Tag Archives: #businessaviation

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Lufthansa Orders 22 More Widebodies from Boeing and Airbus

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Lufthansa Group’s supervisory board on Thursday approved the purchase of 22 widebodies worth $7.5 billion at list prices, the company said.

The order consists of 10 Airbus A350-1000s, five A350-900s, and seven Boeing 787-9s, deliveries of which the company expects to start in the mid-2020s. Including Thursday’s orders, Lufthansa Group plans to take delivery of 108 long-haul aircraft, including Boeing 777-9s, over the “next few years.” Boeing expects the 777-9 to gain certification in 2025.

The new long-haul aircraft will also replace older aircraft types, said Lufthansa. In the medium term, the company plans to take out of service six such subfleets: Boeing 747-400s, 777-200s, and 767-300s, as well as its Airbus A340-600s, A340-300s, and A330-200s. The moves will reduce the quadjet contingent within the Lufthansa Group fleet to less than 15 percent; before the pandemic, quadjets accounted for some 50 percent of the groupwide aircraft fleet. In total and including the short- and medium-haul aircraft of the Airbus A320neo family, the Lufthansa Group has placed orders for more than 200 new aircraft for delivery over the next few years.

The group also has entered advanced negotiations to acquire further long-haul aircraft that Boeing and Airbus could make available at shorter notice.

Along with the latest purchase agreement, Airbus and Lufthansa have signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen their cooperation in the field of sustainability and future technologies. The plans include greater use of sustainable aviation fuels, further optimization of operations through more efficient flight management, and exploration into the use of hydrogen.

“With our purchase of 22 further Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s, we have secured the delivery of more than 50 latest-generation long-haul aircraft for the member airlines of the Lufthansa Group since the pandemic began,” said Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr. “These aircraft will be equipped with our new long-haul cabins, including the latest-generation seats in all classes of travel…These new aircraft will also play a decisive role in helping us achieve our carbon emission reduction goals by 2030 as fuel-efficient aircraft which incorporate the latest manufacturing technology are by far the greatest lever for providing more climate protection within the aviation sector.”


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Turkish Airlines Vital Player in Earthquake Recovery

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It remains clear that Turkish Airlines has become a vital player in assisting those affected by the earthquake in Turkey that happened a couple of weeks ago.

Earlier this week, the carrier announced that they have carried 238,112 search and rescue personnel across 1,324 aid flights.

On top of this, Turkish Airlines evacuated 230,980 citizens from the Turkey earthquake areas across 1,302 flights.

The airline also carried 15,648 tons of air material free of charge to the areas affected across 156 cargo flights.

Turkish Airlines were key to note that 6,198 tons of the cargo were carried with flights conducted from 77 countries, while the remaining 9,450 tons were from the airline itself.

Expanding more on the efforts made by Turkish Airlines was the Chairman of the Board, Ahmet Bolat:

“With the responsibility of being the national flag carrier, we are working with all officials, including AFAD, to mend the wounds caused by the earthquake as the 75 thousand-strong Turkish Airlines family.”

“Within that framework, we will be building a Turkish Airlines neighborhood in the region with 1000 homes for those affected by the earthquake.”

“We will also employ 1000 personnel from 1000 families affected by the earthquake in Turkish Airlines and its subsidiaries.”

“During these times when we come together as one in the face of natural disaster, Turkish Airlines also donated 2 billion TL while I personally donated my salary of March 2023 for immediate aid efforts.”

“We also wish to extend our gratitude to our friends from abroad for their overwhelming support and aid in response to the crisis, along with our missions, embassies, and consulates for their coordination in order to deliver aid material from other countries to the affected region with our cargo flights.”

“Our flag carrier will continue to be with our citizens in the future just like it has been with all of its capabilities.”

Turkish Airlines has also confirmed that the free-of-charge flights for citizens affected by the Turkey earthquake will continue.

The airline said the following on this via a statement:

“Offering free ticketing and reservation since 7 February, flag carrier also accepts citizens without reservations depending on the availability of the aircraft.”

“Our passengers are able to change or refund their domestic flights or international flights to/from earthquake-afflicted areas between 6 February – 31 March, as long as they were first arranged before February 9, 2023.”


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Strong Recovery for Air New Zealand

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Air New Zealand has released its first-half financial report showing the start of its recovery with a revenue of over 3 billion NZD.

The flag carrier’s Chair, Dame Therese Walsh, attributed the solid recovery to a combination of border restrictions easing, increased demand, and the Air NZ team who “rose to the occasion.”

The country’s border restrictions eased sooner than expected and the carrier responded to the developing situation by reactivating 29 routes and recruiting 3000 employees to support the return to operations. The results show the effect of this swift reaction.

The carrier’s statutory gross earnings were 299 million NZD and it achieved a net profit of 213 million NZD. Eight million passengers traveled with the operator during the period, compared to three million in the previous year.

In the same half of the previous year, the carrier reported a net loss of 272 million NZD. The results show a significant swing in the fortune of 285 million NZD.

Domestically, the carrier has almost returned capacity to pre-pandemic levels – currently at 94%. Internationally, however, at 60% of pre-pandemic levels, the carrier still has some services to reinstate.


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BOEING EYES STRONG AVIATION MARKET GROWTH IN INDIA.

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Boeing expects strong growth in South Asia’s passenger aircraft and freighter fleet over the next twenty years, according to its new Commercial Market Outlook for India.

Of the next two decades through 2041, Boeing sees South Asian carriers taking 2,210 new passenger aircraft, comprising 1,983 single aisle aircraft and 227 widebodies. It also forecasts deliveries of 80 freighters, but no regional jets.

Of the 2,210 new passenger aircraft, 430 will be for replacement, while 1,780 will be for growth. And of the 1,400 passenger aircraft that Indian carriers have yet to order, 90% will be narrowbodies such as the 737 Max.

“The Indian market is recovering rapidly, and its domestic capacity has exceeded 2019 levels, with domestic traffic expected to double by the end of this decade,” says Dave Schulte, Boeing commercial marketing managing director for Asia Pacific.

“Indian carriers will outpace global growth at nearly 7% and more than 80% of new airplane deliveries to this market will be for growth, while 20% of new airplanes will be for replacement of aging jets. This trend exemplifies India’s commitment to modernizing its fleet with more sustainable and fuel-efficient next-generation airplanes.”

In a presentation, he observes that India’s gross domestic product (GDP) is likely to grow four-fold to 2050, and that India will have the world’s third highest GDP by 2031.

As for the market for air travel, Boeing observes that India sees 23 million passengers travel by rail daily, compared with just 360,000 who travel by air. The airframer notes that if just 1% of rail passengers switch to flying, it will double the country’s aviation market. 

Schulte also observes that per trillion US dollars in GDP, India has just five dedicated freighters. This is just a fraction of the USA’s 51 freighters per trillion dollars in GDP. Boeing expects India’s new and converted freighter fleet to grow to 80 aircraft by 2041, from roughly 15 aircraft now.

Most of these new freighters will be converted narrowbodies, complemented by production and converted widebodies to support global freighter operations.

Boeing also sees several challenges, namely high fuel costs, operational costs priced in US dollars, and relatively low air fares.

It adds that new generation aircraft, specifically the 737 Max, can help by reducing fuel burn at Indian carriers by 21%, and that the 737 Max 10 offers low seat costs, making lower fares more sustainable.


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Bombardier to stop the production of Learjet by end of 2021

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Struck by heavy financial losses, Canadian Bombardier announced this Thursday that it will discontinue the production of the iconic Learjet models. This would result in cutting off 1,600 jobs.

After struggling prior to the pandemic, Bombardier is facing a transitional year and attempting to restructure the company. After announcing severe lay offs in November last year, the Montreal-based manufacturer is taking further steps in order to generate a $400 million in recurring savings by 2023 and to increase earnings this year with expanding their aftermarket business. In the 1,600 jobs cut are included reductions related to improvements in manufacturing its flagship Global 7500 jet.

Ever since the very first Learjet back in 1963, the company has delivered over 3000 units – the remarkable aircraft has made a deep impact and has revolutionized the business aviation. Passengers all over the world have loved flying with it, due to it’s unmatched performance and reliability. CEO Eric Martell has said that this decision has been extremely difficult to make, but considering the increasing challenges in the market these days, it had to be done. Mr. Martel also addressed the devastation they feel towards the cutting down of the jobs and that it’s never easy to see talented and dedicated employees leave the company for any reason. Sadly those changes felt absolutely necessary in order for them to rebuilt the company and help navigate it through the pandemic, he says.

Considering the horrible economical impact of Covid19, revenues from business aviation activities have reached $5.6 billions, which is 3% higher compared to 2019. This was partially ramped up by the record of 16 deliveries of Global 7500 units in the fourth quarter only. This gives hopes of the Canadian manufacturer that with recent changes, restructuring and focus on their Global and Challenger series, they are moving forward towards better times.

Despite pulling the plug on the Learjet family, Bombardier will continue to fully support the fleet in the future. They have also launched a remanufacturing program for Learjet 40 and Learjet 45 models. The RACER program will include a wide set of enhancements, such as newer avionics, interior and exterior updates, engine boosts and improved maintenance costs, among others. The remanufacturing program will be exclusively offered through their Wichita’s service center.

In spite of the sad news for the end of this trend-setting jet, we believe that this year would be brighter for aviation industry, both business and commercial. Being a valuable partner to many airlines and MROs, we would continue to support Learjet models in the efficient and quick way we have done so far.

Stay tuned for more updates like this & keep healthy.