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Akasa Air welcomes its 27th aircraft in India
Akasa Air, India’s fastest-growing airline received delivery of its 27th aircraft, continuing its unprecedented expansion trajectory. The first leg of the delivery flight commenced from Seattle, USA, to Keflavik, Iceland, and concluded with the final leg from Larnaca, Cyprus, to Bengaluru, India. Bearing registration number VT-YBD, the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft arrived at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on 29 January 2025. Commenting on the occasion, Vinay Dube, Founder and CEO, Akasa Air said: “At Akasa, our vision is to build an airline that transcends generations, while offering an experience that is rooted in trust, comfort, and reliability. Every addition to our fleet further cements our path to becoming one of the top 30 airlines by the turn of this decade and strengthens our ability to connect people, places and cultures across India and beyond. We are delighted to welcome our 27th aircraft within a span of 30 months of commencing operations. Akasa’s unmatched growth exemplifies the potential that India holds as an aviation market, and we are excited at the prospect of becoming the airline that supports the nation to soar ever higher in the skies.” With a steadfast focus on growth, service excellence, and employee centricity, Akasa Air is dedicated to transforming the aviation landscape by making air travel increasingly accessible for a larger number of Indians through reliable operations and category redefining offerings at affordable fares. Akasa is home to a diverse workforce of over 4000 employees. As it expands, it remains committed to creating some of the industry’s most exciting career growth opportunities for pilots, cabin crew, engineers, and other aviation professionals, fostering a strong and sustainable future for all. Akasa Air has registered unmatched growth since its inception in August 2022. In 2021, Akasa Air placed its initial order of 72 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which was followed by an order of four Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in June 2023. In January 2024, the airline placed another landmark order of 150 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, becoming the first Indian airline to reach an order book of 226 aircraft within 17 months of commencing operations. The airline has now taken delivery of 27 aircraft and is on track to receive deliveries of another 199 aircraft over the next seven years. Moreover, the 737 MAX family provides greater range and fuel efficiency, reducing fuel use and carbon emissions by 20% compared to those it replaces, reinforcing the airline’s commitment to sustainability. In addition, the 737 MAX is a quieter airplane with a 40% smaller noise footprint than replacement airplanes. Akasa Air’s consistent on-time leadership, operational efficiencies and extremely positive customer feedback have made it a preferred carrier in India, serving over 15 million passengers since its launch in August 2022. Akasa Air currently connects with 22 domestic and five international cities, namely Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Delhi, Guwahati, Agartala, Pune, Lucknow, Goa, Hyderabad, Varanasi, Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Port Blair, Ayodhya, Gwalior, Srinagar, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Doha (Qatar), Jeddah, Riyadh (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Abu Dhabi (UAE) and Kuwait City (Kuwait).
AirAsia announces plan to establish an aircraft maintenance facility in the Philippines
The Philippine Department of Finance announced that AirAsia plans to establish a maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) facility in the country. Finance secretary Ralph G Recto recently met with Capital A chief executive and AirAsia founder Tony Fernandes to discuss the matter whilst both were at the recently-concluded World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Should AirAsia push through with its plan, the upcoming MRO facility is expected to create more jobs and position the Philippines as a regional hub for aviation services. What’s in it for AirAsia? On the other hand, putting such a facility in the Philippines would enable AirAsia to meet its need for better aircraft availability. This is a considerable advantage, given the aftermath of the global aviation supply chain issue which led to a lack of spare parts and insubstantial maintenance. Through AirAsia’s proposed MRO hub, the potential of flight cancellation or suspension due to aircraft issues may be significantly reduced.
Photo Story: India’s first Emirates’ Airbus A350 aircraft touches down in Mumbai
Mumbai Airport proudly welcomed India’s first Emirates Airbus A350 on Republic Day, marking a significant milestone. The airline's newest aircraft, featuring several industry-first technologies, will operate daily on the Mumbai-Dubai route, elevating passenger experience to newer heights.
Riyadh Air technical spare aircraft Boeing 787-9 set for arrival
In a hugely positive move, Riyadh Air is preparing for the arrival of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The leased aircraft, painted in the airline’s resplendent pearl livery and set to be used as a technical spare and for training purposes, will be unveiled at the airline’s home airport at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. With the airline’s highly anticipated cabin interiors set to be revealed soon, this aircraft will not feature the new cabin but does have a high-specification interior to meet guests' expectations when flying with a world-class modern airline. This aircraft is separate from the original Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft order of 72 aircraft and will be utilized over the coming months for training purposes. It will continue the process of Air Operator Certificate (AOC) with the General Authority of Civil Aviation before operating as Riyadh Air’s technical spare to allow operations to commence later in 2025. The opportunity to lease this plane demonstrates the innovative nature of Riyadh Air to create solutions and start serving the people of Riyadh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2025.
Cebu Pacific secures sustainability-linked loan to purchase A321NEO aircraft
Philippine low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific formally closed a sustainability-linked Japanese Operating Lease with Call Option (JOLCO) for its new Airbus A321NEO, marking its first-ever sustainable aircraft financing. The LCC is the first airline in Southeast Asia to get approval for a sustainability-linked loan (SLL). According to Cebu Pacific chief financial officer Mark Cezar: "Cebu Pacific’s first sustainability-linked aircraft financing is a milestone in our decarbonisation journey, as the transaction supports the core element of our programme - the modernisation of our fleet towards more advanced and fuel-efficient aircraft. With this deal, we want to emphasize that access to financing for sustainability initiatives is available and that Cebu Pacific is taking full advantage of such opportunities in our pursuit of being the decarbonisation leader in the region." A great partner Crédit Agricole CIB acted as the sole sustainability adviser, JOLCO arranger, and mandated lead arranger for the loan. The bank’s leading expertise on both aviation and sustainable finance placed it in a favourable position to become Cebu Pacific’s partner of choice for its first-ever SLL. Bertrand Rovetto, head of Crédit Agricole CIB’s aviation group in the Asia Pacific, remarked: “We are delighted to have been selected by Cebu Pacific to structure their first sustainability-linked aircraft financing. Crédit Agricole CIB is a pioneer in sustainable finance and as we are committed to supporting our clients in their decarbonisation efforts, we have built-in a financial incentive mechanism rewarding the airline’s progress towards their net zero ambition. We hope this is the first of many more sustainability-linked centered collaborations with Cebu Pacific.” Most notably, Crédit Agricole CIB was hailed Most Sustainable Aviation Bank twice in a row in 2023 and 2024, and APAC Bank of the Year of 2024 by Airline Economics. How does it work? Under the SLL structure designed by Crédit Agricole CIB, Cebu Pacific has set targets aiming at reducing the carbon emission intensity of its aircraft fleet notably through its modernisation towards more advanced and fuel-efficient aircraft, which, if met, will provide financial incentives to the airline. Delivered to the airline last 24th December, the brand new Airbus A321NEO, with improved fuel-efficiency compared to previous generations, will contribute to Cebu Pacific’s carbon emission intensity reduction objectives as the airline progresses towards transitioning to an all-NEO fleet by 2028.
Lufthansa Group purchases additional latest-generation long-haul aircraft
The Lufthansa Group is purchasing additional Airbus long-haul aircraft, increasing its firm orders for A350-1000 aircraft from ten to 15. The state-of-the-art aircraft of this order will be delivered between 2028 and 2031. The total value of the order is around two billion US dollars at list price. With a total of 60 A350-900s and 15 A350-1000s, the Lufthansa Group is one of the largest A350 customers worldwide. Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG: “Our order today underscores our great confidence in our long-standing, close and successful partnership with Airbus. With the state-of-the-art A350 long-haul jets, we are accelerating the largest fleet modernization in our history. We are investing more than ever before in our history to make air transport more sustainable, to achieve our CO₂ reduction targets and at the same time offer our customers the highest level of comfort with a first-class travel experience. Including today's order, the Lufthansa Group has ordered 770 aircraft from Airbus throughout its history and is proud to be the Airbus’ largest customer worldwide. With the upcoming integration of ITA Airways in January, the Airbus fleet of Lufthansa Group Airlines will grow by another 100 short- and long-haul aircraft.” New aircraft biggest lever for CO₂ reduction With a current fleet of around 740 commercial aircraft, the Lufthansa Group is pursuing a long-term fleet strategy focused on premium quality, cost efficiency and emissions reduction. Including the latest aircraft order, the Lufthansa Group currently has a total of around 250 new, fuel-saving aircraft on its order list, including 100 long-haul aircraft of the latest design. In the medium term, the highly efficient twin-engine long-haul jets are slated to replace four-engine aircraft types that are gradually being phased out. These include the Boeing 747-400, Airbus A340-600 and Airbus A340-300 aircraft types. Compared to their predecessors, the new additions to the Lufthansa Group fleet consume up to 35 percent less fuel consumption and emit correspondingly less CO₂. The Lufthansa Group aims to halve its net CO₂ emissions by 2030 compared to 2019 through reduction and compensation measures, and to achieve a neutral CO₂ balance by 2050. The Lufthansa Group has already ordered ten A350-1000s back in March 2023, with deliveries due to start in April 2026. This aircraft type is 242 feet (73.8 meters) long and offers around 15 per cent more capacity than the A350-900.
Aer Lingus welcomes two new XLR Aircraft to its fleet
Aer Lingus has taken delivery of its first two new Airbus A321XLR aircraft in Dublin Airport. Registered as EI-XLR St Lelia / Liadhain and EI-XLT St Melanie / Mella, the aircraft are the first two of six new Airbus A321XLR’s bound for Aer Lingus to serve existing transatlantic routes and fly customers to new destinations such as Nashville and Indianapolis in 2025. The A321XLR is a single-aisle extra-long-range aircraft flying up to 8,700km, a 15% increase in range compared to the A321LR. Aer Lingus is the second airline in the world to operate the A321XLR as well as the second in the International Airlines Group (IAG). The new aircraft’s long-range capabilities enable Aer Lingus to connect customers in comfort to new destinations and serve existing routes on its transatlantic network, with 18 routes to the United States now offered by the airline from Dublin Airport. Customers travelling on the A321XLR will enjoy more space on board the widest single-aisle aircraft cabin on the market. The aircraft features larger overhead bins allowing 60% more cabin bags, as well as more comfort in wider seats, the latest technology for in-flight entertainment and acoustic engineering for quieter cabins. The Aer Lingus A321XLR is configured with 184 seats in a two-class layout featuring 16 full-flat Business Class and 168 Economy Class seats. The aircraft also has up to 20% lower fuel burn per seat than similar previous generation aircraft and is capable of operating with up to 50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Commenting Lynne Embleton, Chief Executive, Aer Lingus, said: “The arrival of our two new Airbus A321XLRs mark a significant milestone for Aer Lingus. The long-range capabilities of the XLR enable us to travel deeper into North America, offering previously unserved markets greater connectivity to Europe through our Dublin hub. Both new XLR aircraft will operate on our newly announced routes to Nashville and Indianapolis for summer 2025. Looking ahead, we’re on target to expand our XLR fleet from two to six aircraft in 2025, further strengthening our position as a market leader in North American connectivity." Benoît de Saint Exupéry, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer, added: "Aer Lingus becomes the latest operator of the world's newest single-aisle aircraft: the A321XLR. It will truly revolutionise long-haul travel, allowing airlines to tap into new exciting city pairings as will be demonstrated by Aer Lingus. We stand alongside Aer Lingus and will together make its growing fleet of A321XLRs a resounding success operationally and with passengers."
Air India extends ‘Vista Stream’ in-flight entertainment service to narrowbody aircraft
Air India, India’s leading global airline, has extended its wireless inflight entertainment service, Vista Stream, to its narrowbody fleet, ensuring uninterrupted entertainment for guests. Vista Stream, which debuted in August 2024, has already been introduced across Air India’s wide-body fleet (excluding the newly inducted Boeing 777 and Airbus 350 aircraft). With this update, Vista Stream will now be accessible on both widebody and narrowbody aircraft across international and domestic network. Vista Stream enables guests to stream a wide variety of content directly to their personal electronic devices such as smart phones, tablets and laptops, offering a smooth and immersive entertainment experience. “As we continue to transform Air India into a world-class airline, we are happy to introduce Vista Stream that enables our guests to access digital entertainment content on their personal devices during their flight. With the introduction of Vista Stream across our narrowbody fleet, uninterrupted entertainment (BYOD) service will be available throughout the entire domestic and international network,” said Rajesh Dogra, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Air India. Guests can explore over 1600+ hours of premium curated content, from Bollywood blockbusters and Hollywood hits to captivating documentaries, classic tunes, and curated children’s program. Vista Stream also features a live map for real-time flight tracking and is compatible with iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS devices, ensuring easy access to entertainment for all throughout the flight.
Jazeera Airways set to buy six new aircraft
Kuwaiti low-cost carrier Jazeera Airways announced its plans to purchase six Airbus A320ceo aircraft, as part of its ongoing transformation and strategic growth. These aircraft are currently leased and operated by Jazeera as part of its fleet. The transition from leased to owned aircraft is aimed at reducing unit costs and mitigating supply chain challenges that have impacted the aviation industry, including delays in aircraft deliveries. This move will further enhance Jazeera’s operational resilience and cost-efficiency, especially as the airline prepares to mark 20 years of flying in 2025. The airline is expecting deliveries from its current order book of 26 Airbus A320 family aircraft including 18 A320neo and eight A321neo Aircraft to begin in 2026. By expanding its fleet, Jazeera is well-positioned to expand its network footprint and deliver lower unit costs across its markets. The airline currently operates a fleet of 24 aircraft which includes 13 A320 CEO and 11 A320 NEO serving a network of more than 60 destinations across the Middle East, Central and South Asia, Africa, and Europe. Poised for expansion As part of its transformation, Jazeera Airways plans to expand its network of routes, introduce enhanced in-flight services, and leverage cutting-edge technologies to elevate the overall passenger experience. The airline is also committed to maintaining the highest safety standards and continuing to adapt to evolving market demands in the coming years. Commenting on the development, Jazeera Airways chair Marwan Boodai said: “Our decision to invest in six Airbus A320 aircraft reflects our forward-thinking approach to fleet management and transformation. By building a balance between leased and owned aircraft, we are reinforcing our operational resilience while ensuring we maintain one of the most cost-efficient models in the region. This acquisition also highlights our commitment to enhancing passenger experience, improving operational efficiency, and expanding our reach as we transform into a more sustainable and innovative airline. As we evolve, we will continue to stay focused on delivering value to both our customers and our shareholders.”
Emirates officially unveils its first A350 aircraft
Emirates has officially unveiled the very first Airbus A350-900 to join its fleet at an exclusive event showcase in Dubai. The event, led by Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline in the presence of His Excellency Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy, was attended by VIP guests, aerospace partners, government officials and dignitaries, members of the media, as well as aviation enthusiasts. Guests were able to experience the aircraft’s interiors, equipped with its next generation products and latest technologies. The Emirates A350 features three spacious cabin classes, accommodating 312 passengers in 32 next-generation Business Class lie-flat seats, 21 Premium Economy seats and 259 generously pitched Economy Class seats. The latest onboard products reflect the airline’s commitment to delivering a premium passenger experience while optimising operational efficiency. The Emirates A350 is the first new aircraft type to join Emirates’ fleet since 2008. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group said: “Today is an exciting milestone for Emirates as we showcase our first A350 and usher in a new era for our fleet and network growth. This aircraft sets the stage for Emirates to spread its wings farther by offering added range, efficiency and flexibility to our network, enabling us to meet customer demand in new markets and unlock new opportunities in the cities that we serve. Onboard, our updated interiors and seating configurations will help us deliver a more elevated and comfortable experience to travellers across every cabin class. The 65 Emirates A350s joining our fleet in the coming years fit into the airline’s broader plans to support our visionary leadership’s Dubai’s D33 Strategy, which will transform the city into a pivotal hub in the global economy by expanding its connectivity and reach.” Phillipe Mhun, Executive Vice President Programmes & Services for Airbus said: “We are proud to further expand our strategic partnership with Emirates which has flourished nearly 4 decades ago with the A300, the A330, the A340 and the A380. Marking a new chapter for Airbus, we expect the A350 to become an integral member of the Emirates’ fleet and support its continued growth and sustainability ambitions.” Omar Ali Adib, SVP Customer – Middle East and Africa for Rolls-Royce, said: “The collaborative effort between Emirates, Airbus and Rolls-Royce exemplifies what can be achieved when we share a commitment to excellence and build a long-term partnership that makes us all stronger. With our £1bn investment in durability across our Trent engine family, we are committed to continuing to evolve and improve in the years ahead.” Apart from its newly delivered A350, Emirates operates two other aircraft types around the world to 140 destinations - the widebody Boeing 777 aircraft and the iconic ‘double decker’ Airbus A380 aircraft. The A350’s introduction will enable Emirates to expand into new destinations globally, including mid-sized airports unsuited for larger aircraft. The Emirates A350 will be delivered in two versions - one for regional routes and one for ultra long-haul routes. The airline plans to make its first scheduled commercial A350 flight to Edinburgh on 3 January 2025. In the months to follow, customers can look forward to experiencing the Emirates A350 in existing GCC points like Bahrain, Muscat and Kuwait, Lyon and Bologna in Europe, and Colombo, Mumbai and Ahmedabad in West Asia in addition to new travel opportunities that are up to 15 hours from Dubai– to be announced in 2025.
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Return To Home5th Civil Aviation South East Asia Summit 2022
The aviation industry in Southeast Asia has recorded significant growth over the past few years. The total seat capacity of Southeast Asia airlines experienced double-digit growth in the four-year period of 2009-2013. It has established itself as one of the world’s fastest growing aviation markets – and has huge potential for more rapid growth. Nearly all of the 10 countries that comprise ASEAN have robust economies and expanding middle classes, resulting in a favorable environment for airlines.