German leisure operator Eurowings is to modernise its fleet with Boeing 737 Max 8 twinjets from 2027, through an allocation from Lufthansa Group. Eurowings will receive 40 of the type under the renewal plan. They will replace Airbus A319s as well as the airline’s older A320s. The carrier states that the Max deliveries will take place over a six-year period, running to 2032. Eurowings points out that the 189-seat Max will offer a 39-seat capacity hike over the A319s. “Its significantly longer range also makes it the perfect choice for longer medium-haul destinations, which Eurowings is increasingly offering in its portfolio,” the carrier adds. Lufthansa Group has granted clearance for the fleet plan. Eurowings says the approval provides the airline with “state-of-the-art jets and engines that have particularly low fuel consumption and noise emissions”. It values the acquisition at around $5b at catalogue prices, adding that the renewal is the “largest and most expensive sustainability project” in its history. “We have a responsibility to reconcile economic and ecological topics,” says Eurowings chief Jens Bischof.<br/>
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An Indian tribunal has ordered the liquidation of Go First Airways after a request from the cash-strapped airline's lenders, CNBC-TV18 reported on Monday. Go First Airways did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. In August, Go First's lenders had decided to liquidate the company's assets after rejecting bids by interested suitors to revive the bankrupt airline, Reuters had reported, citing sources. Go First had filed for bankruptcy in May 2023 and received two financial bids under the bankruptcy process, with one of them raising their offer after a push by lenders. The budget carrier owes a total of 65.21b rupees ($781.14m) to its creditors, which include Central Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, IDBI Bank and Deutsche Bank. Foreign aircraft lessors of Go First were locked in a tussle with the company after they were blocked from repossessing planes due to a moratorium imposed by Indian courts. However, a local court, in April, allowed them to take back their planes.<br/>
Indonesian low-cost airline TransNusa will make Perth its first Australian destination with a new service to Denpasar. The carrier will operate A320-200 aircraft on the route from 20 March, starting at three times per week before increasing to four times per week from 12 April and daily from 1 June. In total, the service will add more than 127,000 seats between Perth and Bali per year. TransNusa will compete with several other airlines on the lucrative route, including Jetstar, Indonesia AirAsia, Batik Air and Citilink. “The Bali-Perth international route is a golden route as the highest number of tourists, almost every year, in Bali are from Perth. Hence, the demand for this route is equally significant,” said TransNusa Group CEO Datuk Bernard Francis. “As such, we will be utilising our Airbus A320 that has only a mere 174-seat configuration, which allows passengers to enjoy about 30 inches of legroom, comparable to the experience passengers would get in a full-service airline.” Perth Airport’s chief commercial and aviation officer, Kate Holsgrove, said the new TransNusa service speaks to the strength of the Perth leisure market. <br/>
Air Chathams has announced it will end its seasonal direct flights from Auckland to Norfolk Island after April. Currently the airline has a scheduled flight once a week between the two centres, but in future it will operate on a charter basis. CCO Duane Emeny told Stuff the decision was “unfortunate”. “Due to escalating costs to operate this international flight into Norfolk International Airport and a reduction in route support subsidies provided by Norfolk Island Regional Council, we have decided that our ATR aircraft asset is best utilised on other parts of our New Zealand scheduled and charter network. “We will work with long standing tour operators on charter flights to Norfolk that align with key events on Norfolk Island that tend to experience good demand from Kiwi tourists and organised groups ie bowls clubs etc. However, the weekly schedule services will cease from April 2025.” He acknowledged the “huge support” the airline had received from the Norfolk Island community since scheduled services started in September 2019.<br/>
Solomons - Solomon Airlines will begin operating on the Auckland International-Brisbane International city pair from February 21, 2025. The airline will use an A320-200 to operate the weekly roundtrip. “While we expect many to use the flight for point-to-point travel between Auckland and Brisbane, the service also connects with our Brisbane to Munda and Honiara flights, allowing same-day travel from New Zealand via Brisbane to the Solomon Islands," said Solomons Commercial Manager John Wopereis. "This route is part of our expanded international schedule designed to enhance regional connectivity and improve operational efficiency." The Auckland-Brisbane route is already serviced by Qantas, Jetstar Airways, Air New Zealand, and China Airlines. According to ch-aviation capacities data, there are 49 weekly roundtrips on the city pair, with Air New Zealand operating 20 of those, Qantas operating 14, Jetstar ten, and China Airlines five.<br/>