United is in the midst of revamping its narrow-body fleet, and the Airbus A321neo is a big part of said plans. The airline ordered 130 of these aircraft, and the first two just went into service with flights from Chicago-O’Hare (ORD). And while domestic jets aren’t usually the most interesting planes in the sky, this plane has a lot to be excited about in both first class and economy. It’s outfitted with the latest tech — think 4K seat-back screens, Bluetooth audio and wireless charging — as well as larger overhead storage bins for carry-on bags. So, what’s it like to fly this brand-new plane? Story takes a look at a United Airbus A321neo flight from Chicago to Fort Lauderdale.<br/>
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Turkish Airlines has ordered more than 200 Airbus aircraft as part of a “milestone” agreement worth tens of billions of dollars to boost Istanbul’s role as an international hub and bolster Turkey’s already vast tourism industry. Turkey’s flag carrier said it had placed orders for 220 planes, including 70 long-distance wide-body A350 jets and 150 single-aisle A321neo aircraft. Turkish Airlines also obtained rights to buy an additional 125 Airbus aeroplanes. The agreement, which has been under discussion for weeks, underscores the strong rebound in international air travel. Demand for the industry’s biggest jets has soared after a prolonged downturn during the Covid-19 pandemic that severely dented long-haul travel. Order backlogs for both Airbus and its US rival Boeing are at record highs as airlines globally have rushed to place orders this year and secure increasingly scarce delivery slots. “This investment is a crucial milestone in the further evolution of Turkey’s aviation industry,” said Turkish Airlines chair Ahmet Bolat, who added that it would contribute to the country’s “prominence as an aviation hub” and “have a considerable positive impact on Turkey’s tourism sector”. The deal is a further fillip for Britain’s Rolls-Royce, whose Trent XWB engines power the A350 jets used for long-haul travel. The purchase commitments mean 2023 will be the best year for Rolls-Royce in terms of new orders for 15 years. The FTSE 100 company is in the middle of a sweeping restructuring under CE Tufan Erginbilgiç who took the helm at the start of this year. The deal, which was welcomed by British prime minister Rishi Sunak, will make Turkish Airlines the largest Trent XWB operator in the world. Erginbilgiç said the pact was “proof that the actions we are taking to transform Rolls-Royce into a high performing and competitive company underpinned by profitable growth are working”.<br/>
Transport Minister Catherine King has signed off on a five-fold increase in flights to Turkey despite denying a request from Qatar Airways to double its capacity earlier this year and describing it as an “unprecedented” expansion. Australia’s air rights agreements were updated on December 15 to include new deals for Canada, France, Papua New Guinea, as well as the granting of so-called fifth freedoms for Turkish Airlines. This highly sought agreement gives the Turkish carrier the right to sell tickets for passengers wanting to go only to Singapore or another Middle Eastern port from Australia. Typically, airlines are only allowed to sell flights to their own “hub” city from Australia, which for Turkish Airlines is Istanbul. Seena Sarram, a lawyer who has worked for both Qantas and Qatar and now an academic at UNSW’s school of aviation, said the decision to grant Turkish Airlines such a large volume of air rights without any explanation of how its application was different from Qatar Airways showed a lack of respect for the public. “It’s clearly highly political and obvious that this is a political issue, nonetheless we being the flying public should do our best to take the politics out of it and ask the rational questions and ask why the policy isn’t being applied consistently,” Sarram said.<br/>
Lufthansa will resume flights to Tel Aviv starting Jan. 8, the airline said on Friday, making it the one of the first major international carriers to announce a resumption in service cancelled in October following Hamas attacks. While Israel did not close its airspace to civil flights after Hamas' gunmen stormed Israeli towns on Oct. 7, international airlines stopped flying to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv and to Lebanon. Lufthansa said it had resumed flights to Beirut on Friday along with Swiss Airlines and Eurowings. Flights to Israel will be available for booking starting on Monday, Lufthansa said. American Airlines and Delta both said on Friday that they have cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv through March 29. Delta said it continues "to evaluate conditions related to this service in particular". United Airlines said Friday its Tel Aviv flights will remain suspended until conditions permit. British Airways has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv through Jan. 10, Vueling until Jan 13 and Iberia Express until Feb 29, owner IAG said Friday. Air France-KLM, Ryanair and EasyJet did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on whether they would also resume flying to Israel.<br/>
Lufthansa Group has struck sale-and-leaseback deals covering a dozen Airbus A320-family aircraft under which it will generate proceeds of around E600m. The 12 narrowbodies are no more than two-years old and are in operation across mainline carrier Lufthansa Airlines, regional operator Lufthansa CityLine and low-cost unit Eurowings. The aircraft have been leased back to Lufthansa Group under six-year terms. Lufthansa says the transaction forms part of the group’s strategy to finance new aircraft through ”a mix of cash, Japanese Operating Leases (JOLCOs) and operating leases”. The E600m proceeds will be generated in Q4 of this year. The sale will also result in a book gain of around E100m.<br/>
Airlines have been hit by another problem with fuel in Wellington in the lead-up to Christmas. Air New Zealand says it will have to cut back on fuel it takes on at Wellington Airport by 25% until Christmas Day. The airline’s chief operational integrity and safety officer, David Morgan, said it did not expect any disruption as a result. The fuel company consortium supplying Wellington Airport says the “matter is being addressed with the highest priority.” Airlines were hit by a bad batch of aviation fuel in Auckland in the lead-up to Christmas last year, which did lead to disruption. Morgan said a fuel shipment that arrived in Wellington on December 14 was found to be off specification after failing freeze-point tests. Because of this, Air New Zealand will be running at 75% fuel allocation until 12am on December 25. The next scheduled fuel delivery is expected on January 1 with the fuel ready for use on January 3, “test results pending”, Morgan said in a statement to the Herald.<br/>