ANA has committed to placing firm orders for 15 Boeing 787s to be powered by the General Electric GEnx-1B, and not the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 that powers its existing fleet. The order will comprise 11 787-10s and 4 787-9s, says ANA. In addition, ANA will obtain options for an additional 5 787-9s. The GEnx-1B decision a major engine change for the airline. Cirium fleets data indicates that ANA has 71 in-service 787s, all powered by the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000. The R-R powerplant has had a troubled service life aboard the global 787 fleet. Should the options be exercised, ANA’s 787 fleet will grow to over 100 examples. The 787-10s will arrive in the fiscal year 2022-24 timeframe. The 787-9s, which are earmarked for international services, will enter service in the FY2024-25 timeframe. <br/>
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THAI is preparing to cut salaries and related expenses for top executives by 15-25% to survive the financial turbulence caused by the recent coronavirus outbreak. The new cost management plan will be effective from March 1 and last for 6 months. Monthly salaries for the airline's top executives, including the president, will be decreased, said THAI president Sumeth Damrongchaitham. Other related costs such as transport expenses will be cut as well. At least 40 executives will be included in the cutback. Sumeth said the airline has no plans to lay off pilots at the moment, but it has tightened operating costs in line with a weaker load factor on Asian routes. "About 10% of total flights in Asia have been cut," he said. Sumeth expects the overall load factor to drop to 70% during Q1. <br/>
A hiring freeze has been applied to some parts of Air NZ as the airline grapples with challenges emerging from the coronavirus crisis, a union says. The airline has also postponed its 80th anniversary celebration, scheduled to be held in Auckland March 5, because managers are too busy dealing with fallout from the deadly virus. E tū union organiser Savage said airlines were struggling with significantly reduced passenger numbers and cargo loads. As a result airlines, including Air NZ, were having to think about how they managed staff that worked on services affected by coronavirus. "Certainly there are parts of Air NZ where recruitment has been put on hold," Savage said. So far there had been no job losses as a result of coronavirus scheduling changes, he said. <br/>
Lie-flat seats...in coach? It’s possible, says Air NZ, which Tuesday announced a new economy-cabin concept to be piloted on flights between New York and Auckland starting this October. The new route is the first-ever nonstop between the two cities, taking roughly 16 to 18 hours. Economy Skynest, the latest prototype to stem from the airline’s Hangar 22 innovation centre, builds off the success of the airline’s Economy Skycouch, which allows families to transform a row of 3 economy seats into a single full-size bed. If Skycouch is like a futon, Skynest is a small Pod Hotel, with 2 parallel sets of bunk beds stacked 3 high. Each mattress will be about 6.5 feet long and 23 inches wide at the shoulder, tentatively fitted with a privacy curtain, full-size pillow, blanket, sheets, and earplugs. <br/>
All 132 passengers and crew on a Turkish Airlines plane from Tehran will be quarantined for 14 days and tested for possible coronavirus infection at a hospital in Ankara, Turkish health minister Fahrettin Koca said Tuesday. The flight from Tehran was carrying Turkish nationals home after Ankara closed its border with Iran this weekend following a coronavirus outbreak there, Koca said. An aviation source said earlier the flight was originally due to land at Istanbul but was diverted to Ankara. The Health Ministry denied this. Turkish Airlines said Tuesday it had extended a cancellation of flights to Iranian cities, with the exception of Tehran, until March 10. Monday, the airline said it canceled flights to Mashhad, Isfahan, Tabriz and Shiraz. It also said it cut the frequency of Tehran flights to 2 per day. <br/>