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Lufthansa Cargo’s first AeroSHARK-modified Boeing 777F, registered D-ALFA, took off for the first time on February 3, 2023

Boeing 777-FBT D-ALFA (msn 41674)

Lufthansa Cargo will begin equipping all its Boeing 777 freighters with AeroSHARK from 2023. The innovative surface technology from Lufthansa Technik and BASF improves fuel efficiency and helps achieve sustainability goals.

Lufthansa Cargo’s first AeroSHARK-modified Boeing 777 freighter, registered D-ALFA, took off for the first time at 05:07 (CET) on February 3, 2023. Under flight number LH8410, the Boeing 777F started from Frankfurt (FRA) to Bengaluru (BLR), from where it will fly on to Chengdu (CTU). 

Photo: Lufthansa Cargo

AeroSHARK is a surface film that mimics the microscopic structure of shark skin. Its structure consists of ribs around 50 micrometers in size – so-called riblets. If the flow pattern on the fuselage and engine nacelles of the Boeing 777F is optimized in this way, significant savings in fuel and thus emissions can be achieved. This modification, developed by Lufthansa Technik and BASF, will now gradually be used on Lufthansa Cargo’s entire fleet of 777 freighters, making them more fuel-efficient and reducing emissions.

For the modified Boeing 777F, Lufthansa Technik expects fuel savings of slightly more than one percent. Extrapolated to Lufthansa Cargo’s entire 777 fleet, this will result in annual savings of more than 4,000 metric tons of kerosene and nearly 13,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions, equivalent to about 53 individual cargo flights from Frankfurt to Shanghai.

In cooperation with BASF, Lufthansa Technik is responsible for the specification of the material, the airworthiness certification and the implementation of the aircraft modifications, which are carried out during regular maintenance layovers. In December of last year, the company obtained a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for two types of Boeing 777 from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), paving the way for the serial application now underway on the 777 freighter fleet.

Top Copyright Photo: Lufthansa Cargo Boeing 777-FBT D-ALFA (msn 41674) YYZ (TMK Photography). Image: 937843.

Lufthansa Cargo aircraft photo gallery:

Lufthansa Cargo aircraft photo gallery

Delta Air Lines expands at Dallas Love Field

Airbus A319-114 N362NB (msn 1982) MIA (Bruce Drum)

Delta Air Lines is stepping up its presence in Texas this summer, giving customers out of Dallas Love Field one-stop access to over 125 U.S. destinations through its key hubs in Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles.

Beginning June 5, the new routes out of the airline’s now-permanent home at gate 11 include:

  • Twice-daily service to New York-LGA
  • Twice-daily service to LAX
  • Increased frequency to Atlanta with five daily flights

Delta’s expansion in DAL complements its existing service at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), where the airline provides multiple daily offerings to eight of its nine U.S. hubs.

As of July 2023, Delta will operate nearly 40 peak-day departures to eight destinations from DAL and DFW combined, giving customers access to three of the top five destinations to/from Dallas* and be the only carrier operating service to New York and Los Angeles from both Dallas airports.

Delta has secured long-term access at Dallas Love Field. Delta will operate from a Delta-dedicated gate.

All flights will operate on an Airbus A319 aircraft.

CREATING MORE CONNECTIONS FROM TEXAS

Delta continues to expand its Texas offerings, with more than 20% more seats available this summer (vs. last July), including added capacity from major cities including Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.

Austin has been the fastest growing airport since 2019**, due in part to the city’s strong economic growth and thriving tech industry. To better accommodate the surge in travelers, Delta is boosting domestic service this summer, operating nearly 40 peak-day departures to 10 major cities. 

As of June 5, Delta will increase daily frequencies from AUS to the following cities:

  • JFK to 4x
  • SLC to 4x

And as of July 10, Delta will up frequencies to: 

  • ATL to 10x
  • BOS to 3x
  • LAX to 4x
  • MSP to 4x
  • RDU to 2x
  • SEA to 3x

This domestic growth complements Delta’s international partner service to key global hubs in Mexico City, Amsterdam, and London Heathrow, providing Austin customers with easy, nonstop access to destinations around the world.

Customers can also look forward to returning routes from San Antonio and Harlingen, including:

  • SAT-JFK restarting May 8, operating on an Airbus A220, a route not flown since 2020
  • Seasonal service between HRL-MSP beginning February 17, operating on an Airbus A320

Top Copyright Photo: Delta Air Lines Airbus A319-114 N362NB (msn 1982) MIA (Bruce Drum). Image: 105891.

Delta Air Lines aircraft photo gallery (Airbus):

Delta Air Lines aircraft photo gallery (Airbus)

Edelweiss opens a new route to Amman, Jordan

Edelweiss Air (Edelweiss Switzerland) has opened a new route to Amman, Jordan.

Photo: Amman Airport.

Edelweiss Air will operate two weekly flights on Sundays and Thursdays to Amman, with return flights to Zurich scheduled the next day on Mondays and Fridays.

Top Copyright Photo: Edelweiss Switzerland Airbus A320-214 HB-JJK (msn 1692) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 954812.

Edelweiss Air aircraft photo gallery:

QANTAS CEO Alan Joyce: Getting the airline back to its best

QANTAS Airways CEO issued this Op-Ed on the condition of his airline:

Photo: Wikipedia

As the CEO of Qantas, people are always keen to tell you how they think the airline is doing. Whatever their feedback is, I always see it first and foremost as a reflection of the strong connection Australia has with the national carrier.

To be honest, we know that connection has been tested at times.

Six months ago, a lot of people felt we’d let them down and the figures showed why. Almost half our flights were late, our rate of misplaced bags had more than doubled and we were cancelling up to 7 per cent of our schedule.

Perception wise, it didn’t help that this came after some controversial restructuring decisions to make sure we survived COVID. And it didn’t matter that airlines around the world had the same problems as travel restarted. If your flight to the Gold Coast just got cancelled, it doesn’t make you feel any better if the delays are worse in Amsterdam.

Knowing that we were routinely letting customers down was hugely disappointing for everyone at Qantas. It’s the exact opposite of our culture.

Last August, we apologised and promised to fix it. And almost every week after that, things improved.

It’s a huge credit to our people that the data now shows Qantas is back to its best.

We’ve been the most on-time of the major domestic airlines for five months in a row. Our service levels – bags, cancellations, catering and the call centre – are back to what customers expect from us. And we’re working to make it better.

As this turnaround was happening, people were talking to me less about flight delays and more about higher fares.

The two are related. In order to make our operations more reliable, we had to reduce our flying to give us more buffer. We have more aircraft and crew on standby to step-in to deal with the supply chain and sick leave issues that remain. Less supply and lots of demand meant fares went up.

Higher fares also reflect inflation in general and higher fuel prices in particular, which are up 65 per cent in the past six months compared with pre-COVID. Naturally, that flows through to how much you pay for a flight.

There’s not much we can do about the cost of things like fuel but the fact our operations have stabilised means we can steadily put capacity back in. Domestically, we’re almost back to 100 per cent of pre-COVID flying levels. Internationally, we’ll be at around 80 per cent by the middle of the year and we’ve recently seen most of our competitors announce a major ramp up in their capacity, so you can expect to see fares trend down, keeping in mind we’re all paying more for most things at the moment.

That said, there are still a lot of good value fares, with regular sales and lower prices if you’re able to plan ahead.

More recently, the conversation has been about Qantas air returns.

These have received a huge amount of attention because we had several in quick succession, but despite the hype, they are actually a symptom of strong safety systems.

Our pilots always err on the side of caution because that’s what we train them to do. If an onboard system isn’t working the way it should, they will often decide to land rather than pressing on to the destination. I congratulate them for doing that and encourage them to keep doing it. And despite the obvious inconvenience, I think most of our customers do, too.

Globally, the industry sees well over 10,000 air returns a year. Looking at our data, there’s no change from our average rate of turn backs before and after COVID, which for Qantas is around 60 a year or 1 per 2,000 flights. Our regional arm QantasLink has more, at over 200 a year, because they have more flights and it makes more sense to return to a major city than fly on to a remote town that doesn’t have the same level of technical support.

If you’re flying on an aircraft that has an issue, it’s not because it’s not well looked after. It’s because they are incredibly complex pieces of equipment with many layers of redundancy.

Our approach to engineering hasn’t changed since pre-COVID. We’re the only major airline group that does heavy maintenance in Australia and no one invests more in training engineers here than we do. There are multiple safeguards for everything that happens in-and-around an aircraft, which is critical because no one is perfect. And that is ultimately why aviation in this country is so safe.

We will always put safety before schedule. But as the figures and our record shows, Qantas is back to delivering on both.

Frontier Airlines announces an “all-you-can-fly” summer pass

‘Endless summer’ just took on a whole new meaning with the new all-you-can-fly GoWild! Summer Pass™ from ultra-low fare carrier Frontier Airlines.  The GoWild! Summer Pass offers passholders exclusive access to unlimited flights between Frontier’s U.S. and international destinations from May 2 through Sept. 30, 2023 and is available for a limited time at a special introductory price of $399 per person.

The new GoWild! Summer Pass is being introduced just as Frontier announces a major expansion of service, including eight new routes to the popular Caribbean paradise of Puerto Rico.  With the GoWild! Pass™, domestic travel can be booked and confirmed the day before flight departure. International travel can be booked and confirmed starting 10 days before flight departure. Frontier serves destinations throughout the U.S., Mexico, Caribbean and Latin America.

Here’s how it works:

1.    Buy the GoWild! Summer Pass

2.    Login to your FRONTIER Miles account

3.    Search & Book on flyfrontier.com the day before flight departure for domestic travel or starting 10 days before flight departure for international travel. Your pass will be valid from May 2, 2023 through Sept. 30, 2023. For each flight, you’ll pay $0.01 in airfare plus applicable taxes, fees, and charges at the time of booking. When you book, you can also purchase options like bags, seats, and other ancillary products, for each flight to customize your travel.

4.    Fly!

5.    Repeat and book an unlimited number of flights for as long as your pass is valid

A limited number of Go Wild! Summer Passes will be available at a special introductory price of $399 per person on a first-come, first-served basis at https://www.flyfrontier.com/deals/gowild-pass/

“Everyone loves summer vacation and, with the new GoWild! Summer Pass, you can enjoy even more of what you love,” said Daniel Shurz, senior vice president of commercial, Frontier Airlines. “For people with flexible schedules, this is a terrific opportunity to have a truly epic summer and then some, soaking up rays on the beach, exploring national parks and visiting new cities.”

GoWild! Summer Pass holders will enjoy access to a variety of benefits on Frontier, including:

·         An unlimited number of flights between May 2 and Sept. 30, 2023

·         Access to all U.S. and international destinations Frontier serves

·         Travel that will keep your miles from expiring

·         One low price for pass access between May 2 and Sept. 30, 2023

·         Confirmed bookings the day before flight departure for domestic travel and 10 days before flight departure for international travel

Important things to know about the GoWild Pass:

–          Flights will be available to book and fly starting May 2, 2023

–          Flights can be booked and confirmed the day before flight departure for domestic travel and 10 days before flight departure for international travel

–          Flights must be booked at flyfrontier.com

–          Flights are subject to blackout periods

–          Flights do not include any add-on products like bags or seats

–          Access to all domestic and international destinations Frontier serves

–          Taxes, fees and charges apply at the time of booking

–          A fare of $0.01 will be charged for each segment booked

–          Flights and seats are subject to availability; last seat availability is not guaranteed

–          Travel is not eligible to earn miles or status

–          Travel qualifies as activity and will extend your Frontier Miles expiration

–          The GoWild! Pass is non-transferable. The passholder is the only allowed passenger to travel with GoWild! Pass privileges

–          Your Pass will automatically renew for summer travel unless you cancel

–          You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the United States to purchase the GoWild! Pass. The pass holder may be under the age of 18 but must be a resident of the United States. Pass holders under the age of 13 must be enrolled by their parent or legal guardian. Children under the age of 15 years old must travel accompanied by a passenger who is at least 15 years old.

Top Copyright Photo: Frontier Airlines (2nd) Airbus A321-211 WL N705FR (msn 6891) (Pygmy Owl) SEA (Brian Worthington). Image: 960015.

Frontier Airlines aircraft photo gallery:

Etihad Airways adds frequencies to Frankfurt

Etihad Airways is increasing its services to Frankfurt, Germany.

From May 1, 2023, the airline will add an extra four services a week to its current daily frequency, bringing the total number of flights to Frankfurt up to 11 weekly.

The additional flights will be operated by one of Etihad’s ultra-modern Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, designed with customer comfort in mind, boasting 28 seats in Business and 262 in Economy.

Top Copyright Photo: Etihad Airways Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner A6-BMH (msn 60765) (Greenliner) MUC (Tony Storck). Image: 960014.

Etihad Airways aircraft photo gallery:

Watch as the final 747 departs Boeing

Thursday, February 2, 2023

https://onfirstup.com/embed/video/29815483-f50d-4df8-8eed-3542c3c7c866

The final 747’s flight path over Eastern Washington, according to Planefinder.

Following a festive and star-studded sendoff ceremony the previous day, the final 747 – the 1,574th overall – left its birthplace in Everett, Washington, Wednesday morning, lifting off from Paine Field at 8:19 a.m. Pacific.

  •  The airplane joins the all-Boeing fleet of Atlas Air, bringing its 747 fleet to 56. 

 The scene: On a cold, bright morning, a group of plane spotters, Boeing teammates and media watched as the final 747 took off. The flyaway followed the previous day’s celebration that was watched by about 10,000 in-person attendees and thousands more as part of a global webcast. It featured past and present Boeing leaders, customer representatives and actor/pilot/aviation enthusiast John Travolta.

What’s next: During that ceremony, John Dietrich, Atlas Air Worldwide president and CEO, revealed that the final 747 would take a unique, crown-shaped flight path on its way to Cincinnati, Ohio before entering the fleet.

It is certainly a fitting start to the next chapter for the airplane known far and wide as the Queen of the Skies.

Lufthansa to base three Airbus A380s in Munich

Lufthansa is gradually bringing back its grounded Airbus A380s.

The flag carrier will base three A380s at its its Munich hub for flights to New York (JFK), Boston and Los Angeles starting in June.

The airline will begin refresher training in Hannover and Leipzig in May.

Six A380s will return to service. The other 8 will remain in storage (for now) at Teruel, Spain.

LH is also bringing back 10 remaining Airbus A340-600s for the summer season.

Top Copyright Photo: Lufthansa Airbus A380-841 D-AIMD (msn 048) LAX. Image: 947110.

Lufthansa aircraft photo gallery:

American to suspend the Miami – Bermuda route this summer

American Airlines has elected to suspend the Miami – Bermuda route during the summer months.

The airline intends to restore the route in November.

Top Copyright Photo: American Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 N327SK (msn 44478) BFI (Brian Worthington). Image: 959080.

American Airlines aircraft photo gallery (Boeing):

Air France is coming to Ottawa

In summer 2023, Air France will operate up to 50 weekly flights to 5 destinations in Canada: Ottawa (new service in 2023), Quebec City (new service in 2022), Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver (destinations served year-round by Air France).

The service between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier (YOW) will be inaugurated on June 27, 2023, and will be operated five times weekly – Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays – on Air France’s 224-seater Airbus A330-200 (36 in Business, 21 in Premium Economy, and 167 in Economy).

Ottawa-Paris, June 2023. (CNW Group/Air France)

Flight schedules (local times):

AF328: Leaves Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 13:10, arrives in Ottawa at 15:05
AF327: Leaves Ottawa at 17:05, arrives at Paris-Charles de Gaulle the following day at 06:15

The Air France bus service currently available to customers free of charge between Montreal-Trudeau Airport and Ottawa will continue to offer two daily shuttles. The bus times are specifically scheduled to facilitate connections with Air France flights to and from Paris. Two daily bus services also link Montreal-Trudeau and Quebec City.

Resumption of the Paris-Charles de Gaulle – Quebec City service and increased capacity to other destinations in Canada

Inaugurated in summer 2022, the seasonal Paris-Charles de Gaulle-Quebec City service will resume this year starting on May 2, 2023. There will be three weekly flights on Boeing 787-9 on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Flight schedules (local times):

AF352: Leaves Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 20:50, arrives in Quebec City at 22:05
AF353: Leaves Quebec City at 23:55, arrives at Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 12:40

Flights to destinations served year-round by Air France will also be increased, boosting the overall flight capacity to Canada by more than 25% compared to 2019. Consequently, Air France will be connecting travellers between its Paris-Charles de Gaulle hub and:

  • Montreal (the company’s second leading international long-haul destination) with up to three daily flights,
  • Toronto with two daily flights,
  • Vancouver with one daily flight.

In addition, KLM, part of Air France-KLM Group, will connect Amsterdam-Schiphol airport to the following destinations in Canada this summer:

Toronto with up to 13 vols flights weekly

  • Calgary with 7 flights weekly
  • Vancouver with up to 7 flights weekly
  • Montreal with up to 5 flights weekly
  • Edmonton with up to 4 flights weekly

A KLM bus service also runs between Montreal-Trudeau and Ottawa.

British Airways announces the resumption of flights to Mainland China

After a two-year absence, British Airways has announced it will resume flights between the UK and mainland China. Flights to Shanghai will commence on April 23 and Beijing on June 3. 

British Airways first flew to China in 1980 and continued to do so until the pandemic. The airline has been working hard to reintroduce these important routes to enable customers to reunite with family and friends.

Chinese Cabin Crew Wing CeremonyTaken: 27th May 2016Picture by: Stuart Bailey / British Airways

From April 23, flights will operate daily between London Heathrow and Shanghai Pudong International Airport – flight numbers BA168/BA169. From June 3, flights will operate four times per week between London Heathrow and Beijing Daxing Airport – flight numbers BA88/89.

Schedule:

Flight NumberDay of weekDeparture AirportDeparture TimeArrival AirportArrival Time 
London-Shanghai Service from 23rd April 2023 
BA169DailyLondon Heathrow1225Shanghai Pudong0755^ 
BA168DailyShanghai Pudong1100London Heathrow1825 
London-Beijing service from 3rd June 2023 
BA89Mon, Tue, Thu, SatLondon Heathrow1505Beijing Daxing0935^ 
BA88Tue, Wed, Fri, SunBeijing Daxing1120London Heathrow1730 

^arrives 1 day later

*Schedule is effective from 23rd April and 3rd June  2023 and subject to operational change and regulatory approval. 

Top Copyright Photo: British Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner G-ZBKK (msn 38627) AMS (Ton Jochems). Image: 960012.

British Airways aircraft photo gallery:

Lufthansa will operate Boeing 787-9 to five additional North American destinations

Lufthansa’s newest aircraft, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, is heading to further North American destinations starting with the summer flight schedule as of March 26, 2023.

The Dreamliner will fly six times a week from Frankfurt to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Texas. Lufthansa will offer four weekly flights to Montreal (YUL), Canada and ramp this up on 1 May to daily flights. Also early in May, Lufthansa will fly its Dreamliner daily to Denver (DEN), Colorado, three times weekly to Austin (AUS), Texas and on 13 February begin serving Detroit (DTW), Michigan. And since October last year the Dreamliner flies daily to Newark (EWR).

Lufthansa Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Currently, Lufthansa operates three Boeing 787-9s. Two additional ones will be delivered shortly. The Boeing 787-9 offers passengers a much improved travel experience. The cabin is very quiet and depending on the time of day, is well lit by an innovative lighting system. The higher entrance area gives a pleasant feeling of more space and the large windows offer the opportunity for better viewing or can be dimmed at the touch of a button. Business Class guests enjoy improved seating with, among other things, direct aisle access.

Lufthansa Group and VARO Energy sign MOU for cooperation for Sustainable Aviation Fuels

The Lufthansa Group and the energy company VARO are expanding their long-standing partnership and have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the production and supply of Sustainable Aviation Fuel. This means that VARO could supply the Lufthansa Group with large volumes of SAF from as early as 2026, for example to the Munich airport hub. The companies are also driving innovative processes to produce green hydrogen from biogenic waste materials. Green hydrogen is a significant CO2-free energy carrier that also plays an important role in the production of SAF.

The MoU underpins the Lufthansa Group’s goal of driving forward the availability, market ramp-up and use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels as a core element of its sustainability strategy. The airline group is continuously reviewing options for long-term purchase agreements and is already one of the largest customers of SAF in Europe.

For VARO, the goal of providing decarbonization solutions to the aviation industry forms an important pillar of its corporate strategy. From 2026, VARO aims to produce around 260,000 tons of Sustainable Aviation Fuel per year.

Biofuels production in Brazil

SAF – the sustainable aviation fuel

SAF is the generic term for all aviation fuels that are produced without the use of fossil energy sources such as crude oil or natural gas. Various production processes exist and different feedstock are available as energy sources. The current SAF is mainly produced from biogenic residual materials such as used cooking oil. As a so-called “drop-in” solution, it is mixed with conventional kerosene before being transported to the airport. The maximum blending rate of SAF permitted under the fuel specification is currently 50 percent. In its pure form, SAF from biogenic residues can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80 percent compared to conventional kerosene. The Lufthansa Group has been involved in SAF research for many years, has built up an extensive network of partnerships and is driving forward the introduction of sustainable next-generation aviation fuels in particular. Special focus is placed on the forward-looking Power-to-Liquid and Sun-to-Liquid technologies, which use renewable energies or solar thermal energy as energy carriers.

Destination sustainability: Into the future with a clear strategy

The Lufthansa Group has set itself ambitious climate protection goals and aims to achieve a neutral CO₂ balance by 2050. Already by 2030, the Lufthansa Group wants to halve its net CO₂ emissions compared to 2019 through reduction and compensation measures. The reduction roadmap until 2030 was validated by the independent Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) in August 2022. The Lufthansa Group was the first airline group in Europe with a science-based CO₂ reduction target in line with the goals of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. To reduce CO₂, the Lufthansa Group is focusing in particular on accelerated fleet modernization, the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels, the continuous optimization of flight operations, and offers for its private travelers and corporate customers to make a flight or the transport of cargo more sustainable.

ATSA signs firm agreement with De Havilland Canada for a Dash 8-400 large cargo door freighter conversion

De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited has announced that Aero Transporte S.A. (ATSA) has signed a firm agreement for a Dash 8-400 freighter conversion with a large cargo door (Dash 8-400 F-LCD).

With this agreement, ATSA has become the first South American operator of Dash 8-400 aircraft to join De Havilland Canada’s Cargo Solutions Program and ATSA’s Dash 8-400 F-LCD aircraft will be the first one operating on the continent.

ATSA currently operates two Dash 8-400 aircraft from its base in Peru to support the mining sector.

Porter Airlines introduces the Embraer E195-E2 into service from Toronto Pearson

Porter Airlines is celebrating its first flights with the new Embraer E195-E2 between Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), and Ottawa International Airport (YOW) and Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) on February 1. 

The introduction of E195-E2 service on these routes, which are also served by Porter’s Dash 8-400 operations at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ), means passengers have more choice when travelling to and from the Greater Toronto Area. As it expands from Pearson Airport, Porter will be the only airline with comprehensive networks at both of Toronto’s main airports, focusing on regional flights via Billy Bishop and other top North American destinations at Pearson.

Additional flights at Pearson begin this month, starting with Vancouver (Feb. 7), Edmonton (Feb. 14), Calgary (Feb. 22) and Halifax (Feb. 23). More announcements are forthcoming, as Porter establishes its E195-E2 network. The airline intends to build a presence in key Eastern Canada cities – Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax – that will connect across the continent to the west coast, southern U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean.

Porter Airlines Embraer E195-E2

Porter is debuting the E195-E2 for North American travellers, featuring a 132-seat, all-economy, two-by-two configuration, and free, fast WiFi for every passenger. The airline has ordered up to 100 E195-E2s, including 50 firm deliveries scheduled to arrive over the next two years. Porter is the only airline with no middle seats on every flight, including its existing De Havilland Dash 8-400 fleet.

Service on the Toronto Pearson-Ottawa route begins with four daily, non-stop return flights. Service on the Montreal route begins with three daily, non-stop return flights and increases to four on Feb. 7.

https://twitter.com/porterairlines/status/1620786172950626304?s=20

Wizz Air asks its fans to design a new Airbus A321 sustainability livery

Wizz Air, Europe’s most environmentally sustainable airline globally*, has launched an exciting design competition, encouraging talent from across the world to create the sustainability livery for one of its Airbus A321neo aircraft.

The winner will receive 2000 EUR in WIZZ vouchers**.

With one of the youngest fleets in the world and the lowest carbon intensity in Europe, Wizz Air strives to be the greenest choice of air travel. To raise awareness of its sustainability efforts and mark its commitment to further reducing its CO2 emissions intensity by 25% by 2030, Wizz Air invites creative individuals to design the new livery for one of its Airbus A321neo. 

The competition is open from 10:00 CET January 20, 2023 and closes at 23:59 on February 12, 2023.

All entrants should send their designs via email to liverydesign@wizzair.com, following the Terms & Conditions and Design Guidelines of the competition. The winning design stands the chance to be used partially or fully in the creation of the final sustainability livery.

Key to Wizz Air’s sustainability strategy is the renewal of its fleet with Airbus A321neos. This aircraft incorporates the latest technologies in aviation and offers significant environmental benefits, with a nearly 50% reduction in noise footprint, a 20% reduction in fuel consumption and 50% reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions compared to the previous model. 

In addition to its ambitious fleet renewal programme, Wizz Air is constantly working on fuel efficiency initiatives and improving the related data analytics. The airline has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus to explore the potential for hydrogen-powered aircraft, as well as with OMV to supply sustainable aviation fuel between 2023 and 2030. These partnerships reinforce Wizz Air’s commitment to driving emissions intensity down by the end of the decade.

LATAM Airlines Colombia to launch the Bogota – Orlando route

LATAM Airlines Colombia will launch a new nonstop service between Orlando and Bogotá on July 1, 2023.

The operation is part of the first announcements made since the approval of the Joint Venture with Delta last September.

The Orlando – Bogotá route will be the second between the United States and the Colombian market. The flight will be sold with a morning itinerary departing Bogotá at 10:15 a.m. towards Orlando, and in the evening back to Colombia at 4:47 p.m. The 4-hour 15-minute journey will operate with an Airbus A320 aircraft, with a capacity for 174 passengers.

Joint Venture Between Delta and LATAM

The Joint Venture between LATAM  and Delta seeks to improve travel experiences for passengers and cargo customers. The agreement applies to markets between North America (United States and Canada) and South America (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay), delivering benefits like the joint accumulating of miles/points in frequent flier programs, and faster connections to access more than 300 destinations between the U.S./Canada and South America.

The alliance between LATAM and Delta commenced in 2019, when they announced their first agreement for reciprocal accumulating/exchange of miles/points, shared terminals in New York/JFK,  São Paulo/Guarulhos and Santiago. It includes joint access to 53 Delta VIP lounges Sky Club in the United States and five LATAM lounges in South America, including the new and exclusive Delta Sky Club in Los Ángeles (LAX) and the new LATAM Lounge Santiago in Chile, the biggest in South America.

LATAM Airlines Brazil recently announced their nonstop flights between the cities of São Paulo (Brazil) and Los Ángeles (United States), which will commence in the second quarter of 2023, with three weekly flights. This new route offers passengers access to the corporate market and general market of the United States from Los Angeles, where Delta is the global airline with the largest presence.

Qatar Airways and Airbus reach amicable A350 settlement in legal dispute

Qatar Airways and Airbus are pleased to have reached an amicable and mutually agreeable settlement in relation to their legal dispute over A350 surface degradation and the grounding of A350 aircraft. 

A repair project is now underway and both parties look forward to getting these aircraft safely back in the air.

The details of the settlement are confidential and the parties will now proceed to discontinue their legal claims. 

The settlement agreement is not an admission of liability for either party.

This agreement will enable Qatar Airways and Airbus to move forward and work together as partners.

Top Copyright Photo: Qatar Airways Airbus A350-941 A7-ALA (msn 006) AMS (Ton Jochems). Image: 960011.

Qatar Airwasys aircraft photo gallery:

Allegiant reports a profitable fourth quarter and full-year 2022

Allegiant Travel Company (Allegiant Air) reported the following financial results for the fourth quarter and full-year 2022, as well as comparisons to prior years:

   

ConsolidatedThree Months Ended December 31,Percent Change
(unaudited) (in millions, except per share amounts)202220212019     YoY     Yo3Y
Total operating expense522.4463.6368.412.741.8
Operating income89.233.392.7167.6(3.7)
Income before income taxes65.915.178.6334.7(16.3)
Net income52.510.760.5390.3(13.3)
Diluted earnings per share2.870.593.72386.4(22.8)
Twelve Months Ended December 31,Percent Change
(unaudited) (in millions, except per share amounts)202220212019YoYYo3Y
Total operating revenue$        2,301.8$        1,707.9$        1,841.034.8 %25.0 %
Total operating expense2,210.21,444.81,477.053.049.6
Operating income91.6263.1364.0(65.2)(74.8)
Income before income taxes5.0196.6301.2(97.5)(98.4)
Net income2.5151.9232.1(98.4)(98.9)
Diluted earnings per share0.148.6814.26(98.4)(99.0)
Sunseeker special charges34.0——NMNM
Diluted earnings per share excluding Sunseeker 
special charges (2) (3)		$             1.65$             8.68$           14.26(81.0)(88.4)
(1)  Recognition bonus awarded despite not meeting internal profit-sharing targets
(2)  Denotes a non-GAAP financial measure. Refer to the Non-GAAP Presentation section within this document for further information and for calculation of per share figures
 (3)  Adjusted to exclude estimated loss from property damage to Sunseeker Resort related to Hurricane Ian and two subsequent insurance events that occurred during the quarter, offset by insurance recoveries recorded to date. The amount of the losses will continue to be offset in future periods by amounts to be recovered under the company’s insurance policies. In 2023, we expect to receive insurance proceeds approximating the losses accrued to date

“We finished the quarter with an earnings per share, excluding employee recognition bonus and Sunseeker special charges of $3.17,” stated John Redmond, CEO of Allegiant Travel Company. “Despite an uptick in weather cancellations late in the quarter, our total operating revenue was up 32.6 percent year over three-year, more than five points above the mid-point of our guidance. The demand environment continues to surpass expectations. Fourth quarter TRASM(1) was 14.03 cents, the highest quarterly TRASM(1) in company history, on scheduled service growth of 11.9 percent. This revenue strength coupled with better than expected cost performance and a more favorable fuel environment resulted in an adjusted(2) operating margin of nearly 16 percent for the quarter.

“Due to a challenging operating environment at the onset of 2022, we committed to focusing on operational integrity and ensuring safe, reliable travel for our customers. We took action to more appropriately schedule the airline to meet the challenges of this environment. By doing this, we increased our controllable completion by over two points during the last six months of 2022 as compared with the first half of the year. This equated to more than $70 million in irregular operations savings during the back-half of the year, when factoring in lost revenue, passenger compensation, and other costs related to the cancellations. As we head into 2023, we are continuing to take a more conservative approach to growth. We anticipate growing capacity roughly four percent, with much of that happening in the fourth quarter. This slow and concerted growth profile should drive irregular operations costs out of the business and prioritize operational reliability, helping to deliver an estimated $7 in earnings per share during 2023.

“2023 will be transformational for the company. We will begin taking delivery of our Boeing MAX 737 fleet during the fourth quarter, with deliveries picking up in earnest, early 2024. The operating efficiency and reliability of this aircraft will help bolster profits for many years to come. Additionally, significant progress has been made towards the completion of Sunseeker Resort at Charlotte Harbor. After delays caused by Hurricane Ian, we have fully resumed construction activities at the property with most of the remediation related to the hurricane behind us. We continue to expect the property will open late 2023.

“To further support these strategic initiatives, we recently announced several senior leadership changes within the organization. These changes will bring vast experience to the respective roles. I am confident these leaders will contribute to the successful execution of these initiatives. Allegiant has prided itself over the years with having a standout management team, and these changes further support that notion.

“Lastly, I would like to thank our team members throughout the network for their efforts this past year. 2022 was fraught with challenges. Despite these challenges, our team members consistently put forth their best efforts to ensure our customers made it safely to their destinations. We truly have the best in the business. I’m excited for what is on the horizon in 2023.”  

(1)  Total passenger revenue per available seat mile
 (2)  Adjusted operating margin excludes the 2022 employee recognition bonus and Sunseeker special charges

Fourth Quarter 2022 Results

  • Income before income tax (1)(2)(3) of $73.8 million, excluding 2022 employee recognition bonus and Sunseeker special charges, yielding a pre-tax margin of 12.1 percent
    • Sunseeker special charges include $18 million of recorded insurance recoveries offset by $17 million in additional losses related to Hurricane Ian and subsequent insurance events during the fourth quarter
  • Operating income, excluding 2022 recognition bonus and Sunseeker special charges (1)(2)(3), of $97.1 million, yielding an operating margin of 15.9 percent
  • Consolidated EBITDA, excluding recognition bonus and Sunseeker special charges (1)(2)(3),of $149.3 million, yielding an EBITDA margin of 24.4 percent
  • Total operating revenue was $611.5 million, up 32.6% percent year over three-year
    • TRASM of 14.03 cents, the highest quarterly TRASM in company history, up 21.3 percent year over three-year on scheduled service capacity increases of 11.9 percent
    • Load factor of 85.3 percent, a 3.2 percentage point increase from the fourth quarter of 2019
    • December load factor of 84.7 percent, the highest December since 2014
  • Total average fare of $151.08, up 22.6 percent from the fourth quarter of 2019
    • Total average ancillary of $72.94, up 25.9 percent from 2019, driven predominantly by strength in bundled ancillary and the Allways Allegiant World Mastercard
    • Acquired over 35 thousand new Allways Allegiant World Mastercard holders during the quarter
  • Operating CASM, excluding fuel, 2022 employee recognition bonus, and Sunseeker special charges (1)(2)(3), of 7.56 cents, up 12.2 percent when compared with the fourth quarter of 2019

Full-Year 2022 Results

  • Income before income tax (1)(2)(3) of $74.0 million, excluding 2022 recognition bonus and Sunseeker special charges, yielding a 3.2 percent pre-tax margin
  • Total operating revenue of $2.3 billion, up 25.0 percent year over three-year, on a total system capacity increase of 13.9 percent
    • Full-year TRASM was 12.50 cents, up 10.8 percent year over three-year on scheduled services capacity increases of 15.2 percent
  • Acquired over 150 thousand new Allegiant World Mastercard® holders during the year, with over 410 thousand active cardholders at year end
    • Full-year total remuneration of over $100 million
  • Added over 2 million Allegiant Allways Rewards® members throughout 2022, with more than 15 million total members at year end
  • Operating CASM, excluding fuel, 2022 employee recognition bonus, and Sunseeker special charges (1)(2)(3), of 7.20 cents, up 11.1 percent as compared with full-year 2019
  • Published the company’s inaugural sustainability report
(1)  Recognition bonus awarded despite not meeting internal profit-sharing targets
 (2)  Denotes a non-GAAP financial measure. Refer to the Non-GAAP Presentation section within this document for further information and for calculation of per share figures
 (3)  Adjusted to exclude estimated loss from property damage to Sunseeker Resort related to Hurricane Ian and two subsequent insurance events that occurred during the quarter, offset by insurance recoveries recorded to date. The amount of the losses will continue to be offset in future periods by amounts to be recovered under the company’s insurance policies. In 2023, we expect to receive insurance proceeds approximating the losses accrued to date

Balance Sheet, Cash and Liquidity

  • Total available liquidity at December 31, 2022 of $1.4 billion, which includes $1.0 billion in cash and investments, and $395 million in undrawn revolving credit facilities and PDP facilities
  • Board of directors increased share repurchase authority to up to $100 million total
    • Repurchased 378 thousand shares during the fourth quarter at an average share price of $78.94
  • $303.1 million in cash from operations during 2022
  • Total debt at December 31, 2022 was $2.1 billion
    • Net debt at December 31, 2022 was $1.1 billion
  • Debt principal payments of $165.7 million during 2022, which excludes $535.9 million related to refinancing the Term Loan B in August of 2022
  • Air traffic liability at December 31, 2022 was $379.5 million

Airline Capital Expenditures

  • Fourth quarter capital expenditures of $51 million, which includes $22 million for aircraft purchases and inductions, pre-delivery deposits, and other related costs, and $29 million in other airline capital expenditures
    • Fourth quarter deferred heavy maintenance spend was $23 million
  • Full-year 2022 capital expenditures are $283 million, which includes $164 million for aircraft purchases and inductions, pre-delivery deposits, and other related costs, and $119 million in other airline capital expenditures
    • Full-year 2022 deferred heavy maintenance spend was $55 million

Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor

  • Total project spend excluding capitalized interest as of December 31, 2022 was $467 millionwith $279 million funded by debt and the remaining $188 million funded by Allegiant
    • Fourth quarter capital expenditures were $44 million relating to Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor, $8 million related to capitalized interest and $8 million related to other Sunseeker capital expenditures
  • Recorded an additional $17 million special charge during the quarter related to estimated property damages at Sunseeker Resort resulting from Hurricane Ian and two subsequent events that occurred on the property during the fourth quarter
    • The special charge was offset by $18 million in insurance recoveries recorded

Aircraft Fleet Plan by End of Period

Aircraft – (seats per AC)YE221Q232Q233Q23YE23
A319 (156 seats)3535353535
A320 (177 seats)2119191919
A320 (180-186 seats)6570727373
Total121124126127127

The table above is provided based on the company’s current plans and is subject to change. The numbers exclude aircraft expected to be delivered during 2023 for revenue service beginning in 2024

Top Copyright Photo: Allegiant Air Airbus A319-111 N338NV (msn 2378) LAS (Jay Selman). Image: 404257.

Allegiant Air aircraft photo gallery: