Aerospace News – December 2024
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Icelandair, based in Keflavik, has taken delivery of its first Airbus aircraft. The A321LR marks the first step in the airline’s fleet renewal making it the newest Airbus operator.
The aircraft is the first of four to be leased from SMBC Aviation Capital. The airline will also take delivery of 13 A321XLRs.
Sustainable aircraft technology business, Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), has begun survey and preparatory work for the Airlander 10 production site in South Yorkshire. This follows work in partnership with the City of Doncaster Council to prepare for the release of the first instalment of a £7m loan from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA).
Airlander 10, HAV’s first aircraft to market, will be capable of delivering 100-seat passenger mobility, or a ten-tonne payload of freight transportation, or a combination of the two.
The company’s 50-hectare site at Carcroft Common, Doncaster, which was revealed in partnership with City of Doncaster Council (CDC) earlier this year, is planned to house flagship facilities for Airlander 10’s production, testing and certification operations. These will have the capacity to produce up to 24 aircraft per year.
Commercial aircraft deliveries fell 25% in October 2024 compared to October 2023, with the 79 aircraft delivered representing the lowest figure for the month since 2021, according to newly released figures.
The latest commercial aircraft data from ADS Group, the trade association for the UK’s aerospace, defence, security and space sectors further highlights a 40% fall in aircraft orders for the same period, at 145 for the month.
ADS data reflects significantly slowed orders across 2024 as a whole, with year-to-date orders down 54% on the first 10 months of 2023.
Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the parent company of Malaysia Airlines, has taken delivery of its first A330neo (new engine option). The A330-900, is the first of 20 to be leased from Avolon by MAG, setting new standards for fuel efficiency and passenger experience.
MAG’s A330neo is configured with a premium two-class layout, featuring 297 seats, with 28 fully flat Business Class suites and an all-new Economy cabin accommodating 269 passengers.
Airbus is planning to cut nearly 500 roles in the UK as part of a global cost-cutting move.
The manufacturer is looking to reduce its workforce by more than 2,000 in the next 18 months, although wants to avoid compulsory job cuts. More than half of the reduction is expected to come in its space division.
Airbus employs around 12,000 people in the UK, with major sites at Filton, near Bristol, and Broughton in Lancashire.
The announcement is less severe than had been trailed by the company in October after it revealed write-downs of satellites totalling 1.5bn euros. There are 689 job cuts expected in Germany, 540 in France and 303 in Spain, with a small number elsewhere
The Tata Group-owned Air India has officially disclosed orders it placed earlier for 10 A350 widebody and 90 single-aisle A320 Family aircraft. In addition, it has selected Airbus’s Flight Hour Services-Component (FHS-C) for its growing A350 fleet.
The latest aircraft order, which is already included in Airbus’s 2024 orderbook, comes on top of the 40 A350 and 210 A320 Family aircraft ordered by Air India in 2023. Air India’s total orderbook for Airbus aircraft now stands at 344 with six A350-900s having already been delivered.
Aircalin, the international airline of the South Pacific French territory of New Caledonia, has confirmed an order with Airbus for two long-range A350-900 aircraft. This order will enable Aircalin to support fleet adaptation and the carrier’s long haul network expansion.
Georges Selefen, Aircalin CEO, said: “As a continuation of our long-standing partnership with Airbus, we have selected the A350-900 to join our fleet in the coming years.
“These aircraft are essential for operating our recently inaugurated Nouméa-Paris via Bangkok route. They will open the doors to very long-haul flights and enable Aircalin to pursue its development strategy.”
