Spirit Airlines today celebrated a major company first with the unveiling of its first A321neo aircraft in a ceremony at the airline’s Detroit maintenance hangar. The aircraft, A321-271NX, N702NK, msn 11328, will operate its first commercial flight on June 7. Spirit plans to accept seven more new A321neos in 2023, and 24 more are projected for delivery in 2024 in addition to other A320 Family aircraft deliveries.
Spirit Airlines’ first Airbus A321neo (N702NK) at the airline’s maintenance facility in Detroit.
The A321 is the largest member of the Airbus A320 Family, and Spirit currently operates 30 A321ceo aircraft in its fleet of nearly 200 aircraft. Spirit already operates one of the youngest and most fuel-efficient fleets in the industry and adding the A321neo to its fleet will drive even more fuel efficiency. Going forward, all of Spirit’s A321 aircraft will deliver with new engine option (NEO) advanced engines that together with fuel-saving Sharklet™ wingtip devices, are 20 percent more fuel-efficient than A321ceo aircraft. Additionally, the new aircraft offer additional range and a quieter onboard experience for Guests.
Spirit is currently in a fleet renewal process as it retires its A319ceo aircraft while adding larger, more modern aircraft to increase capacity and fuel efficiency. Spirit recently completed an agreement to sell 29 of its A319ceo aircraft, which are the oldest aircraft in Spirit’s fleet and the smallest of the Airbus A320 Family aircraft. The company is planning for all its A319ceo aircraft to transition out the fleet by the end of 2025.
The new features and benefits of the A321neo include:
A321neos offer expanded seating capacity with the optimized use of cabin space, increased exit limits and a new cabin door configuration. Additionally, all new aircraft are receiving Spirit’s latest cabin upgrade with enhanced, wider seats that include additional usable legroom from the curved seatback design.
The larger aircraft allow Spirit to increase capacity at constrained slot-controlled airports, providing More Go for Guests in major metropolitan areas.
Spirit will maintain its wide aisles that allow quicker on- and off-boarding and extra space for crews to work.
The new aircraft add an additional 500 nautical miles in range over the previous generation A321ceo type, opening new destination opportunities.
Spirit is installing Pratt & Whitney GTF engines on new aircraft deliveries. The GTF engine has demonstrated its promised ability to reduce fuel burn and carbon emissions by 16 percent on this family of aircraft, reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 50 percent compared to the regulatory standard and reduce the noise footprint by 75 percent.
Aer Lingus today commences its inaugural service to Cleveland in Ohio, its first new transatlantic route since 2019, on cue with the surge in US demand for travel this summer.
With the start of its new service, Aer Lingus becomes the only airline to fly between Europe and Cleveland, opening a unique gateway to the Midwest for its customers.
Customer demand for the route has already taken off, with more than 90% of seats booked across the peak summer season, with general transatlantic bookings up more than 20% on 2019 levels this summer.
The bounce back in demand for premium leisure travel has fuelled the jump in demand from Aer Lingus’ UK and European customers connecting via Dublin, with bookings to Washington D.C. and Orlando increasing by 40% and 35% respectively, since 2019.
Since 2013, Aer Lingus has grown the number of transatlantic routes it serves from six to 19 in 2023 and the number of transatlantic passengers will have almost tripled in the same timeframe, from 1.1m in 2013 to an expected 3m in 2023.
The new four-times a week service from Dublin is operated with one of the airline’s state-of-the-art Airbus A321neoLRs, which is Aer Lingus’ most sustainable long-haul aircraft. It delivers up to a 20% reduction in fuel burn and CO2 emissions and almost reducing by half its noise footprint when compared to previous generation aircraft.
It accounts for over a third of Aer Lingus’ current fleet and from 2024/2025 it will boast this further with the planned delivery of six Airbus A321XLRs, which will open up further opportunities to expand Aer Lingus’ transatlantic network and deliver more new routes.
The inaugural service of flight EI87 departed the Irish capital at 3:30pm for its eight-hour 20-minute transatlantic crossing in time for its scheduled arrival at 6:50pm (local).
The returning EI86 will depart Cleveland every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday at 8:20pm, and will arrive back into Dublin at 4:55am the next day.
Top Copyright Photo: Aer Lingus Airbus A321-253NX WL EI-LRD (msn 9187) DUB (Michael Kelly). Image: 957058.
AerCap Holdings N.V. has announced it has completed a mandate for the lease of four new Airbus A321neo aircraft with Air India, the flag carrier of India, following the delivery of the fourth aircraft.
The aircraft, powered by CFM LEAP-1A engines, are the first A321neo aircraft to be inducted into the Air India fleet.
In other news, the company will launch nonstop flights from Amsterdam to Delhi.
The flight will operate with a two-class Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner four times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday) starting on June 11, 2023.
Amsterdam will be the 8th continental European city served by Air India, and the fourth European destination that the airline has connected from Delhi in the last four months. It takes Air India’s frequency of nonstop flights between India and Europe to 77 per week, offering passengers greater flexibility and convenience.
SAS has expanded its schedule to the New York area and started a direct route to Newark Liberty International Airport in New York from Landvetter Airport. The first flight took place on April 28.
The new route enables residents of Gothenburg to fly directly to New York three times a week with the latest addition to the SAS aircraft fleet – the Airbus A321 Long Range – offering a more comfortable and sustainable way to travel.
The new route is a complement to SAS’s four routes to New York that exist today, and with the new route, SAS will offer a total of five daily departures from Scandinavia to New York.
On April 27, 2023, SAS flew its first direct flight from Aalborg Airport to Newark Liberty Airport in New York. With the new route, citizens in and around Aalborg and the rest of Jutland can fly directly to New York three times a week with SAS’s latest addition to the fleet – the Airbus A321 Long Range.
Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A321-271N WL N204HA (msn 7959) LGB (Michael B. Ing). Image: 942740.
Hawaiian Holdings, Inc., parent company of Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2023.
“A big mahalo to our team who continue to make us a stronger, better airline. The demand for leisure travel remains strong in the domestic markets we serve, and we see similar conditions in most of our international markets,” said Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Peter Ingram. “In recent days, our team completed a significant technology initiative, one of many projects underway in 2023 that position us for a bright future. We look forward to sustaining momentum on these initiatives and returning Hawaiian to profitability.”
First Quarter 2023- Key Financial Metrics and Results
GAAP
YoY Change
Adjusted (a)
YoY Change
Net Loss
($98.3M)
+$35.0M
($111.8M)
+$18.5M
Diluted EPS
($1.91)
+$0.69
($2.17)
+$0.37
Pre-tax Margin
(20.5) %
+14.3 pts.
(23.0) %
+11.4 pts.
EBITDA
($70.3M)
+$37.2M
($85.4M)
+$20.1M
Operating Cost per ASM
14.85¢
0.19¢
11.04¢
(0.03)¢
Operating Revenue per ASM
12.46¢
1.27¢
N/A
N/A
(a) See Table 4 for a reconciliation of adjusted net loss, adjusted diluted EPS, adjusted pre-tax margin, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted operating cost per ASM (CASM excluding fuel and non-recurring items) to each of their respective most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.
Statistical data, as well as a reconciliation of the reported non-GAAP financial measures, can be found in the accompanying tables.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of March 31, 2023, the Company had:
Unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $1.4 billion
$1.6 billion in liquidity, including its undrawn $235 million revolving credit facility
Outstanding debt and finance lease obligations of $1.7 billion
Revenue Environment
Hawaiian benefited from continued robust leisure demand from North America to Hawaiʻi and the restoration of its international network excluding Japan. International traffic was buoyed by strong U.S. point of sale activity. Demand remained strong for premium products both domestically and internationally. The Company’s overall operating revenue for the first quarter 2023 was up 28.4% from the first quarter 2022 on 15.4% higher capacity as Hawaiian recovered from the effects of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, which impacted results in the first quarter 2022.
Other revenue was down 12.4% compared to the first quarter of 2022 driven by a decrease in cargo revenue.
Operational Environment
Several challenges continued to negatively affect the environment in which the Company operates. Constraints on the availability of A321 aircraft due to Pratt & Whitney engine delays, ongoing runway construction at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu (HNL), and delays related to air traffic control protocols disrupted Hawaiian’s on-time performance, impaired its scheduling, and adversely affected its financial results.
Limitations on Hawaiian’s A321 fleet availability necessitated the substitution of A330 aircraft, which are less fuel efficient, on some A321 routes. Fuel consumption for the first quarter 2023 was up 21.4% as compared to the first quarter of 2022 due to higher capacity and inefficiencies resulting from these challenges.
First Quarter 2023 Highlights
Technology Advancement
Transitioned its Passenger Service System to Amadeus’ Altea platform marking a significant information technology (“IT”) accomplishment for the Company in April; this new platform will enable the Company to be more commercially and operationally nimble
Routes and Network
Operated at 115% of its 2022 first quarter capacity, comprised of 98%, 119%, and 275% capacity on its North America, Neighbor Island and International routes, respectively
Announced an increase in summer weekly frequencies between Honolulu and Austin, Boston, Las Vegas, and Pago Pago in preparation for strong summer demand to Hawai’i as well as a fourth daily flight between Honoluluand Los Angeles twice per week
Announced resumption of service between Honolulu and Fukuoka beginning April 28 with thrice-weekly service
Guest Experience
Streamlined the Honolulu travel experience with the opening of a new TSA security checkpoint at HNL, which added 1,000 square feet for passenger queuing and 3,000 square feet of screening area; expanded screening capacity alleviates congestion and benefits all guests whether they are flying to a neighbor island or boarding a transpacific flight
People
Received ratification by Hawaiian’s pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Association of a four-year contract that provides for pay scale increases across all fleet types, improved health benefits, a signing bonus, and cost sharing, and enhancements to the postretirement and disability plans for more than 1,000 employees
Formed a partnership with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Aviation Maintenance Technology SkillBridge program which provides an opportunity for veterans to bridge the transition into the civilian aviation and aerospace sector
Established a $100,000 scholarship fund in partnership with Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business to encourage Hawai’i students to pursue careers in IT with the potential to build a career at Hawaiian
Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance
Committed to new milestones on the path to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050; the Company’s decarbonization roadmap relies on several key drivers, including the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), fleet modernization and new aircraft technologies, operational best practices to improve fuel efficiency, and advocacy for air traffic control system improvements
Announced an agreement with biofuel company Gevo, Inc. to purchase 50 million gallons of SAF over five years with deliveries to Hawaiian’s gateway cities in California anticipated starting in 2029
Published the No Kākou a Pau (“interconnectedness”) economic impact report which underscores the ways Hawaiian is connected to the economy of its home state including stimulating $10.2 billion in economic activity in Hawai’i and providing, directly or indirectly, for 53,500 jobs statewide in 2022
Second Quarter 2023 Outlook
The table below summarizes the Company’s expectations for the quarter ending June 30, 2023 expressed as an expected percentage change compared to the results for the quarter ended June 30, 2022.
Item
Second Quarter 2023 Guidance
GAAP Equivalent
GAAP Second Quarter 2023 Guidance
Available Seat Miles (ASMs)
Up 10.5% to up 13.5%
Operating Revenue per ASM (RASM)
Down 8.5% to down 11.5%
CASM excluding fuel and non-recurring items (a)
Flat to up 3%
Costs per ASM
Down 8.2% to down 10.2%
Gallons of Jet Fuel Consumed
Up 16.5% to up 19.5%
Economic Fuel Price per Gallon (a)(b)
$2.62
Average fuel price per gallon, including taxes and delivery
Effective Tax Rate
21.0 %
Full Year 2023 Outlook
The table below summarizes the Company’s updated expectations for the full year ending December 31, 2023expressed as an expected percentage change compared to the results for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Item
Prior Full Year 2023 Guidance
Full Year 2023 Guidance
Gallons of Jet Fuel Consumed
Up 10.5% to up 13.5%
Up 12.5% to up 15.5%
Economic Fuel Price per Gallon (a)(b)
$2.92
$2.70
(a) See Table 3 and Table 4 for a reconciliation of CASM excluding fuel and non-recurring items and economic fuel price per gallon to each of their respective most directly comparable GAAP financial measures.
(b) Fuel Price per Gallon estimates are based on the April 11, 2023 fuel forward curve.
Statistical information, as well as a reconciliation of certain non-GAAP financial measures, can be found in the accompanying tables.
Top Copyright Photo: Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A321-271N WL N204HA (msn 7959) LGB (Michael B. Ing). Image: 942740.
Sky Express (Greece) has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321neo. The aircraft (SX-GRA) was handed over on March 27 and. arrived at the Athens base last week.
A second A321neo is due late this year.
The fleet now has 23 aircraft.
George Lioumbis, General Manager of SKY express, pointed out:“We are very proud to welcome our first AIRBUS A321neo. True to our vision to provide our passengers with a unique travel experience, we continue vigorously to constantly upgrade our services, to further enhance our competitiveness and to contribute substantially to the economy of our country. As part of this vision, the increased capabilities of our new aircraft will be a very important tool for both our team and the traveling public.”
It is worth underlining that SKY express is the major Greek airline that contributes decisively to the strengthening of the country’s tourist traffic this summer too, with more than 3,800,000 seats on offer, increased by 20% compared to last year, while operating to and from 64 airports in Greece and abroad.
Airbus has announced the successful delivery of its first Airbus A321neo to the low-cost carrier HK Express, a member of Cathay Pacific Group based in Hong Kong.
This milestone marks the first of 16 A321neo aircraft for HK Express and features the airline’s latest livery, with vibrant shades of purple and white. In addition, the aircraft’s winglets and empennage spots an “e” shaped journey symbol, which evokes the start of a pleasant journey with HK Express.
Photo: HK Express
HK Express’ A321neo is powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines and can seat up to 236 passengers in Airbus’ award-winning Airspace cabin, which brings unique lighting displays, more personal space and a sleek design to improve passenger experience.
HK Express is an all-Airbus operator, with its current fleet comprising 27 A320 Family aircraft, including 11A321ceo, 10 A320neo, five A320ceo and its first A321neo.
PLAY Airlines Airbus A321-251N WL TF-AEW (msn 8008) BWI (Tony Storck). Image: 959519.
Play Airlines has announced it will start a new route linking its Keflavik hub with Amsterdam.
Amsterdam
The airline made this announcement:
PLAY, the low-cost carrier from Iceland, has announced the addition of Amsterdam to its summer schedule in 2023. The airline’s first flight to Schiphol Airport is scheduled for June 5, with up to five flights per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
As a transatlantic carrier between Europe and North America, PLAY operates from its hub at Keflavik Airport in Iceland, perfectly positioned between the two continents. With Amsterdam as its newest destination, passengers can travel between Amsterdam and four U.S. cities, including New York, Boston, Washington DC, and Baltimore, as well as Toronto in Canada via Iceland.
Airbus A321neo
Since its first flight in June 2021, PLAY has expanded its fleet from three Airbus A320neo aircraft to six in 2022 and will operate 10 Airbus A320/321neo aircraft in 2023. The average age of PLAY’s aircraft is just 2.3 years, making our passengers’ journey comfortable, safe and reliable. With a network of nearly 40 destinations and over a million passengers flown since its launch, PLAY has a solid track record of an impressive 87% on-time performance in 2022.
Top Copyright Photo: PLAY Airlines Airbus A321-251N WL TF-AEW (msn 8008) BWI (Tony Storck). Image: 959519.
PLAY Airlines Airbus A321-251N WL TF-PLB (msn 7945) STN (Antony J. Best). Image: 959313.
PLAY Airlines has launched ticket sales for flights from Iceland and the U.S. to Glasgow International Airport in Scotland.
The airline’s inaugural flight to Glasgow from Keflavik will take off on Friday, May 26, 2023.
Glasgow
With flights scheduled four times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, Glasgow will now be fully connected to PLAY’s North American routes.
PLAY currently operates flights to Boston, Washington DC, Baltimore, and New York in the United States, as well as Toronto in Canada. Passengers can enjoy a comfortable journey on Airbus A320neo with 180 seats, and this summer, PLAY’s fleet will consist of 10 Airbus A320/321neo, with an average age of approximately 2.5 years.
Top Copyright Photo: PLAY Airlines Airbus A321-251N WL TF-PLB (msn 7945) STN (Antony J. Best). Image: 959313.
Air Transat Airbus A321-271NX WL C-GOJC (msn 10521) YYZ (TMK Photography). Image: 956884.
Air Transat has announced that it will offer a nonstop service between Montreal (Trudeau) and Lyon next winter, thus becoming the only airline to operate this route year-round.
In winter 2023-2024, this route will operate three days a week from Montreal on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Air Transat already flies up to seven times per week between Montreal and Lyon in the summer season. It services a total of eight French cities including two on a year-round schedule, namely Paris and now Lyon.
The route will be operated with new generation Airbus A321LR aircraft featuring spacious cabins, state-of-the-art in-seat entertainment systems and the lowest fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions (CO2 and NOx) in their class.
Top Copyright Photo: Air Transat Airbus A321-271NX WL C-GOJC (msn 10521) YYZ (TMK Photography). Image: 956884.
Frontier Airlines (2nd) Airbus A321-251NX WL N604FR (msn 11086) (America’s Green Airline) BWI (Tony Storck). Image: 960049.
Frontier Airlines on February 25 launched seasonal nonstop service from Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ).
With the new service, Frontier serves a total of 12 nonstop destinations from MDW.
Service from Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW):
SERVICE TO:
SERVICE START:
SERVICE FREQUENCY:
INTRO FARE:
Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ)
Feb. 25, 2023
1x/week
$159*
Frequency and times are subject to change.
Top Copyright Photo: Frontier Airlines (2nd) Airbus A321-251NX WL N604FR (msn 11086) (America’s Green Airline) BWI (Tony Storck). Image: 960049.
The Tata Group-owned Air India has announced its commitment to order 250 Airbus aircraft to boost its domestic and international operations.
The commitment includes 140 A320neo and 70 A321neo single-aisle aircraft as well as 34 A350-1000 and six A350-900 wide-body jets that will mark a new era for the country as the all-new, long-range aircraft celebrates its debut in the Indian market.
Image: Airbus
The order aims to both modernize and expand the airline’s fleet with the objective of creating a larger and premium full-service carrier that will cater to the growing travel demand in the region. Deliveries are set to commence with the first A350-900 arriving by late-2023.
Scandinavian Airlines-SAS Airbus A321-253NX WL SE-DMO (msn 9541) IAD (Brian McDonough). Image: 956922.
On February 9, 2023 SAS launched its new route between Copenhagen Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
The new route enables SAS customers to travel easily to and from both the West and East side of New York as SAS continues to offer departures from Scandinavia to Newark.
The inaugural flight takes place with SAS’s latest addition to their fleet – the Airbus A321 Long Range which offers a more comfortable and sustainable way of traveling.
JFK service begins with five weekly flights from Copenhagen, ramping up with daily flights for the summer schedule. SAS operates into terminal 7 at JFK.
US destinations continue to generate demand for more and frequent departures. SAS will offer about 130 departures per week on a total of 12 routes this winter.
Schedules to and from JFK: Winter 2022 Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday CPH-JFK: 18:25 – 21:30 JFK-CPH: 23:00 – 12:55
The Airbus A321 Long Range is part of the latest generation of aircraft and is expected to reduce climate-impacting emissions by 15-18 percent compared to similar previous-generation aircraft. This latest addition to the fleet means travelers get access to more intercontinental routes with fewer stopovers, and shorter travel times to and from Scandinavia.
The aircraft has 22 Business, 12 Plus and 123 Go seats, meaning a total of 157 seats in a single aisle aircraft. The seats are especially chosen for the A321LR to optimize the comfort in all three travel classes. Seats in SAS Business are fully flat seat beds and there are different mood light scenarios in the cabins, as well as hi-speed WiFi. Every seat is equipped with IFE screens, PC power and/or hi-power USB. The reduced noise level inside the cabin will further enhance the travel experience on board. The A321LR is part of SAS’ ongoing fleet renewal and will reduce climate-impacting emissions compared to previous generations of similar aircraft.
Top Copyright Photo: Scandinavian Airlines-SAS Airbus A321-253NX WL SE-DMO (msn 9541) IAD (Brian McDonough). Image: 956922.
