Air Vanuatu resumes charter operations
August 06, 2024
Air Vanuatu has secured approval to resume charter flights from 5 August as liquidators work towards reinstating scheduled domestic services. The charter services follow the airline performing several training and verification flights in July, with the support of Vanuatu's government and civil aviation regulator, the airline's liquidators from EY state. "A date for commencement of Air Vanuatu’s full domestic operations will be set once all necessary requirements have been satisfied," it adds. Fleets data shows that the airline has three De Haviland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otters. one ATR 72-600 and one Britten-Norman BN-2B Islander in storage. The ATR 72 is leased from Falko while one of the Twin Otters is leased from Air Tuvalu. A second Twin Otter is under finance lease from Capstone Aviation. Air Vanuatu was placed into liquidation on 9 May, just days after suspending international flights after its sole jet, a Boeing 737-800, was repossessed by Air Lease Corporation while under maintenance in Melbourne.
ITA Airways begins Jeddah service
August 06, 2024
ITA Airways has launched flights between Rome and Jeddah, its second destination in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh. The Italian carrier says it is flying the route three time weekly using an Airbus A321neo. With this, ITA Airways is operating 57 destinations in the current summer season, including 16 domestic, 26 international, and 15 intercontinental. Additionally, during the summer peak, the airline will fly to 12 additional seasonal destinations, mainly famous Mediterranean tourist spots.
Virgin Atlantic cancels remaining A350 orders under A330neo deal
August 06, 2024
Virgin Atlantic cancelled its remaining two Airbus A350-1000 orders with the airframer last month, during which it also disclosed a deal for seven additional A330-900s at the Farnborough air show. The two scrubbing of the two A350-1000s represents the European manufacturer's first widebody cancellations in 2024. The two orders were part of an eight-unit deal dating back to 2016, Airbus orders and deliveries data shows. Virgin Atlantic has 12 A350-1000s in service, Cirium fleets data shows. Six are managed by Air Lease Corporation. The airline's fleet additionally includes 10 A330-300s, five A330-900s and 17 Boeing 787-9s. It has another 12 A330-900s on order. At the Farnborough air show, Virgin Atlantic said it would have 19 A330-900s by the first quarter of 2028 – implying the addition of a further two aircraft to its existing A330neo orders – and use the jets as replacement for its A330-300s. Its 787 fleet will meanwhile be reduced to 14 aircraft, the airline indicated. In other changes disclosed by Airbus, an unidentified customer ordered 15 A321neos on 3 July. In addition to that deal and Virgin Atlantic's seven A330-900s, the manufacturer booked orders for 20 A350-900s and 11 A321neos from Japan Airlines and six A320neo orders from Libyan operator Berniq Airways at the Farnborough air show, giving a total 59 gross orders. Airbus has confirmed that VietJet Air is the customer for 20 A330-900s ordered in May. AerCap acquired 27 A321neo and nine A320neo orders from Spirit Airlines in July. Airbus's data shows that these orders were transferred from the US carrier to NAS Aviation Services, which is listed in an AerCap regulatory filing as a US subsidiary of the Irish lessor. Spirit Airlines still has 33 A321neos and 24 A320neos on order with Airbus. SMBC Aviation Capital has switched 20 A320neo orders to the A321neo. The change covers a batch of 15 A320neo orders placed in 2018 and another five from 2014. Aviation Capital Group meanwhile switched nine A320neo orders to the A321neo. Airbus had orders for 5,049 A321neos and 1,199 A320neos in its backlog at the end of July.