Month: October 2007

Ural Airlines signs firm order for 7 Airbus A320s

Ural Airlines, one of the leading Russian airlines, has signed a firm contract for the first time with Airbus, for the acquisition of seven A320s. It comes as a confirmation of the Memorandum of Understanding that was announced in June 2007 at the Paris air show. With this deal, Ural Airlines becomes a new Airbus customer.

Ural Airlines’ A320s will feature the all-new cabin that recently entered service on other members of the A320 Family, which provides more passenger comfort in a modern and brighter environment. The ordered aircraft will accommodate up to 160 passengers in a two-class configuration. The choice of engines has yet to be made. The airline plans to operate these aircraft on its international and domestic routes. Currently Ural Airlines operates two leased A320s on routes from Ekaterinburg to Moscow, Hurgada, Sharm-El-Sheikh, Munich, Dusseldorf, Prague, Bangkok, Delhi and Tianjin.

“The deal with Airbus became the most important event of the year for us”, said Sergej Skuratov, Ural Airlines CEO. “We have chosen A320, because this aircraft meets our demands in terms of operational efficiency, comfort and reliability. The conducted surveys give us the grounds to state that the purchase of Airbus aircraft is a win-win deal for both the airline and the passengers.”

“We are proud to welcome Ural Airlines as a new Airbus customer. We are sure that the aircraft’s advanced technology and efficiency, as well as its popularity with passengers and crews, and its market-leading environmental characteristics, will greatly contribute to Ural Airlines continued growth,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers.

With advanced fuel-saving aerodynamic design, including wingtip fences and an all-new lighter cabin helping reduce fuel burn even further, the A320 Family is the most environmentally friendly aircraft type in operation. Centralised maintenance with extended servicing intervals and proven reliability in day-to-day service help to give it the lowest operative costs. In addition, the all new cabin design saves on weight and offers the passenger a quieter and roomier experience as well as significantly larger overhead stowage compartments. The A320 Family, which also includes the A318, A319 and A321, is recognised as the benchmark in the single-aisle aircraft market.

Eleven carriers from Russia and CIS currently operate 62 A320 Family aircraft and 92 more A320 family aircraft are to be delivered in the near future.
The A320 Family has more than 200 customers and operators. To date over 5,300 Airbus single-aisle aircraft have been ordered and more than 3,200 have been delivered.

SAS returns Q400 back to traffic

Following an extensive inspection program and parts replacement, SAS is now returning Dash8/Q400 aircraft to traffic. Flights will begin today and more aircraft will successively return to traffic after testing and parts replacement have been completed.

SAS chose to ground the entire Q400 fleet following two accidents, in Aalborg on September 9 and Vilnius on September 12, to replace parts identified as the cause of the accidents. This involved an actuator in the main landing gear that was affected by corrosion.

At an early stage, SAS decided to replace all actuators, whether they showed signs of corrosion or not. Accordingly, SAS took actions that went a step further than those required by the civil aviation authorities and the aircraft manufacturer.

SAS has conducted extensive inspections of the main landing gear and the nose gear, and undertook much more comprehensive inspections than those required by the civil aviation authorities and the aircraft manufacturer. Thereafter, the aircraft that are now being returned to traffic have undergone extensive test flights and have received the necessary airworthiness certificates from the authorities.

Eight of Scandinavian Airline’s Q400s are now ready to return to traffic – five in Denmark and three in Sweden. Test flights of the remaining aircraft in the fleet are continuing and they will be returned to traffic successively. In Denmark, the first flight will be to Hamburg on Thursday and in Sweden the first flight will be to Örnsköldsvik. In Denmark, there will be a total of seven flights with the Q400 on Thursday and in Sweden four flights. SAS expects that it will be able to offer its full traffic program not later than October 15. Wideroe plans to put three of its four Q400 aircraft in traffic on Thursday and the fourth on Sunday.

SAS will initiate discussions with Bombardier regarding compensation for the costs and lost income incurred due to the aircraft being grounded for about three weeks.

Source: SAS

Photos – A380 at Bradley International Airport (BDL)

At flickr several people posted pictures of the Airbus A380 MSN 009 test aircraft visiting Bradley (BDL) (Connecticut, USA) on October 2 during a technical route proving flight. MSN 009 is equipped with the new Engine Alliance GP7000 engines.

Following the links to the galleries:

Vietnam Airlines acquires 10 A350 XWB and 20 additional A321

a350icon.jpgVietnam Airlines has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for 10 A350-900 XWBs, as well as for 20 additional A321s. With this further commitment for Airbus aircraft, Vietnam Airlines becomes a strategic customer for the A350 XWB programme. Furthermore, with this commitment for the A350 and for additional A321s, Vietnam Airlines will become one of the largest Airbus operators in Asia.

Vietnam Airlines currently operates a fleet of 23 Airbus aircraft, including 10 A320s, 10 A321s and three A330s (two -200s and one -300). Five previously ordered A321s are still to be delivered.

“We thoroughly reviewed the A350 XWB programme, and we are very confident that this aircraft will set new standards of passenger comfort, operating economics and low emissions in our growing long-haul markets. The size of the A350-900 XWB responds very well to our expected traffic growth over the next decade,” said Mr Nguyen Sy Hung, Chairman and CEO of Vietnam Airlines. “Our A330s already provide us with an excellent level of economics combined with superior passenger appeal. The A350 XWB will further consolidate our successful growth and long term development into the future.”

“We are very proud to have one of the most successful and well respected airline like Vietnam Airlines to confirm its choice for the A350 XWB”, said Thomas Enders, Airbus Chief Executive Officer. “We are very grateful for this strong endorsement of the A350 XWB programme, and together with the additional A321s, we are also pleased to be playing a major role in Vietnam Airlines’ continued expansion of its regional network. We are delighted with our long-standing partnership with Vietnam Airlines, and look forward to continuing this relationship into the future.”

With Vietnam Airlines’ endorsement, total firm orders and commitments for the A350 XWB programme stand at 264 aircraft (154 firm orders and 110 commitments).