OMAN: Oman Air To Phase Out Embraer 175 Jets And Replace With Dreamliner Or Airbus A350 Jets Before 2023

Around 9.8 million passengers are expected to fly with the airline this year

Oman Air is considering adding more flights to Asia, including to China and South Korea, but is delaying its break even date to beyond this year, its new chief executive said on Sunday.

The state-owned airline, which no longer relies on government funding, had earlier delayed its break even date from 2017 to this year.

It could now potentially break even in the next two to three years, Chief Executive Abdulaziz al-Raisi in Dubai. He later said it was difficult to set a date because stemming losses would partly depend on external factors.

Middle East air traffic has been disrupted in recent years by conflict in Iraq and Syria.

A political dispute in the Gulf since last June has also barred flights from Qatar to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt.

Oman has remained neutral.

Raisi said he was concerned about escalating conflict after a warning this month for airlines to exercise caution in the eastern Mediterranean ahead of air strikes by the United States, Britain, and France on Syria.

Parts of the Middle East airspace are already congested and any changes to flight paths usually mean higher fuel costs and longer flying times for airlines.

Raisi, a 33-year Oman Air veteran, was appointed as CEO earlier on Sunday having held the position in an acting capacity since October.

He said the airline would focus on carrying more passengers to and from Oman.

We are not trying to compete with the three big ones, Raisi said, referring to the region’s biggest airlines Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad Airways, which focus on connecting passengers through their Gulf hubs.

Oman Air could fly to more destinations in Asia from as soon as 2019 after starting flights to Istanbul, Casablanca, Moscow, and the Maldives this year, Raisi said at the Arabian Travel Market exhibition in Dubai.

Around 9.8 million passengers are expected to fly with the airline this year, up from 8.5 million, he added.

Oman Air intends to phase out its four Embraer 175 jets this year and will place a new order for Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft or Airbus A350 jets before 2023 to replace its A330s, Raisi said.

He did not disclose how many jets they could order.

Oman Air already operates 787 Dreamliners.



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Airbus A350 Fire Risk Triggers EASA Emergency Directive

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued an emergency airworthiness directive (AD), warning operators that there is a risk of the Airbus A350 hydraulic engine driven pump (EDP) overheating and causing a fire.

EASA issued the AD because the A350’s hydraulic fluid cooling system is located in the fuel tanks.

An Airbus spokeswoman said the A350 fleet is still flying normally, despite the AD which took effect on Aug. 24 affecting all A350s.

Recently, an overheat failure mode of the A350 hydraulic engine driven pump (EDP) has been found.

Such EDP failure may cause a fast temperature rise of the hydraulic fluid.

This condition, if not detected and corrected, combined with an inoperative fuel tank inerting system (FTIS), could lead to an uncontrolled overheat of the hydraulic fluid, possibly resulting in ignition of the fuel-air mixture in the affected fuel tank,” EASA said in the AD.

EASA said the alert was an interim measure and a further AD may follow.

In response, Airbus has revised the A350 master minimum equipment list (MMEL) to avoid an uncontrolled overheat of the hydraulic system.

Airbus found the issue on one of the A350s and brought it to the attention of operators and the authorities, the Airbus spokeswoman said. She was unable to immediate specify whether problem was spotted on the A350 test fleet, or an in-service aircraft.

She said Airbus is working on an easy retrofit software fix for the monitoring and control systems, which should be ready over the coming weeks. This fix is already available for test on simulators.

Airlines have to apply the AD and monitor the situation, but there is no other specific action required. It is business as usual and all operations are going ahead as planned, she said.



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CHINA: China Aviation Supplies Holding Company Orders 140 Airbus Jets

China’s state aviation supply firm has reached an agreement covering purchase of 140 Airbus jets including 40 A350s.

Airbus has confirmed the general terms agreement for the aircraft, the balance of which comprises 100 A320-family jets.

The pact was signed in Berlin with the China Aviation Supplies Holding Company, in the presence of German chancellor Angela Merkel.

No engine selection has been given for the single-aisle jets. The A350s will all be fitted with Rolls-Royce Trent XWBs as standard.
Airbus has not given any indication of delivery dates or the specific variants of either the A350s or the A320-family aircraft. The eventual airline operators have not been disclosed.

Meanwhile,A Ryanair plane landed so violently that a passenger “feared the landing gear would snap”.

The bumpy landing was filmed by a passenger travelling from Fuerteventure in Spain on Friday and shows the nail-biting moment the plane hits the tarmac with a thud.

The passenger filmed the plane coming in to land at Leeds Bradford airport and was hurled forwards by the force.

Other travellers are heard shouting out in the footage as the plane touched down.

The passenger said he felt as though the aircraft “fell out of the sky” onto the runway.
He added: “I have flown for many years, and this has had to be the first landing where I have thought the main gear was going to collapse.

“Once on the tarmac we were thrown from left to right trying to straighten up.

“Frightening experience.”

No one was injured in the landing.

A spokesman for Ryanair said: “The aircraft experienced cross winds on approach to Leeds Bradford airport and landed normally and safely.”

Earlier this week a Flybe plane carrying 58 passengers was forced to make an emergency landing when its windscreen cracked mid-air.

Emergency services rushed to Southampton Airport, Hampshire, with fire crews from across the county put on alert.

However the budget airline’s BE981 flight from Belfast to Southampton was able to make a safe landing at around 8am.

An airport spokesman said: “We can confirm that an incident with an aircraft was reported on approach to the airport.

“The airport took a precautionary measure to alert emergency services.

“The aircraft landed safely and the incident was stood down.”



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UAE: Emirates Launch Flights To Hong Kong

Emirates is set to boost its service to Hong Kong with the arrival of a 615-seater superjumbo, while Cathay Pacific will launch new summer flights to Barcelona in a double coup for the airport.

The Dubai carrier will start regular service with its Airbus A380 on the Dubai-Bangkok-Hong Kong service – flights EK384/385 – from October 1, according to aviation data tracking service Airline Route. The airline confirmed the aircraft would be upsized and it would also be deployed to the city over the Lunar New Year in response to high demand during the holiday period.

The existing service provides 517 seats. But first class will be scrapped entirely and some business class seats will be removed to make room for economy class seats.

The extra seats will mean more cheap airfare opportunities for travellers to Bangkok and Dubai. Emirates’ low-fare strategy has already caused much anger and frustration among rival airlines in Asia, Europe and the United States.

The airline currently operates four daily flights between Dubai and Hong Kong, including one via Bangkok, three of which are served by the Airbus A380, the largest passenger aircraft in the world.

Will Horton, a Hong Kong-based aviation analyst at CAPA Centre for Aviation, said the upgrade of the Emirates flight to 615 seats was ideal for cost-conscious Hongkongers.

“The routing through Hong Kong and Bangkok brings the aircraft back to Dubai in time for European connections. So hub efficiency is maintained,” Horton said. “Emirates grows Bangkok capacity at key hours and can offer a lower-cost option for the Hong Kong market compared to the non-stop to Dubai, and also make a play in picking up local Hong Kong-Bangkok traffic.”
Airlines have sought ways to grow at Hong Kong International Airport in recent years as the number of take-off and landing slots have become increasingly scarce as the two runways reach full capacity.

Budget carrier HK Express took delivery of the world’s first 188-seat single-aisle Airbus A320neo aircraft (neo stands for new engine option), in response to the challenges, adding up to 14 seats compared to its existing aircraft.

In more good news for the Airport Authority, home carrier Cathay Pacific announced it intended to launch a new summer seasonal service to Barcelona, Spain, from July, adding to the airport’s global footprint.

The expansion raises Cathay’s list of European destinations to 13, including the launch of Tel Aviv in Israel from March.
“Barcelona isn’t important for the sake of Barcelona but rather launching it seasonally shows Cathay is willing to break away from regimented consistency,” Horton said. “What you fly in July you don’t have to fly in February. It’s a positive sign about becoming more agile.”

Cathay, Hong Kong’s largest carrier, said it would fly four times a week deploying its next-generation Airbus A350 aircraft. The service is expected to run until October, during the peak of the summer travel season. The airline currently flies four times a week to the Spanish capital Madrid.

USA: Cathay Pacific Unveils New Livery

Cathay Pacific unvieled it’s new livery yesterday at a special event held at Hong Kong International Airport. The livery has been launched on B-KPM, one of the airline’s Boeing 777-300ER’s.

The new livery will replace the current livery which was unveiled in 1994. The airline’s Airbus A350 fleet will be the first aircraft type to be in only in the new livery and existing aircraft in the fleet will be painted in the new livery over the next five years.

QATAR: Qatar Airways With 168 Aircraft And 330 Jets On Order, Lands Its Newest Plane To America

Qatar Airways is ramping up its expansion into the United States regardless of whatever concerns American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines may have.

This week, Qatar Airways announced plans to commence service between its home base in Doha, Qatar, and the US using its new fleet of Airbus A350 jets.

A350 service in the US kicks off January 1 on the airline's Doha-to-Philadelphia route.

"We are proud to be the first commercial airline to land the Airbus A350 in the United States," Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said in a statement.

"As the global launch customer of this new-generation aircraft, we are excited to introduce it to the American market."

Qatar Airways currently flies to 152 destinations around the world, including New York, Philadelphia, Dallas, Chicago, Miami, Houston, and Washington, D.C.

The airline plans to open routes from Doha to Los Angeles in January, Boston in March, and Atlanta in June.

The Persian Gulf-based airline has grown rapidly over the past decade and now boasts a fleet of 168 aircraft with another 330 jets on order, which are valued at more than $70 billion.

In June, Qatar Airways was named Airline of the Year for 2015 by the leading aviation consumer organization Skytrax. It's a prize the airline also took home in 2011 and 2012.

Qatar's success has not come without pitfalls. American, United, and Delta Air Lines have accused Qatar along with Etihad Airways and Emirates of fueling its palatial terminals, luxury service, and massive fleets with $42 billion in government subsidies.

Qatar, Emirates, and Etihad deny these accusations. The coalition of US airlines has petitioned the US State Department to reevaluate the "Open Skies" agreements between the US and the Gulf states that allow airlines to fly freely between the countries.

Al Baker said that whatever money his airline had received from the Qatari government had been in the form of investment in exchange for equity.

Etihad CEO James Hogan echoed Baker's sentiments, telling Business Insider: "At the end of the day. We have a shareholder who placed equity in the airline who gave us loans to be repaid. That's what people do when they invest in the business."

"We've done nothing improper," Hogan continued. "We've created a great airline, with great service, created value, and the accounts are audited by one of the top accounting firms in the world."

Qatar is the launch partner for the Airbus A350-900 twin-engine long-range airliner. The airline expects to have eight of the jets in its fleet by the end of the year, with 72 more on order.

The A350 is powered by two powerful and efficient Rolls-Royce Trent turbofan engines. The jet can carry as many as 325 passengers in three different classes, with a fuel range of about 8,700 miles.

ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian Airlines To Order 10 More Airbus As First A350-900 Takes Shape

Ethiopian Airlines, which ordered 14 Airbus A350-900 last year, has said it plans to order at least 10 more in the next two year as its first one takes shape on the final assembly line in Toulouse, France.

The airline’s Chief Executive, Tewolde Gebremariam, said the state-owned company expects to receive the first A350-900 in May next year. He said the delivery date for the first 14 Airbus could be fast tracked to 2016-17 from the initial target of 2016-18.

“We haven’t been able to quantify the right numbers but definitely we are going to order more. At least more than 10,” Gebremariam said.

The Africa’s most profitable airline will become the first African carrier to operate an Airbus A350.

According to Air Transport World, the first A350-900 of two that will be leased from AerCap, is quickly taking shape and will arrive at Addis Ababa’s Bole International airport on “November 11 as part of its Middle East- Ethiopia demonstration flight tour”.

“The Airbus A350 XWB MSN2 will be arriving at Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport on Nov. 11 as part of its Middle East-Ethiopia demonstration flight tour,” Airbus said.

“The Ethiopia carrier will deploy the aircraft on its expanding route network linking the East African nation with Asia and America.”

currently has 77 planes, including 13 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners. It has placed orders for 50 planes altogether, including six more Dreamliners.

ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian Eyes New York For Mid 2016 Launch

The doubling of the long haul fleet by Ethiopian Airlines in the space of just five years has laid the foundation for a global expansion in destinations in Asia, Europe and North America. With the upcoming delivery of 14 Airbus A350’s to Ethiopian Airlines starting next year, and an almost imminent decision to add as many as 20 more wide body aircraft to their order list will the number of wide body aircraft, when delivered, boost the airline’s capacity for long haul flights yet further, putting an even greater distance between them and Africa’s other leading airlines.

The decision about the aircraft type seems limited to either more Airbus A350-1000 variants or else Boeing’s B777X and is expected before the end of the year.

The fleet overhaul is of some importance as the aged Boeing B767 fleet needs urgent phasing out while the rest of the existing wide bodies, apart from the B787’s, require to a large part retrofitting to install flatbed business class seats, to be able to compete on the cabin product, important for both premium passengers and code share partners alike.

New routes already announced, like New York in June 2016, ET’s third US destination after Washington and the more recently launched service to Los Angeles, via Dublin, and projected flights next year to Vietnam – rival Kenya Airways is currently the only African airline offering flights to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) plus yet more destinations in China and South Asia will further cement the airline’s position as Africa’s leading airline.

Already is there speculation of more US destinations like Chicago and Houston though it is not known if the additional services will, like LA, also operate via Dublin from where Ethiopian enjoys fifth freedom rights into the United States. Nonstop flights to the US, out of Addis Ababa, are an eternal challenge due to the elevation of the airport which curtails payloads and makes a stop enroute almost mandatory.

On the continent of Africa is Ethiopian also not letting up and a new service to Yaounde is once more pitting ET against perennial rival Kenya Airways which has been serving the Cameroonian capital for some time. Other major African airlines, like South African and Egypt Air, both also harbouring thoughts for continental supremacy, are like KQ struggling with a string of poor financial results which has restricted their ability to match if not outpace Ethiopian for new destinations and fleet expansion.

The predictable outcome of that scenario is all playing into the hands of Ethiopian, which is literally free of union troubles – a major bane especially for Kenya Airways – and enjoys the full backing of the Ethiopian government inspite of the country’s recent cash crunch.

These factors, apart from competitive pricing for travelers ready to fly via Addis Ababa, are seen as key elements to the success of Ethiopian to become Africa’s first global carrier, able to hold its own against both the legacy airlines in Europe and America but more important, the Gulf giants which have otherwise taken the African aviation market by storm.

Boeing 747-8 Heading To Africa

History will be made when the new stretched Boeing 747-8 passenger version touches down on African soil for the first time when Lufthansa flight LH 572 from Frankfurt arrives at OR Tambo on October 25.

Lufthansa will in future use this next generation Jumbo Jet for its non-stop daily flights to Johannesburg.

“By introducing the new aircraft to our South African route we are reinforcing the significant role the country plays in our intercontinental network. The four-class Boeing 747-8 is our most advanced long-haul aircraft, our most advanced, fuel-efficient long-haul aircraft in the Lufthansa fleet,” said Andre Schulz, Lufthansa’s general manager for South Africa.

In total, the airline has ordered 19 of the stretched Boeing 747’s. An investment totaling €1.5bn was also made on board products. In addition to the first class cabin with its ergonomically contoured seat that converts into a fully flat, two-metre long bed, the new business class offers a fully-flat bed

Lufthansa is currently, Europe’s largest aviation group and has over 260 aircraft on order for delivery until 2025 worth €36bn at list price. These include 34 Boeing 777-9x and 25 Airbus A350s, the latter of which will commence service from Munich during 2016.

At the same time as the airline introduces a new aircraft to the Johannesburg route, Lufthansa is resuming its daily non-stop schedule between Munich and Cape Town using the Airbus A340-300. In addition, Edelweiss, Switzerland’s leading leisure carrier and subsidiary of Swiss will for the fifth consecutive year operate its seasonal schedule between Zurich and the mother city.