Airbus delivered the first A330-900 to launch operator TAP Air Portugal Nov 26, kicking off a major fleet replacement for the airline. The A330neo was handed over to the carrier during a ceremony in Toulouse, France. The new aircraft is scheduled to enter service between Lisbon and Sao Paolo, Brazil, in December. TAP, which expects to receive 2 more A330neos this year, has 10 of the widebodies on firm order and will lease another 11. The airline plans to have 15 A330neos in service by May 2019 and 19 by 2020, CE Antonoaldo Neves said. As part of TAP’s fleet replacement plan, the carrier expects to receive 37 new aircraft next year, including 4 A321LRs and several A320neos, Neves said. <br/>
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Adria Airways has signed a letter of intent to lease 15 Sukhoi Superjet 100s which will be maintained through a proposed joint venture MRO operation based in Ljubljana. The airline says the jets will be delivered from the beginning of 2019 under a long-term lease agreement. Adria CE Holger Kowarsch states that the Superjet’s introduction will "totally support" the airline’s development strategy. He says that the carrier has evaluated the Superjet since 2016 and concluding that all the technical and operational characteristics of the aircraft would "suit best for our strategic goals". Introduction of the type will enable Adria to use more of its Airbus A139s and Bombardier CRJ jets for wet-lease operations, Kowarsch adds. Sukhoi and Adria have also agreed to establish an MRO joint venture at Ljubljana airport. <br/>
United Airlines’ domestic connectivity push continues to gather steam. The carrier said Monday it will begin nonstop service March 31 from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, to the airline's hubs at San Francisco International and Denver International. United will operate 2 daily flights from Denver to Everett and 4 daily flights from San Francisco. Tickets went on sale Monday, United said. Flights to both hubs will operate on regional Embraer E-175 aircraft. United’s launch of service from Everett also has significance because that is where Boeing has one of its largest production facilities. United, of course, has long been a major customer for Boeing aircraft. In fact United recently became the first airline in the world to take delivery of all 3 iterations of Boeing’s flagship 787 Dreamliner. <br/>