Tag Archives: A330-200

Air Transat announces its winter schedules from Montreal, Quebec City and Toronto

Air Transat Airbus A330-243 C-GUBT (msn 732) LGW (Richard Vandervord). Image: 960465.

Air Transat has unveiled the details of its 2023-2024 winter flight program for Quebec travellers, slated to begin on November 1, 2023. The airline continues to develop its operations, and will offer, at the peak of the season, more than 180 direct flights per week from Montreal and Quebec City to over 30 destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America, the United States and Europe.

At the peak of the season, Air Transat’s overall program will include over 300 direct flights per week departing from eight Canadian cities. In addition to Montreal and Quebec City, it will also offer flights from Toronto, Ottawa, London, Hamilton, Halifax and Moncton. 

Sun destinations: more accessible than ever

Compared to last year, over 30 additional flights will be scheduled from Montreal and Quebec City, reinforcing the airline’s commitment to meet travellers’ needs while offering even greater travel day flexibility.

In particular, the company is strengthening its position as the primary Canadian airline serving the Dominican Republic. At the peak of the season, two additional direct flights will be offered each week between Montreal and Punta Cana, while one additional direct flight will be offered between Quebec City and Punta Cana and between Quebec City and Puerto Plata.

Air Transat is also significantly enhancing its Cuba offer with two additional flights departing from Montreal to Cayo Coco, three to Holguín, two to Varadero and one to Santa Clara.

The company continues to develop its Mexican market, with one additional flight departing from Montreal and one from Quebec City to Cancún, as well as two additional flights from Montreal to Puerto Vallarta.

Air Transat is also setting its sights on high-growth markets such as Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Saint Martin. Each week, one additional direct flight will be departing from Montreal to Cartagena, Liberia, Philipsburg, San José and San Salvador.

DestinationFrom 
Montreal		From 
Quebec City
ACAPULCO – Mexico1
CANCÚN – Mexico 145
CARTAGENA – Colombia3
CAYO COCO – Cuba52
FORT-DE-FRANCE – Martinique3
LIBERIA – Costa Rica4
HAVANA – Cuba2
HOLGUÍN – Cuba 61
MONTEGO BAY – Jamaica 4
PHILIPSBURG – St. Maarten3
POINTE-À-PITRE – Guadeloupe3
PORT-AU-PRINCE – Haiti 1
PUERTO PLATA – Dominican Republic62
PUERTO VALLARTA – Mexico72
PUNTA CANA – Dominican Republic146
RIO HATO – Panama2
SAMANA – Dominican Republic51
SAN JOSÉ – Costa Rica4
SAN JUAN – Puerto Rico1
SAN SALVADOR – El Salvador2
SANTA CLARA – Cuba 32
VARADERO – Cuba 62

Number of weekly flights at the peak of the season

Direct flights to Europe year-round

Departing from Montreal, Air Transat will be offering direct flights to seven European destinations. In accordance with the strategy announced earlier this year, the airline is reducing the seasonal nature of its operations in Europe by offering year-round service to Marseille and Lyon and by extending its flights to Nantes until mid-January.

Departing from Quebec City, the number of flights to Paris will rise to two per week.

DestinationFrom 
Montreal		From 
Quebec City
LISBON – Portugal2
LONDON – UK 3
LYON – France 3
MALAGA – Spain3
MARSEILLE – France2
NANTES – France (until January 13, 2024)2
PARIS – France 72

Number of weekly flights at the peak of the season

Air Transat has also unveiled the details of its 2023-2024 winter flight program for Ontario travellers, slated to begin on November 1, 2023. The airline continues to develop its operations and will offer, at the peak of the season, more than 110 direct flights per week from Toronto, Ottawa, London and Hamilton to over 20 destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America and Europe.

At the peak of the season, Air Transat’s overall program will include over 300 direct flights per week departing from eight Canadian cities. In addition to Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton and London, it will also offer flights from Montreal, Quebec City, Moncton and Halifax.

Sun destinations: more accessible than ever

Compared to last year, over 20 additional flights will be scheduled departing from Ontario, reinforcing the airline’s commitment to meet travellers’ needs while offering even greater travel day flexibility.

In particular, the company is strengthening its position as the primary Canadian airline serving the Dominican Republic. At the peak of the season, four additional direct flights will be offered each week between Toronto and Punta Cana, while one additional direct flight will be offered between Toronto and Puerto Plata, as well as Toronto and Samana. One additional direct flight will connect Ottawa and London with Punta Cana.

Air Transat is also significantly enhancing its Cuba offer with two additional flights departing from Toronto to Cayo Coco and one additional flight to Holguín, Varadero and Santa Clara.

The company continues to develop its Mexican market, with four additional flights departing from Toronto to Cancún and two to Puerto Vallarta. One additional flight will depart from Ottawa and London to Cancún.

DestinationFrom 
Toronto		From 
Ottawa		From 
London		From 
Hamilton
CANCÚN – Mexico 14321
CARTAGENA – Colombia1
CAYO COCO – Cuba511
LIBERIA – Costa Rica4
LA ROMANA – Dominican Republic1
HOLGUÍN – Cuba 5
MONTEGO BAY – Jamaica 7
PHILIPSBURG – St. Maarten1
PUERTO PLATA – Dominican Republic511
PUERTO VALLARTA – Mexico4
PUNTA CANA – Dominican Republic14321
RIO HATO – Panama2
SAMANA – Dominican Republic3
SAN JOSE – Costa Rica3
SAN JUAN – Puerto Rico1
SANTA CLARA – Cuba 31
VARADERO – Cuba 51

Number of weekly flights at the peak of the season

Direct flights to Europe year-round

Departing from Toronto, Air Transat will be serving six European destinations, for a total of 20 direct flights to Europeeach week. The airline is boosting the frequency of its weekly service to Faro to two direct flights.

DestinationFromToronto
FARO – Portugal2
GLASGOW – UK 1
LISBON – Portugal 2
LONDON – UK7
MANCHESTER – UK2
PORTO – Portugal2

Number of weekly flights at the peak of the season

Top Copyright Photo: Air Transat Airbus A330-243 C-GUBT (msn 732) LGW (Richard Vandervord). Image: 960465.

Air Transat aircraft photo gallery:

Air Transat aircraft photo gallery

Malaysia Aviation Group posts turnaround in operating profit at RM556mil from a loss of RM767mil a year ago

Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330-223 9M-MTY (msn 968) (Negaraku) DPS (Pascal Simon). Image: 946467.
  • Record Net Profit After Interest and Tax of RM1.146bil in Q42022
  • Net operating profit of RM556mil for full year 2022 with 2 consecutive quarters of operating profit
  • 272% improvement in EBITDA at RM+1.61bil compared to +ve RM433mil a year ago
  • Passenger traffic and capacity increased by 5.7X and 6.9X YoY
  • Strong load factor of 81% in Q42022 and average load factor of 75% for 2022

Malaysia Aviation Group (Malaysia Airlines) marked one of its best ever quarter performance since the past two decades attributed to robust demand, higher yield across passenger and cargo business segments as well as effective cost management and cashflow optimisation, despite higher fuel prices and labour costs, weaker ringgit (MYR) and lower than pre-pandemic flight capacity levels. MAG achieved record net profit after interest and tax of RM1.146bil in Q422. For full year 2022, the Group recorded net operating profit of RM556mil, while net loss after interest and tax for the year reduced 79% to RM344mil from RM1.65bil a year ago. Cash balance stood at RM4.6bil at end 31 Dec 2022.

The Group also saw improvement across all its business segments during the year. Cargo subsidiary, MABkargo Berhad (MABkargo) recorded marginally weaker performance compared to a year ago amid softening of global freight demand and increased capacity in the market in the 2H22. Main airline, Malaysia Airlines Berhad’s (MAB) total revenue tripled compared to the year before, underpinned by strong demand on the international sector for both passenger travel and cargo freight. 

Operational Highlights

Airline Business

  • MAB achieved breakeven at operating profit level, an exceptional turnaround from operating loss of RM612mil a year ago.
  • Passengers carried was 6.7X higher than previous year with load at 62% higher while yield declined by 16% with more capacity deployed.
  • MAB On-time Performance (OTP) is down at 82%, compared to 89%  a year ago.
  • MAB recorded a slight downtrend in Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI), which was 79% Year-to-Date (YTD) compared to 84% in 2021 with the airline’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) reduced to +31 points in 2022 compared to +54 points in 2021. The airline faced challenges with its OTP and customer experience during the year and is committed to improving its performance in these areas with the immediate formation of a Customer Experience Taskforce comprising key business units including Engineering and In-flight Operations.
  • In 2022, MAB has refurbished eight Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft to include new lighter seats, interior and introduced MH Studio, an innovative wireless in-flight entertainment onboard. 
  • In partnership with Qatar Airways, MAB doubled its capacity between Kuala Lumpur and Doha with a second daily nonstop flight in August 2022, in response to high passenger demand on this route. With this MAB was able to further grow its network and connect to more destinations in North America, Europe and Africa.
  • Firefly maintained in loss position for 2022, on the back of weak yield and demand for both ATR and jet operations.
  • Firefly resumed jet operations from the Penang hub on 11 April 2022 with daily return flights from Penang to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.
  • Amal recorded its first year of profit from a loss position a year ago with the resumption of Hajj/Umrah travels.

Aviation Services

  • MABkargo’s performance remains strong amid weakening of cargo demand in Q42022. MABkargo achieved higher CTKM by 17% against target and maintaining its yield year on year.
  • MAB Engineering continue to gain traction and performed well with third party revenue now contributing to 30% of its revenue.
  • AeroDarat Services recorded an improvement of 66% on its financial performance year on year. The number of flights it handled doubled during the year compared to a year ago.

Loyalty & Travel Services

  • Enrich, MAG’s loyalty business segment more than doubled its revenue during the year with higher flight redemptions as the Group resumes flights to more destinations during the year.
  • Journify, an integrated one-stop lifestyle digital platform representing the e-commerce and travel services business portfolio of MAG saw a good traction recording 10.04 million new customer traffic on its website.

Outlook – Remarks by Group Managing Director, Captain Izham Ismail

MAG has emerged from the COVID19 on a strong financial footing and is charting an upward financial trajectory, however, there are still many areas for improvement especially in OTP and customer experience. The Group is fully committed to addressing these gaps and delivering an unparalleled customer experience.

Travel demand outlook remains strong in the near term, although macroeconomics environment remains very challenging with sustained high fuel prices, volatile forex, higher operating costs due to inflation, labour constraints, recession and geopolitical risks.

With China’s border reopening in January 2023, MAB aims to regain the remaining capacity for its entire network which currently stands at 85%, and fully recovering services to China and North Asia by the end of 1H23. This will spur economic growth between Malaysia and China, boosting the overall business and trade links between the two countries.

In line with its Long-Term Business Plan 2.0 and continuing the growth of Firefly jet operations, MAB will be transferring in phases intra-Borneo services and Kota Kinabalu international services to Firefly, as a result of continued positive demand recoveries across all the markets.

Amal plans to ramp up capacity by at least 10% in 2023 to meet surging in demand where total Umrah traffic today has exceeded pre-Covid-19 level and Hajj quota is back to normal level. Amal will look into inducing demand in Malaysia as well as exploring opportunities outside Malaysia as part of its long-term growth plan.

In terms of fleet, MAG looks forward to taking delivery of four out of 25 Boeing 737-8 from 3Q23 onwards, which will see it deliver operational improvement directly with lower fuel cost and improve total network efficiency.

The Group continues to accelerate its Sustainability Blueprint agenda in all sectors, inspiring positive change through various initiatives. In addition to supporting the United Nations’ 13th SDG (Climate Action), these initiatives target three other SDGs: Goal 5 (Gender Equality), Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).

Top Copyright Photo: Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330-223 9M-MTY (msn 968) (Negaraku) DPS (Pascal Simon). Image: 946467.

Malaysia Airlines aircraft photo gallery:

Malaysia Airlines aircraft photo gallery

SriLankan Airlines to be sold by the government

SriLankan Airlines Airbus A330-243 EI-EOK (msn 627) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 951570.

SriLankan Airlines will soon have new owners.

Ministry of Finance of Sri Lanka is working with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) regarding the sale and divestment of the state-owned flag carrier.

The government put out this statement on the sale of government assets including the airline:

The Government of Sri Lanka Seeks Transaction Advisors To Assist In Divesting Selected State Owned Enterprises:

The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is in the process of implementing deep economic reforms including in the State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) sector. Such reforms are intended to enhance competition, productivity and efficiency across the economy.

To implement SOE reforms, GOSL has set up the State-Owned Enterprise Restructuring Unit (SRU) under the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies (MoF).

Top Copyright Photo: SriLankan Airlines Airbus A330-243 EI-EOK (msn 627) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 951570.

SriLankan Airlines aircraft photo gallery:

SriLankan Airlines aircraft photo gallery

Hawaiian Airlines increases summer frequencies to Austin, Boston, Las Vegas and Pago Pago

Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330-243 N396HA (msn 1488) LAX (Jay Selman). Image: 404276.

Hawaiian Airlines is preparing for strong summer demand to Hawai’i by increasing weekly frequencies between Honolulu and Austin (AUS), Boston (BOS), Las Vegas (LAS) and Pago Pago (PPG). The airline will also add a fourth daily flight between Honolulu and Los Angeles (LAX) twice per week.

Hawaiian will operate the routes with a mix of Airbus A330 and A321neo aircraft. Guests on all flights experience culinary delights through the airline’s Featured Chef Series, signature beverages by Maui Brewing Co. and KōHana Hawaiian Rum, and island treats from the Pau Hana snack cart. Complimentary in-flight entertainment is offered on all transpacific flights and includes the airline’s specially curated video collection, Hana Hou! TV.

Summer Service Schedule

  • AUSTIN: Adding 1x-weekly flight on Fridays (totaling 4x-weekly) | May 26 – Aug. 18.
  • BOSTON: Adding 1x-weekly flight on Thursdays (totaling 5x-weekly) | June 15 – Aug. 17.
  • LAS VEGAS (HA5/6): Adding 1x-weekly flight on Wednesdays | May 31 – Aug. 30. Adding second weekly flight on Saturdays | June 3 – July 29.
    *Peak summer frequency for LAS will be 20x-weekly
  • LOS ANGELES: Adding 2x-daily LAX-HNL on Tuesdays and Fridays | June 2 – July 28.
     *Peak summer frequency for LAX will be 23x-weekly
  • PAGO PAGO: Adding 1x-weekly on Wednesdays (totaling 3x-weekly) | June 7 – Aug. 30.

Top Copyright Photo: Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330-243 N396HA (msn 1488) LAX (Jay Selman). Image: 404276.

Hawaiian Airlines aircraft photo gallery:

Hawaiian Airlines aircraft photo gallery

RwandAir continues fleet expansion with new Airbus A330-200

RwandAir has expanded its fleet with the delivery of its third long-haul aircraft. 

The Airbus A330-200, registered 9XR-WX, is based at the carrier’s Kigali hub, and offers customers a leading experience in the skies.

9XR-WX

The aircraft will allow the Rwandan carrier to further expand its long-haul operation, with additional flights operating between Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Customers will be able to choose from 30 seats in Business Class and 222 seats in Economy Class, giving a greater choice of flexibility.

All photos by RwandAir.

RwandAir will operate the new wide-body aircraft to its key destinations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, including London, Brussels, Lagos and Dubai.

The addition of the new Airbus will bring the African airline’s fleet to 13, consisting of three long-haul, one freighter and nine short-haul aircraft.

Water cannon salute on arrival

Last November, the Rwandan airline received its first dedicated freighter aircraft, as the carrier highlighted the ever-increasing importance of cargo in Rwanda and the aviation industry as a whole.

RwandAir aircraft photo gallery:

RwandAir aircraft photo gallery

Air Greenland says goodbye to its Airbus A330-200 after 20 years, now in Marana, Arizona

Air Greenland Airbus A330-223 OY-GRN (msn 230) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 922693.

Air Greenland’s only Airbus A330-200 (OY-GRN), named “Norsaq”, flew a ferry flight from Copenhagen – on its final flight. Norsaq’s final destination is Pinal Airpark in Marana, Arizona, but first it will stop in Tucson for customs and immigration clearance.

Many have been eagerly awaiting to know what will happen to Norsaq after its last scheduled flight on February 16, 2023. Now we can reveal this.

– The keys to Norsaq will be passed on to its new owners called AAR SUPPLY CHAIN and Norsaq will thus end up as an “organ donor”, i.e. as a spare aircraft, says Air Greenland’s technical manager for the transatlantic aircraft, Henrik Keil and continues. 

– The handover will take place on Monday, March 13, 2023 in a hot desert in Arizona. This is in stark contrast and against Norsaq’s will, he says, pointing out that Norsaq has grown up and been brought up to be a cold-weather aircraft and has only very rarely caused problems due to cold weather.

– Even down to minus 40 degrees. There have sometimes been a few complaints and disagreements, but mostly due to a little too much downtime. Hardly at all during the busy periods.

Some of our colleagues in Copenhagen literally wrote a farewell to Norsaq yesterday, Wednesday 8 March 2023.

Some of our colleagues in Copenhagen literally wrote a farewell to Norsaq, on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.

Norsaq’s many years of faithful service thus ends after many charter trips with happy sun tourists, flights with soldiers to Kuwait and Calgary and with Greenlandic athletes who have participated in the Arctic Winter Games in various places in Canada. But the day-to-day job was of course to be the lifeline between Greenland and Denmark. Keeping an aeroplane in the air for over 20 years requires a dedicated effort.

– This would not have been possible without a large number of truly dedicated technicians from SAS who have faithfully looked after her night after night, caring for her better than their own car and maybe even a partner back home.  Never has there been any whining and complaining. Always Norsaq has received special attention and what in the car world is cleverly called TLC. Tender, Love and Caring, says Henrik.

The flight route that Norsaq will fly tomorrow Friday 10 March goes straight over Nuuk and as we want to ensure the route is as sustainable as possible, it was most obvious that Norsaq went low over Nuuk, which will also be Tuukkaq's new permanent destination when the new runway opens in 2024.

The flight route that Norsaq flew on Friday, March 10, straight over Nuuk and as we want to ensure the route is as sustainable as possible, it was most obvious that Norsaq went low over Nuuk, which will also be Tuukkaq’s new permanent destination when the new runway opens in 2024. 

Video:

https://youtu.be/-l51oO3MD8I

Also in its own ranks, Air Greenland has swept the runway clear so that things were ready and prepared for troubleshooting and planned maintenance of the aircraft.

– This with Peter Bjerre, Lars Christensen, Jens Laurberg, Michael Linder, Mia Mandal, Gert Bo Petersen and Bo Møller who over the years in turn have been a large part of Norsaq’s foster parents.

In Greenland, Johannes Holst, Rudy Mynster, Morten Lanther Larsen, Jan Mejlgaard Larsen and not least our current two technicians Kasper Zeeb Andersen and René Fencker Holm have been ready with headsets on all flight days, asking if everything was OK so that we could fly safely back to Denmark with the up to 140,000 passengers who are flown across the Atlantic every year, he says and puts the farewell to Norsaq in his own words.

– It will be a huge loss, and to my knowledge, there are not many other aircraft in the world that have received the same attention when Norsaq was away from its usual route. It was the red “salami” that all aircraft spotters wanted to have on their lenses, concludes Henrik Keil.

The pilots on the ferry flight will be Michael Madsen (chief pilot A330), who will fly Norsaq's last trip. He was also the pilot who flew Tuukkaq's very first flight. Thomas Kjærulff, senior first officer, will be first officer. He is also the pilot with the most flying hours on the right side of an A330.

The pilots on the ferry flight will be Michael Madsen (chief pilot A330), who will fly Norsaq’s last trip. He was also the pilot who flew Tuukkaq’s very first flight. Thomas Kjærulff, senior first officer, will be first officer. He is also the pilot with the most flying hours on the right side of an A330. 

Technical Manager, Henrik Keil and Michael Linder, Technical Coordinator are also on board for the ferry flight to Arizona together with two representatives from the buyers, AAR SUPPLY CHAIN. The picture is Henrik on the left and Michael on the right and was taken at the handover of Tuukkaq, which now awaits their full attention, care and nurturing.

Technical Manager, Henrik Keil and Michael Linder, Technical Coordinator are also on board for the ferry flight to Arizona together with two representatives from the buyers, AAR SUPPLY CHAIN. The picture is Henrik on the left and Michael on the right and was taken at the handover of Tuukkaq, which now awaits their full attention, care and nurturing.

Did you know this

Norsaq’s flying hours in Air Greenland have totalled 41,364 flying hours and 10,112 take-offs and landings. In other words, it has virtually flown 4800 times up and down the North Atlantic. This has required two undercarriages, two x 2 engine overhauls and 2 APU overhauls as well as a newer APU due to a bearing failure

Norsaq Deices

20 years with Norsaq

Now in Arizona

Top Copyright Photo: Air Greenland Airbus A330-223 OY-GRN (msn 230) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 922693.

Air Greenland aircraft photo gallery:

Air Greenland aircraft photo gallery

Hi Fly welcomes one more Airbus A330-200 to its fleet

Hi Fly Airlines announces the addition of one more Airbus A330-200s to its fleet.

Registered 9H-HFG, the aircraft seats 268 passengers in a three class configuration – 18 high comfort business class seats with flat beds, 36 Premium Economy with extra space and 214 Economy.

Business Class offers a flat-bed that fully extends, designed to optimize comfort and living space for long flight durations. The ergonomic lie flat bed is positioned in a herringbone layout to provide a great sense of individual space and privacy while allowing easy access to the aisle. With relaxing colours and a welcoming atmosphere, the seating system offers each passenger a deluxe suite while maintaining a spacious cabin layout, with a 18-inch video monitor.

Economy Class (Premium with extra legroom and standard) is fitted with 8-abreast configuration seats, all with extra personal space and generous legroom for travelling comfort. Each seat is fitted with individual screen, USB charging ports, and access to shared PC power outlet.

Boliviana de Aviación-BoA introduces a new livery with its first Airbus A320-200

Boliviana de Aviacion-BoA Airbus A330-243 N1452X (msn 1452) SBD (Michael B. Ing). Image: 960090.

Boliviana de Aviación-BoA has introduced a new livery with its first Airbus A320-200. The new livery features native art on the tail.

The current BoA logo is being retained in the new livery
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing.

The Bolivian flag carrier is adding two Airbus A330-200s to replace its Boeing 767-300s on its long-range routes, especially Miami.

The pictured N1452X (top) was formerly operated by Virgin Australia as VH-XFH. The airliner is being leased from Avolon and is expected to take on a CP- registration on delivery.

Top Copyright Photo: Boliviana de Aviacion-BoA Airbus A330-243 N1452X (msn 1452) SBD (Michael B. Ing). Image: 960090.

BoA – Boliviana de Aviación aircraft photo gallery:

Boliviana de Aviación-BoA aircraft photo gallery

Aerolineas Argentinas to increase its flights to Europe

Aerolineas Argentinas, due to increased demand, it is increasing the number of frequencies from Buenos Aires to both Madrid and Rome in April.

Madrid will have nine flights a week.

Rome will have four flights a week.

Top Copyright Photo: Aerolineas Argentinas Airbus A330-203 LV-GKO (msn 587) MIA (Brian McDonough). Image: 959941.

Aerolineas Argentinas aircraft photo gallery: