unaligned

Latvian flag carrier airBaltic is setting up extra flights out of Kyiv this week to accommodate a passenger spike after European countries told their nationals to leave Ukraine or risk war. The United States warned last week that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on the country’s people to fly flags and sing the national anthem in unison on Feb. 16, the date that some Western media say Russian could invade. The warnings prompted airBaltic’s regular Tuesday flight to Riga to sell out, so the company, on short notice, scheduled extra rotations on Tuesday and Wednesday to cope with the higher demand. By noon on Tuesday 66 people had booked seats for the extra flight. With only two bookings made to fly to Kyiv, the 145-seater Airbus flew to pick up passengers from Ukraine almost empty. Neighbouring Estonia, one of several countries that has warned their citizens to flee Ukraine, asked its remaining citizens to get on the extra airBaltic flights and come home. Airliners bound for Kyiv leave Riga with a full tank of fuel to be able to turn around quickly should the situation suddenly change for the worse, airBaltic CE Martin Gauss told Reuters. “In extreme case, even if we have an aircraft in the air, we can order it to come back,” he said. The company expected the below-100-euro tickets to make the extra flights profitable. Bookings for flights between Kyiv and Riga for later this week are proceeding at a normal pace, with people choosing to fly both ways, said Gauss.<br/>

Ukraine’s Bees Airline said on Tuesday that it was forced to send all its planes abroad because of increased military risks, mirroring similar action by two other carriers following a build-up of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border. “On Feb. 14, we had to relocate one plane to Montpellier (France) and today or tomorrow we have to relocate the rest of the planes,” the company said in a statement on its website. Bees Airline is a three-year old local low-cost carrier that offers tickets to popular vacation spots inside the country and abroad and operates four Boeing 737-8HX planes, the FlightRadar24 tracking website says. Ukrainian authorities have previously said they were keeping their airspace open and pledged to allocate funds to cover insurance risks. “Unfortunately, despite the extension of insurance policies for aircraft, the allocation of funds from the reserve fund of the state budget... aircraft owners leasing companies require relocation of all aircraft outside Ukraine,” Bees Airline said. Bees Airline said it will go back to normal work if the situation calms down. “According to the lessor, all aircraft will be returned to us in case of de-escalation of the military risk situation,” the company said.<br/>

JetBlue Airways is taking an aggressive approach to its fleet modernization efforts with an incremental order for 30 Airbus A220s. The deal would also make JetBlue the largest global operator of the A220. The New York-based carrier exercised options for the aircraft that boost its total commitments to 100 A220-300s, JetBlue said Tuesday. The additional jets will allow it to retire its last Embraer E190s in 2026. “We’re in a position to accelerate our fleet modernization plans to deliver stronger cost performance and support our focus city network strategy,” JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said. What Hayes did not say is how JetBlue’s Northeast Alliance with American Airlines is fueling growth. The partnership, which was challenged last year by the U.S. Department of Justice, has allowed JetBlue to increase departures by double digits at key Boston and New York City-area airports where slot and gate limits constrained its growth. In addition, it delayed the retirement of 30 owned E190s to, as JetBlue President Joanna Geraghty put it in January, “provide support for the ramp-up of the” Northeast Alliance. The airline plans to fly 11-15% more capacity in 2022 than in 2019, with much of that driven by the alliance in the northeast. The A220, owing to its small size and low operating costs, proved one of the more popular jets during the Covid-19 pandemic. Global operators continued to fly many, if not all, of the aircraft even as they parked many of their larger jets amid the slump in air travel. Cirium Head of Valuations George Dimitroff told Skift last year that the aircraft retained more of its market value compared to other models through 2020 due to “a combination of its right size for thinner traffic flows, lower fuel burn, and trip costs.” In January, JetBlue CFO Ursula Hurley said replacing E190s with A220s provided a “tailwind” in terms of reducing unit costs excluding fuel. The carrier anticipates 1-5% CASM-ex fuel growth in 2022 compared with 2019, and aims to keep the metric “flattish” thereafter.<br/>

anadian low-cost start-up carrier Lynx Air has added Victoria to its network as it prepares to launch revenue service in six weeks. The Calgary-based airline says on 15 February it will add flights to Victoria on 12 May, initially twice weekly and expanding to thrice-weekly in June. In addition, Lynx will begin two flights weekly between Winnipeg and Toronto from early May. That makes six destinations for the new carrier – Victoria, Calgary, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Toronto and Kelowna. Lynx began selling tickets for an early April launch. “We are excited to be adding beautiful Victoria to our network and to be offering more ultra-affordable travel options for travellers wanting to fly between Toronto and Winnipeg,” says Lynx CE Merren McArthur. “We will continue to ramp up our schedule in the lead up to summer… as we continue our mission to make air travel more affordable for all Canadians.” Lynx is one of two start-up airline projects due to launch in the Canadian low-cost market this year. The carrier aims to begin revenue service with three Boeing 737 Max 8s and has plans to grow to 46 jets in seven years. Canada Jetlines, based in Toronto, has said it aims for a second-quarter launch but has not begun selling tickets. It has taken delivery of one aircraft, a 12-year-old Airbus A320. Executives have said they hope to acquire two more A320s by July, three more by June 2023 and five more by June 2024.<br/>

Virgin Atlantic is to follow rival airline British Airways in adopting new lower-carbon jet fuel, as parent Virgin Group partners with chemical company Agilyx to develop the technology. Virgin and Agilyx are establishing a joint venture to build waste-to-fuel production facilities that will create a synthetic crude oil made from discarded plastic that would have otherwise be sent to landfill. Virgin Group hopes to market the new fuel across the aviation industry, with Virgin Atlantic touted as one of the first adopters. The move is part of Virgin Group’s plans to become net-zero by 2050. Transatlantic operators are looking to burnish their green credentials. Virgin’s announcement follows a deal struck by British Airways owner IAG with tech start-up Velocys in November, under which Velocys turn waste woody biomass into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a biorefinery in Mississippi. IAG has agreed to purchase 73m gallons of SAF over 10 years from 2026. US airliner Southwest has also signed an agreement to buy 219m gallons of the fuel. In a separate announcement today, SIA signed a joint declaration on SAF with Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Safran in a bid to meet Paris Agreement targets. The aviation industry is responsible for about 2.5% of all carbon emissions, figures from Our World in Data suggest. Airline trade association IATA believes as much as 65% of carbon emissions in the aviation industry can be abated through the use of sustainable fuels. IATA expects only 5.2% of fuel used in aviation to be sustainable by 2030, rising to 65% by 2050. IATA chairman said Friday: “I think quantity is the main issue at the moment... We used about 100 million litres of sustainable aviation fuel in 2021 — that’s a very small amount compared to the total fuel required.”<br/>

SpiceJet delivered on its chairman’s word and posted a surprise profit after making losses for seven straight quarters as ebbing Covid-19 cases paved the way for a relaxation in movement curbs and boosted domestic air travel. India’s third-largest budget airline posted a net income of 232.8m rupees ($3.1m) in the three months ended Dec. 31, according to a statement Tuesday. A Bloomberg survey of analysts had estimated an average loss of 3.2b rupees while the deficit in the same period last year was 569.6m rupees. Revenue rose 34% to 22.6b rupees, beating estimates. Total costs also surged 34% in tandem. SpiceJet’s shares closed 8.8% higher -- the most in three months -- paring the decline this year to 6.1%. Chairman Ajay Singh in October flagged SpiceJet had a “reasonable chance” of returning to profit in the December quarter as the no-frills carrier recovers from a punishing stretch during the pandemic which gutted global travel. SpiceJet has undertaken cost cuts and renegotiated aircraft leases to prune expenses while it bets on growth of its cargo operations and air travel. “There are renewed signs of recovery in the passenger segment and the logistics segment continues to remain strong,” Singh said in the post-earnings statement. “The settlement with Boeing was a significant event during the quarter.”<br/>

Indian regional carrier Alliance Air is to acquire a pair of new ATR 42-600s via lessor TrueNoord, adding to the airline’s existing fleet of larger ATR 72 turboprops. Alliance Air has chosen the turboprop to support services operating into challenging airfields in the Himalayas and delivery of the ATR 42s will begin mid this year. The airline already operates a fleet of 18 ATR 72-600s. Alliance Air CE Vineet Sood says: ”Our relationship with ATR started 20 years ago, and ever since we have been building a network that truly serves Indian communities. Thanks to the unique features of the ATR 42-600, Alliance Air will proudly fulfil the mission assigned by the Indian government to make the most inaccessible regions accessible.” The aircraft will operate on the short runways of the Shimla and Kullu airports, both located at high altitudes, and exposed to high temperatures. ATR CE Stefano Bortoli adds: “The fact that we will deliver the aircraft by the middle of this year is testament both to the recovery of the Indian domestic market and the essential need for affordable and reliable connectivity throughout the country.”<br/>

AirAsia’s parent Capital A Bhd is raising more than 400m ringgit ($95.53m) in capital for its engineering arm, which plans to build maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. CE Tony Fernandes of Capital A, which owns Malaysia’s flagship budget airline AirAsia, on Tuesday said the group would support growth at the wholly-owned Asia Digital Engineering subsidiary. “We’re looking to raise actually in excess of 400 million ringgit to fund the expansion and growth (of ADE),” Fernandes said at a press briefing on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow. ADE CE Mahesh Kumar said it would cost about 250m ringgit to build the new facilities in Kuala Lumpur and that the company is open to developing similar facilities in Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia. A statement from ADE said that the 380,000 sq ft project will commence mid-2022 and is expected to complete within two years. The integrated facilities will be able to provide heavy MRO services for up to 14 commercial aircraft at any time, setting up the company as one of the largest MRO providers in the region, it said. ADE’s website said the business offers aircraft services focused on the Airbus A320, A321 and A330 jets, including line maintenance, warehouse and engineering support services. <br/>

Malaysia’s AirAsia is near agreement for Vertical Aerospace Ltd. flying taxis, according to people familiar with the matter, adding to a raft of carriers moving into the potential market to offer short, battery-powered flights. A deal between the airline’s owner and aircraft-leasing firm Avolon Holdings could be announced as soon as Wednesday at the Singapore Air Show, said the people, who asked not to be named because discussions were confidential. Avolon, an investor in Vertical, has ordered 500 of the UK startup’s VX4 aircraft, conditioned on milestones including certification. Representatives for Dublin-based Avolon and Vertical, based in Bristol, England, declined to comment. AirAsia owner Capital A Bhd. didn’t respond to requests for comment outside of normal business hours. The commitment is likely to cover more than 50 VX4 electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, two of the people said. The eVTOLs, which are in development, carry four passengers and a pilot for a target range of more than 100 miles, enough for short hops across or between cities. Avolon CEO Domhnal Slattery, who was recently appointed chairman of Vertical, said Monday in Singapore that demand for eVTOLs is “exceptionally high.” He signaled that Avolon plans to make a “very significant announcement” on Wednesday with a “major Southeast Asian player” that could help the leasing company sell out the 500 aircraft it ordered last year. <br/>

A Philippine airline that holds the record for cramming the most seats into a plane is set to do it again with a new Airbus jet. Cebu Air, the biggest carrier in the South-east Asian nation, plans to configure its newest and upcoming A321 XLR aircraft with the highest seat-density possible, doubling down on a strategy it deployed on wide-body jets used on short-haul routes. "We always look to optimise the floor space that we have in combination with the number of lavatories, galleys, et cetera," Michael Szucs, CE adviser of Cebu Pacific, said on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow, which began on Tuesday (Feb 15). "It will be another high-density configuration on the A321 XLR, but it's still a very comfortable one." Cebu in 2019 decided to move kitchens and bathrooms on some of its new Airbus A330neos to cram in a record 460 seats, 20 more than the plane's recommended maximum. The A321 XLR, expected to enter service from 2023, can accommodate as many as 244 seats in a higher-density configuration. The airline uses the A330neo, which is capable of covering as much as 13,334km, mostly on short-haul routes, flying to places like Hong Kong and Singapore. While the plane also flies to Dubai and Australia to cater to Filipinos working overseas and backpackers, "it's a short-haul big bus", Szucs said. Filling an aircraft to capacity with basic seats allows airlines to bring down fares by flying more people for the same expense, even at the cost of passenger comfort. They compensate for that by offering an on-time and efficient flying experience. It also helps carriers navigate through scant parking and landing slots at airports. European low-cost carrier Ryanair Holdings led the charge in 2014 when it ordered high-density jets from Boeing with eight more seats than normal, while Cathay Pacific Airways in 2017 started cramming an extra seat into each economy row on its Boeing 777-300s, at the cost of about an inch of personal space for each passenger.<br/>