Korean orders 20 more A321neos
November 01, 2023
Korean Air has placed a follow-order for 20 Airbus A321neos. The SkyTeam carrier says that delivery will start after a previous tranche of 30 A321neos it ordered is complete. Of the 30, Korean has taken delivery of eight. The first arrived in December 2022 and the remaining are set to be delivered by 2028. The dual-class 182-seater A321neos have been deployed on regional routes to Southeast Asia, China and Japan. A memorandum of understanding Korean signed in 2015 covered 50 A321neos, including options for 20. Fleets data lists 20 A321neos options as having been cancelled or lapsed in June 2020. The airline expects to take deliveries of 110 new aircraft "in the coming years", including the 20 A321neos, 10 Boeing 787-9s, 20 787-10s and 30 737-8s, and is retiring its A330-300s and 777-200ERs.
ANA to cut 30 flights per day for GTF inspections in early 2024
November 01, 2023
Japan's All Nippon Airways will remove around 30 flights per day between 10 January and 30 March to accommodate inspections of the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM engines that power its A320neos and A321neos. The airline states that most of the reduced flight schedules are on high frequency routes where passengers can be reaccommodated, including Tokyo Haneda-Itami and Haneda-Seoul Gimpo, although it will suspend some of its Haneda-Qingdao services. It adds that affiliated carriers StarFlyer and Solaseed Air will operate 134 additional flights on affected domestic routes that will be available as ANA codeshare services. The airline will "continue to monitor the situation and take appropriate measures as necessary", with any further disruption to flights after March to be detailed in January. The airline has identified that all its 11 A320neos and 22 A321neos are subject to the inspections, in accordance with a service bulletin from P&W that is expected to be issued in November. That will require it to remove the engines and send them to an MRO facility for disassembly, an ultrasonic inspection of the high-pressure compressor and high pressure turbine disks, with replacement of any defective parts. Fleets data shows that ANA also has two more A321neos on order.
Embraer delivers 15 commercial jets in third quarter
October 30, 2023
Embraer delivered 15 commercial aircraft in the third quarter of 2023, up by 50% from the year-ago quarter, marking the second consecutive quarter of double-digit delivery growth. This brings the Brazilian airframer's tally of commercial jet deliveries for the year to 39, up from the 27 in the corresponding period in 2022. Embraer's firm order backlog was valued at $17.8 billion at 30 September, and represents the highest level in a single year and an increase by $500 million from the second quarter. Commercial orders accounted for $8.6 billion, up from $8 billion in the second quarter with the sale of 42 aircraft by September. New commitments for the quarter include an order for 19 E175s from US regional carrier SkyWest disclosed on 26 October, with the aircraft to start delivering in the fourth quarter of 2024. They will be operated for United Airlines under a capacity purchase agreement. American Airlines also added a firm order for four more E175s, for its subsidiary Envoy Air, with deliveries to commence in the fourth quarter of 2024. Luxembourg-based Luxair has ordered four E195-E2s, including two purchase options and three purchase rights, Nigeria's Air Peace five E175s, and Spanish carrier Binter six E195-E2s.