Norwegian Air Shuttle is boosting its fleet of long-haul aircraft with a stretched version of Airbus’ single-aisle A320 model series with enough reach to fly across the Atlantic. Norwegian is switching 30 planes in a 2-year-old order for 100 A320neos to a larger, long-range version called the A321neo LR. The model is capable of flying as far as 4,000 nautical miles, making US East Coast destinations, as well as most parts of India, accessible from Europe. The single-aisle model is cheaper to operate than the 10 twin-aisle Boeing 787 Dreamliners the airline flies today, CE Bjorn Kjos said Thursday. Still, the move, which is part of a massive expansion of Norwegian’s long-haul operations, means sacrificing the cost advantages of operating aircraft from a single manufacturer. <br/>
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Norwegian Air Shuttle reported a doubling of pre-tax profit Q2 to NOK930m (US$110.9m). Operating revenue was NOK6.63b, up 13% from the same period a year ago. Load factor for the quarter was up 3 percentage points from last year at 88%. The company also said it had ordered 30 longer-range versions of the Airbus A321neo, upgrading part of an existing order for 100 A320neos. It did not give a value for the deal. "We have had significant additional costs for leasing of aircraft and passenger compensation," CE Bjørn Kjos said. The compensation came after Norwegian Air's flights were disrupted by strikes in France. In addition, this month the airline had a conflict with the Norwegian pilots' union that meant many pilots did not come to work at the start of the busy summer season. <br/>
AirAsia chief Tony Fernandes expressed his willingness Thursday to buy a stake from the Tatas in AirAsia India provided it is on sale even as he emphasised that the airline joint venture is working well. The comments assume significance against the backdrop of Fernandes recently receiving overseas citizen of India (OCI) status, which could provide more leeway for him than as a foreign investor. To a query on whether he would look to acquire stake from the Tatas, the AirAsia Group's CE indicated that he was willing to look at it. "We are happy with the Tatas at the moment. It (the joint venture) is working well but if anyone wants to sell and it is a good price and if I can buy I will buy," he said. "I (have) got my OCI (status). So why not? SOEC (substantial ownership and effective control) is a non-issue now," Fernandes said. <br/>
El Al airline seems to be one of the world’s tardiest. At least, those were the findings according to flight data collected by FlightStats. In its June 2016 ranking of the world’s most punctual airlines, El Al came in last, ranking in 40th place out of 40. According to FlightStats, just under 36% of El Al’s flights arrived on time last month. Roughly 64% of the month’s flights experienced delays of at least 15 minutes and the average delay was 48 minutes long. Similar findings were shown in FlightStats rankings from the previous year, in which El Al consistently ranked last for most months. El Al pegged the airline’s delays on disagreements between pilots and management. “Unfortunately in this recent period, El Al’s pilots have been on partial strike, which have disrupted the company’s activities and have caused flight delays.” <br/>
Gulf Air has disclosed details of some of the cabin facilities it plans to install in its future fleet at the Farnborough Airshow. The airline announced in January a series of new and adjusted contracts with both Airbus and Boeing that will shape its future complement of aircraft. It has selected the Thales’s AVANT inflight entertainment system on its new fleet of 787-9s, A320neos and A321neos, totalling 39 aircraft. The first 787-900 and A320neo deliveries are scheduled for 2018, with delivery of the A321neo beginning in 2020. Thales says that AVANT will provide passengers with “a fully customisable passenger experience”. It consists of a series of options for airlines including high-definition touchscreen monitors, intuitive handsets, peripherals to integrate with personal electronic devices, a catalogue of apps and games and in-seat power. <br/>