LOT Polish Airlines has disclosed cabin configurations for the Airbus A220s scheduled to join its fleet from 2027. At the Paris air show in June, LOT ordered 20 A220-100s and 20 A220-300s, taking options to increase the order to 84 aircraft. This represented the carrier's first procurement from Airbus. The A220-100s will be equipped with 125 Recaro R2 economy seats and the -300s with 149, says the Star Alliance carrier. It previously disclosed its choice of Recaro seats for on-order A220s and Boeing 737 Max jets, and for cabin refurbishments of 787-8s. LOT notes that its A220s will feature Airbus's Airspace cabin, including new, more spacious overhead bins. The updated cabin design will enter service on newly delivered Air Canada A220s in 2026, Airbus said at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in April. With the A220's introduction, LOT plans to roll out in-flight wi-fi, it adds. Director of product development and customer experience Izabela Leszczynska states that the A220 will set a "new travel standard" at LOT. "With greater comfort, quieter cabins and modern tech features, every flight will feel even smoother," she predicts. The airline has 18 Max 8s in its fleet and another three on order, Cirium data shows. It also has six 737-800s and 47 Embraer E-Jets. Its long-haul fleet, meanwhile, comprises eight 787-8s, seven 787-9s, and a 777-200ER wet-leased from EuroAtlantic Airways.

Qantas has ordered 20 additional Airbus A321XLRs to accelerate the renewal of its narrowbody fleet as continuing strong demand helped deliver a stronger full-year profit. The additional A321XLRs will start delivering in 2028, with 16 earmarked to have lie-flat business class seats that will serve on transcontinental and medium haul international routes. "These additional A321XLRs will accelerate the retirement of our 737 fleet and open up new opportunities for domestic and international travel, allowing us to reach destinations that aren’t possible with our current narrowbody fleet," says Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson. Qantas has taken delivery of two A321XLRs from its previous orders for 28 which are configured for domestic and shorthaul international routes, which are set to enter service in mid-September. By June 2026 it will receive seven of the type. The airline adds that the first A321XLRs for budget unit Jetstar will start to arrive in 2027 and will be fitted with two-class cabins to suit international routes. Chief financial officer Rob Marcolina says that the aircraft will start to operate on those services from 2028. Qantas adds that its first A350-1000ULR for its 'Project Sunrise' routes will move into final assembly in October, with deliveries set to commence from October 2026, subject to certification and other approvals. The fleet moves come as the group lifted its underlying profit before tax for the year ended June by 15% to A$2.39 billion ($1.56 billion), as revenue rose 8.6% to A$23.8 billion. ASKs across the group rose 8.1% but were surpassed by a 10.7% lift in RPKs, taking its seat factor up two percentage points to 84.7%. Statutory profit after tax rose 28% to A$1.6 billion. Qantas says that its group domestic operations delivered a 12% rise in underlying earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to A$1.52 billion, aided by Qantas-branded services lifting revenue five percent, while Jetstar services delivered a 55% rise in EBIT. Group international EBIT rose 20% to A$903 million as strong demand for premium travel on Qantas services continued, while Jetstar saw "particularly positive performance into Japan, Thailand and South Korea". In its outlook, Qantas states that it expects ongoing strong demand into the first half of the next fiscal year that will push its group domestic revenues up by 3-5% while international revenue is expected to increase 2-3%. Group capacity over that first half is expected to grow 5%, led by a 7% rise in Qantas International capacity, while Jetstar's international capacity will be flat as a result of the closure in July of Jetstar Asia.

Ethiopian Airlines' maintenance arm has been approved to complete performance-restoration shop visits on Boeing 737 Max-powering CFM International Leap-1B engines. The African carrier says that it completed a Leap-1B engine test at its facility following certification by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority and US Federal Aviation Administration. "This capability puts Ethiopian MRO among the very few MRO facilities which have achieved the testing capability of the Leap-1B engine," states Ethiopian chief executive Mesfin Tasew. "As we are growing our MRO services and expanding our capabilities, this is a milestone moment in the history of Ethiopian MRO," he adds. Related Articles