Boeing's February 2022 order book changes revealed

Lufthansa to add white-tail B787-9s

India’s Akasa Air plans int’l flights, second order by YE23

Akasa Air (QP, Mumbai International) is looking to launch its first international operations by the end of 2023 and is evaluating Singapore Changi, the Gulf region, and the Middle East naming Dammam, Doha International, and Muscat as possible destinations, the carrier’s executives have revealed in recent days. Also by the end of this year, it expects to place the “three-digit aircraft order” it has previously hinted at.

The airline launched flight operations in August 2022 and already it operates a fleet of nineteen B737-8s. Under India’s civil aviation laws, an airline can begin international operations with a fleet of 20 or more aircraft. The 20th should arrive in April with another eight in the next financial year, to make 28 by the end of March 2024.

Akasa Air’s chief commercial officer, Praveen Iyer, told the business daily Mint last week that the airline was considering the above destinations as candidates for its upcoming international launch.

“On March 15, we initiated the application process, that’s the first step,...

Cathay Pacific Group to lease up to fifty A320neo - reports

Cathay Pacific (CX, Hong Kong International) is attempting to source up to fifty A320-200neo family aircraft from lessors as Airbus delivery timelines for the type blow out to the end of the decade.

Citing people familiar with the discussions, Bloomberg says Cathay Pacific and its subsidiary, HK Express (UO, Hong Kong International), would rather acquire the aircraft directly from the manufacturer, but a significant uptick in passenger demand following Hong Kong and mainland China reopening their borders means neither airline can afford to wait over a half a decade for first deliveries. Cathay Pacific CCO Lavinia Lam declined to comment to ch-aviation when asked about any impending lease deals.

Cathay Pacific flew 1,114,727 passengers in February, a 3,467% increase on the comparable 2022 figure. "By the end of March, the Cathay Group will be operating approximately 50% of pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity, covering more than 70 destinations," said Lam. According to ch-aviation fleets advanced data, the airline has 129 aircraft back in the air and CEO Ronald Lam recently said...

Ryanair restarts talks with Boeing over new B737 order

Ryanair Holdings has restarted talks with Boeing over a new aircraft order, Chief Executive Michael O'Leary told the Financial Times.

"We are back talking to them, which I think is an indication there is some movement on pricing... I think there is a deal to be done," he said.

O'Leary said the dialogue was still in the early stages, reiterating his earlier statements that the Irish LCC holding was looking at the B737-8-200 and the B737-10.

The airline placed an order for an initial batch of 100 B737-8-200s in 2014, later increasing the commitment to 210 in late 2020. Subsequent talks about a new order fell through in 2021 due to a disagreement over pricing. The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that the carrier holding has so far added ninety-four B737-8-200s, of which it is still the only operator. The airline's previous-generation narrowbody fleet comprises one B737-700 and 397 B737-800s. Its subsidiary, Lauda Europe, also operates twenty-nine A320-200s.