United is poised to buy more than 200 Airbus and Boeing jetliners, one of the largest purchases in its history, as the US carrier revamps its single-aisle fleet with more efficient planes, according to people familiar with the plans. While terms are still being finalized and the order size is in flux, the total deal has expanded from that first reported by Bloomberg News earlier this month, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the talks are confidential. United is expected to take upwards of 150 of Boeing 737 Max jetliners and more than 50 Airbus A321neos, they said. The deal will be showcased during investor and media events scheduled for Tuesday by the carrier. The order highlights the vigor with which demand for new jets has snapped back in the US following the historic collapse in air travel last year as the coronavirus pandemic swept the globe. United ordered 50 of Airbus’s long-distance A321XLR model in 2019 and has accelerated deliveries from previous Max orders to capitalize on Americans’ surging demand for leisure travel. The fleet strategy also furthers United CEO Scott Kirby’s goal of reducing the carrier’s carbon emissions and becoming an industry innovator battling climate change.<br/>
star
Lufthansa is to temporarily reactivate five Airbus A340-600s on flights from Munich next summer to provide a first-class product offering from the airport. The German carrier pulled its 17 examples of the four-engined jet from service when the pandemic hit last year and even as early as April 2020 was indicating it would not restore the entire fleet. In September of last year it said seven of these would be permanently removed from service and the remaining 10 put in long-term storage, only to be reactived in the even of an ”unexpectedly rapid market recovery”. While Lufthansa is in the process of selling a dozen of the A340-600s, it has today outlined pans to reactivate five aircraft to enable it to provide a first-class product offering from Munich in 2022. Lufthansa operates its A340-600s in a four-class configuration, including eight first-class seats. “The decision to reactivate these aircraft is due to growing premium demand, for business as well as leisure travel,” Lufthansa says. ”Commencing in summer 2022, the A340-600s will fly from Munich primarily to North American and Asian destinations.”<br/>
Former Flybe CE Christine Ourmieres-Widener has been appointed CE of TAP Air Portugal. Her appointment was approved during the Portuguese flag carrier’s annual shareholders’ meeting on 24 June, when she also joined TAP’s board of directors. In a video message posted today on Twitter, Ourmieres-Widener says that TAP will “emerge stronger, with a relentless focus on our customers” and “an eagerness to embrace challenges and executive change and innovation”. Ourmieres-Widener stepped down as chief executive of Flybe in July 2019, following the sale of the UK regional carrier to the Connect consortium earlier that year. The airline collapsed and filed for bankruptcy the following year. She joined Flybe in early 2017, prior to which she was chief executive of CityJet.<br/>
Passengers flying on Singapore Airlines or low-cost carrier Scoot from Friday will be able to offset their share of the flight's carbon emissions by contributing to environmental projects in Indonesia, India and Nepal. They can do so by buying carbon offsets from dedicated microsites before or after a flight. This is part of a voluntary programme launched by SIA Group for customers across its passenger and cargo airlines. The microsite for SIA Cargo clients will be available from next month, and corporate customers can participate from the fourth quarter of this year. SIA and Scoot will match the offsets that their passengers buy for six months after the programme's launch. From the fourth quarter, passengers will also be able to use their KrisFlyer miles and HighFlyer points to buy carbon offsets. SIA's senior vice-president for corporate planning, Ms Lee Wen Fen, said: "Our customers now have an opportunity to offset their emissions through accredited projects that provide clear benefits to people and the planet. Matching their offsets is our way of encouraging our customers to fly carbon neutral." The programme is part of SIA Group's commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.<br/>