Lufthansa ordered 80 planes from Boeing and Airbus and agreed to future purchasing options for a total value of $9b, the German flagship carrier said on Tuesday. The deal provides for 40 Boeing 737 Max 8 planes and 40 Airbus A220-300s to be delivered in 2026-2032. It also includes 60 future purchasing options for the Max 8, 20 options for the A220, as well as 40 options for Airbus A320s. The order is Lufthansa’s first buy of Boeing narrow-body planes in about 30 years, as well as its first purchase of the 737 Max model. The airline was a launch customer for an older version of the Boeing 737 in the late 1960s but has maintained an all-Airbus single-aisle fleet after phasing out the 737 in 2016. It has continued to buy Boeing wide-body aircraft, with a backlog that includes 787 Dreamliners, 777 freighters and the upcoming 777X mini-jumbo. Widely seen as one of the industry’s most technically demanding buyers, Lufthansa Group was the original launch customer for what was then known as the Bombardier CSeries in 2008. Airbus bought the small passenger plane program in 2018 and renamed it A220 after Bombardier ran into financial problems. Lufthansa’s repeat order for the A220 represents a boost for the small passenger jet in the wake of a series of problems with engines from Pratt & Whitney, which have affected part of the Airbus A320 family and to some extent the smaller A220. “It is a good strategic decision for the Lufthansa Group to order Boeing 737 aircraft again for the first time since 1995,” said Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr, who added that the MAX 8 would help the company meet carbon reduction requirements. Spohr also reinforced Lufthansa’s relationship with Airbus as the planemaker’s largest airline customer. “Just a few months ago... we received our 600th aircraft from Airbus, and we look forward to taking delivery of number 700,” he said.<br/>
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Turkish Airlines' Australian expansion is likely to be good news for travellers, industry figures and academics say, with the ramping-up of flights expected to result in lower airfares for consumers. Transport Minister Catherine King last week signed off on a new agreement to increase the carrier's weekly allocation from seven to 35 by 2025. Under the terms of the deal, Turkish Airlines can immediately fly 21 services per week to Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth, before further increases take effect in 2024 and 2025. The new agreement eclipses Qatar Airways' allowance of 28 flights to major airports and provides a significant alternative to the Gulf states and Singapore for air travel between Australia and Europe. Flight Centre managing director Graham Turner said the move would drive down airfares to Europe and the United Kingdom as the industry was "desperate for more capacity through the Middle East and Asia". "We worked out that when Qatar wanted another 28 flights, that it would probably have about a 15% decrease in airfares, so we're hoping for a similar impact now that there will be more competition," he said.<br/>
Swiss International Air Lines has brought the last of 25 aircraft grounded during the Covid pandemic back into commercial service today. The 1997-built Airbus A320, one of the oldest aircraft in its fleet, re-entered service today on a flight from Zurich to Berlin after three years in storage parked in the desert. It was one of 25 aircraft Swiss parked in Amman, Jordan in April 2020 when the pandemic hit. Swiss says the aircraft were subjected to regular inspections of their installed equipment during that period, while further work included regular flushing of the hydraulic systems and engine function checks. ”Jordan’s hot and arid climate is especially conducive to the long-term storage of aircraft, as the low humidity provides optimum protection against any rusting of their metal components,” the airline notes. Swiss head of technical fleet management, Claus Bauer, says: “We are delighted to welcome the last of our Jordan-stored aircraft back to our flight operations and return our working fleet to full size. Our specialists have made huge efforts over the last few months to ensure that every one of our stored aircraft was brought back to Zurich in faultless technical condition.”<br/>
Ethiopian Airlines has secured a $450m loan to purchase five Boeing aircraft, namely three 737 MAX 8 and two 777F jets. According to the airline, the loan was secured against the value of the five aircraft, arranged exclusively by Citi’s Corporate Banking and Export Agency and Finance teams. The carrier noted that the loan was the bank’s largest aircraft financing in Ethiopia in the last decade, supporting Citi’s regional ambitions and Ethiopian Airlines’ growth plans. The five aircraft will grow the carrier’s fleet to 140 units, with Boeing finalizing the delivery process of the quintet in the United States (US) in December 2023. According to ch-aviation data, Boeing has already delivered one 737 MAX 8, registered as ET-BAL. Flightradar24 tracking activity showed that the aircraft left Seattle Paine Field International Airport (PAE) on December 15, arriving at Addis Ababa Bole Airport (ADD) following a stop at Dublin Airport (DUB) on December 17. Since then, it has completed six commercial flights, including landing at Chennai International Airport (MAA), India. Mesfin Tasew, the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group, explained that the financing provided by Citi will allow the airline to expand its fleet size, one of the group’s strategic growth pillars. Tasew promised that the airline “will continue expanding and modernizing our fleet size so as to grow our business and reach new markets.”<br/>
As travellers prepare for the big Christmas escape, and airports and airlines get ready for the crowds, Air New Zealand is asking passengers to remain “courteous” after a noticeable increase in badly behaving flyers. The national carrier said it is facing nearly 200 reports a month of “unacceptable customer behaviour”. Up to 10 passengers each month receive notifications that they are banned from flights “for a range of disruptive and unacceptable behaviours”. Those bans range from 24 hours to permanent. Air New Zealand Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer, David Morgan, said the number and severity of badly behaved travellers is on the rise. “Air New Zealanders who work both on the ground and in the air, work extremely hard to ensure our customers have a safe journey with us, but over the past few years, we’ve seen an increase in some customers not showing them the respect they deserve,” said Morgan. While the vast majority of passengers are “fantastic” and abide by the rules, “there are some people who fly with us who refuse to follow instructions, verbally abuse other people, or are disruptive. We’ve recently also seen instances of people being physically abusive”. “We have zero tolerance for such behaviour and will take action to ensure that abusive customers are no longer able to travel with us if needed to ensure the safety of our team and customers.”<br/>