Lufthansa will bring four Airbus A350-900s out of storage to operate in place of the less fuel-efficient Boeing 747-8 and Airbus A340-300 aircraft deployed on three long-haul routes from Frankfurt. The German carrier says it will use A350s for flights from Frankfurt to Chicago and Los Angeles until the end of March. The Airbus jets are "temporarily replacing" 747-8 on those US routes. From December, Lufthansa will deploy the A350 instead of the A340-300 on its Frankfurt-Tokyo Haneda route. Munich-based crew will operate the A350 flights from Frankfurt. Lufthansa says the A350 consumes about 12% less fuel and emits less carbon dioxide than the 747-8. "By operating the A350-900 in Frankfurt, the fleet will be optimally used in an efficient and sustainable way under the current circumstances," adds the airline. It has 16 A350-900s, all of which are based in Munich. However, citing the "sharp reduction" in the number of flights amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the carrier says it will operate only seven A350s from Munich initially in the winter period, on routes to North America and Asia. Lufthansa had said last month that it intended to keep its 747-8s in service while grounding all its Airbus A380s amid a stepped-up fleet-reduction effort and a wider industry trend toward smaller long-haul twinjets. On 21 September, the carrier disclosed its decision to retire 150 aircraft by the middle of the decade – 50 more than previously announced. Eight parked A380s have been "removed from planning" and will only be reactivated in the event of an "unexpectedly rapid market recovery".

Source: Cirium

ACI World and IATA have issued a joint call for non-debt-generating financial support to “prevent the systemic collapse” of the aviation industry. “The Covid-19 pandemic remains an existential crisis, and airports, airlines and their commercial partners need direct and swift financial assistance to protect essential operations and jobs,” said ACI World director general Luis Felipe de Oliveira during a briefing today. “Without this action, it is not an exaggeration that the industry is facing collapse.” The airports and airlines bodies also reiterated their demand for a universal testing regime to be introduced globally as a means to “safely reopen borders and re-establish global connectivity” amid a dire situation for international flights. “We need action quickly,” states IATA director general Alexandre de Juniac. “Momentum is building in support of testing to reopen borders. It’s the top operational priority.” The two associations believe that the measures described would avert an employment crisis in the travel and tourism sector, while at the same time keeping “critical aviation structure” viable, supporting the economic and social benefits of the industry. Governments are therefore being urged by ACI and IATA “to address the devastating impact of border closures and other government-imposed travel restrictions by supporting aviation’s viability through direct financial support”. On testing, the two bodies have again called on the ICAO Council Aviation Recovery Task Force to provide an internationally agreed approach to replace the quarantine requirements and travel restrictions that are currently stymieing connectivity.

Source: Cirium

The chief executive of Spirit Airlines suspects his carrier will recover from the coronavirus downturn faster than major US carriers, though the pace of Spirit’s long-term fleet-growth plan remains uncertain. “I think the future is still bright,” CEO Ted Christie says during the Boyd Group International’s Aviation Forecast Summit, held this week in Cincinnati. “We view this particular environment as more of a speed bump than a paradigm shift.” Christie attributes his relative optimism to Spirit’s focus on carrying leisure travellers, a segment he and industry observers suspect will rebound faster than business and long-haul international travel. “Our leisure segment will come back faster than traditional corporate travel,” Christie adds. “I don’t think its long-term impaired in any way.” Domestic and international routes to leisure destinations undergird Spirit’s network. The carrier also targets “visiting friends and relatives” travellers, another leisure segment. Its international flights include those to warm-weather Caribbean destinations and Central- and South American cities. The industry has never experienced an event like the Covid-19 pandemic, but Christie finds similarities with past events, such as the early 1990s Gulf War, the 2001 terrorist attacks, and oil price spikes. “A similar theme in all cases was that the leisure travel tended to be the most resilient during the crisis and the first to come out." Christie says Spirit will keep its network flexible, and has ability to shift rapidly, adding or removing flights as market conditions demand. He does not, however, predict when Spirit’s network will return to pre-coronavirus levels. The company operated 550 flights in July, down from 750 daily in pre-pandemic times. Observers have speculated that the broader global airline industry will not fully recover for four years or more. The pandemic has led Spirit to ground Airbus A319 aircraft, at least temporarily, and to delivery of new Airbus A320neo-family jets that it previously expected to receive this year and early next year. The airline will now take those jets in 2023 and 2024. Spirit has received 16 new Airbus jets this year and will not receive more in 2020, Christie says. Previously, Spirit had planned to receive 23 or 24 of those jets this year, Christie says. The company’s agreements with Airbus enable Spirit to convert its Airbus orders to the smaller A220, though potential adjustments will depend on opportunities that develop and the pace of recovery, Christie says.

Source: Cirium