Short Takes
November 20th 2015
ROUTES: Air New Zealand will replace the B767-300ER with the B787-9 on the thrice-weekly Auckland-Honolulu route from May 10. Read More » China Southern Airlines will cancel its twice-weekly Guangzhou-Mauritius A330-300 service from November 23. Emirates Airline has cancelled its planned four-weekly Dubai-Bamako launch originally scheduled for October 25. Etihad Airways will launch a twice-weekly Abu Dhabi-Rabat A340-500 service commencing January 15. Myanmar National Airlines will launch twice-weekly Yangon-Chiang Mai ATR72 operations from December 18, and it will add a thrice-weekly Yangon-Taipei B737-800 service starting January 26. Qantas Airways will reduce frequency on the Sydney-Los Angeles route from ten-weekly to daily starting April 25, and replace the A380 with the B747-400 on one of seven-weekly flights. Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA) will launch a twice-weekly Jeddah-Colombo-Male two-class B777-200ER service from March 30; it does not have local Colombo-Male traffic rights.
AIRLINES: Zhai Yan, chairman of Colorful Guizhou Airlines, has confirmed the regional start-up would launch its inaugural flight on December 28, adding the carrier plans to operate an E190 (out of its order for seven plus 10 options placed in June this year) initially on regional routes within Guizhou Province, as well as neighbouring provinces. Korean Air has tentatively scheduled its last B747-400 passenger service on October 29, 2016, on the Incheon-Honolulu and Incheon-Sapporo routes. Oman Air has started construction of a $7.8 million training facility, the Oman Air Flight Training Center (OAFTC), adjacent to its Muscat headquarters, and scheduled to start training within twelve months on an A330 and a B737 simulator.
CODESHARES: Coinciding with Air Canada’s Toronto-Seoul service resumption from June 17, partner Asiana Airlines will add its ‘OZ’ designator to the route, as well as four domestic ex-Toronto Air Canada services.
LESSORS: GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) has agreed to lease two new B737 MAXs to China’s Okay Airlines for delivery in 2018.
MANUFACTURERS: Airbus has confirmed it is on schedule to deliver the first A320neo to launch customer Qatar Airways by end-2015. Boeing has said the ripening market for a new midsize aircraft seating between 220 and 280 passengers could “easily” see sales “in the thousands.” As such, the embryonic “757-replacement” study is for an aircraft with more capacity than the B737-900ER/737 MAX 9, but with less range than the B787. The project is targeted at a potential entry-into-service no earlier than 2022. Bombardier has said it completed certification flight testing on the CS100. Embraer has said it was currently assembling the first of its next-generation E2 regional jets and the program remained on track for first flight in second-half 2016 and first delivery in first-half 2018. Rolls-Royce has issued its fourth profit warning in just over a year after forecasting weaker demand would hit its full-year profits; it also announced plans to implement a restructuring program in 2016 aimed at achieving savings of $303 million.
MRO: AFI KLM E&M has signed a partnership with MRO software specialist Ramco Systems to create a joint research and development centre in Singapore, MRO Lab Singapore, to design software solutions for AFI KLM E&M’s global customers. Lufthansa Technik has won a three-year contract from Vietnam’s Jetstar Pacific for engine overhauls of the IAE V2500 turbofans powering the carrier’s A320 fleet. SR Technics has signed a $150 million contract with Etihad Airways to provide integrated component services for the carrier’s growing B787 fleet. Vector Aerospace has signed a multi-year engine services agreement with Papua New Guinea’s PNG Air for its fleet of Pratt & Whitney PW127M-powered ATR72-600s, including engine repair, hot section inspections, testing, modifications, overhaul services and parts distribution.
