Lufthansa Group—which took delivery of its fifth Airbus A320neo Dec 29, 2016—expects to receive 10 more of the type in 2017. The Group said the 5 A320neos were delivered in 2016 as planned. The Lufthansa Group has 116 of the type on order—45 are the larger A321neo version. Some of those will go to SWISS. After nearly one year in scheduled services—the Lufthansa Group has used the A320neo on routes within Germany as well as on inter-European routes such as Oslo, Stockholm and Barcelona. Lufthansa became the launch operator of the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-powered A320neo after a late switch with Qatar Airways. The Group took its first A320neo Jan 20, 2016, following a delay of the re-engined narrowbody’s planned end-of-2015 delivery schedule. Lufthansa said the up-to-180-seat-A320neo is around 20% cheaper to run per passenger. <br/>
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SIA is banking on premium economy services to entice travellers to pay more for extra comfort. About 4 in 10 SIA planes now offer the service, slightly more than a year since it rolled out premium economy cabins, which offer perks such as more legroom and better food. And the carrier said it will continue to retrofit more aircraft with such cabins to meet travellers' needs. Demand is especially strong on long-haul routes, said a SIA spokesman. At Cathay Pacific and SIA, premium economy passengers are a mix of those who have downgraded from business and those who used to fly economy but are increasingly drawn to premium economy, especially on long-haul flights to North America and Europe. <br/>
Nordic Aviation Group, Estonia’s state-owned airline operating under the Nordica brand, has filed an application with the regulator for permission to hand over 49% of its stake in its subsidiary Regional Jet to its strategic partner, LOT. The parties filed a notice of consolidation Dec 30. Nordica announced at the beginning of Nov 2016 that its cooperation with Adria Airways was coming to an end, and that it was about to enter into a strategic partnership with LOT, using the latter’s commercial platform, ticketing system, and airline code. The carrier said at the time that it was planning to expand the fleet of its subsidiary Regional Jet by 3 planes during 2017 and eventually to 20 to 25 planes by 2020 in cooperation with its new partner. <br/>
A woman jailed after she hijacked an Air NZ flight is warning she will do it again when she is released. Asha Ali Abdille, a refugee from Somalia, was sentenced to 9 years in jail after trying to hijack a flight from Blenheim to Christchurch in Feb 2008. The then 33-year-old stabbed both pilots and a female passenger suffered minor wounds as she tried to restrain Abdille. Abdille - whose sentence is due to end in February - is still classified as a high risk and has reportedly warned that given the chance, she will attempt to hijack an aircraft again. A Parole Board hearing report said that hospital staff held "ongoing concerns about potential risky behaviour in the community on any release.'' Abdille is due to be transferred into the mental health system on a compulsory treatment order after her sentence ends. <br/>