-900ER. American also intends to order 100 of Boeing's expected re-engined evolution of the 737NG which as per FlightBlogger Jon Ostrower is expected to be formally launched in the fourth quarter of this year.

American also will benefit from approximately $13 billion of committed financing provided by the manufacturers through lease transactions that will help maximize balance sheet flexibility and reduce risk. The financing fully covers the first 230 deliveries.

The carrier has selected CFM International's LEAP-X engines for both Boeing and Airbus aircraft families.

The 737 and A320 families offer significant cost reduction opportunities in replacing American's older fleet, the new aircraft are expected to offer a 35% reduction in fuel cost per seat versus the MD-80, 12% versus the 757 and 15% 767-200.

In 2009 and 2010, American took delivery of 76 Boeing 737-800s equipped with the new Sky Interior and has another 54 aircraft which will enter their fleet between 2011 and 2013 in addition to this order. American also has firm orders with Boeing for eight 777-300ERs due for delivery in 2012~2013, 42 787 Dreamliners to be delivered starting late 2014, and seven 777-200s scheduled for delivery in 2013~2016.

Meeting the ordered and expected demand
With the A320neo order book now at 1000+ aircraft, the early adopters will monopolise production slots. IAG's Addison Schonland has written a great analysis on the impact on fleet planners at American's major competitors like United, Delta, and Southwest. He also opines that Airbus may convert the planned A330 tanker assembly line in Alabama, USA to an A320 line to reach the required production volumes.

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