jetBlue is looking widebodies aircraft for transatlantic routes

JetBlue Airways is considering widebody aircraft alongside the A321neo(Long Range) as it prepares to begin venturing further abroad.

David Clark, jetBlue’s Vice President (Network Planning), told Skift in an interview: "We are very open to seeing all the options that are out there. We are certainly looking at widebodies. It’s less that we are looking at every widebody right now and more sort of [evaluating] widebodies in general versus the [A321LR]. We want to see which might be a better fit for us.”

Last year, jetBlue's Executive Vice President (Commercial & Planning), Marty St. George, said the LCC was looking at expanding into previously untapped Latin American as well transatlantic markets such as Brazil and Western Europe.

Launched in January 2015, the A321neo LR will offer a range of 4,000nm with a 93.5 tonne MTOW making it ideal for flights between Europe and the US East Coast among others. It will seat 206 in a two-class configuration. Airbus Industrie (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) expects it to enter revenue service from 2019 onwards.

jetBlue currently operates thirty-two A321-200s with an additional twenty-nine due for delivery. It also has sixty A321neo on order.

European rivals Norwegian and even SAS Scandinavian Airlines have both expressed their own interests in using the A321neo(LR) to develop flights between smaller cities on either side of the Atlantic.

ch-aviation.com

Azores Airlines to expand transatlantic operations with A321neo

Azores airlines which is fully owned by Sociedade Açoreana de Transportes Aéreos (SATA) is modernizing its short-haul and transatlantic fleet with the A321neo and by 2019 with the longer range A321LR. The decision follows a growth strategy to expand into new transatlantic routes.

Azores airlines has been an Airbus customer since 1999 operating seven A310, A320 and A330 Airbus aircrafts across Europe, Canada and North America.

“Our mission is to bring the Azores to the world and the world to the Azores and we are happy to be investing in the Airbus A321neo aircraft to continue achieving this,” says Paulo Menezes, CEO of SATA Group. “The A321LR passenger comfort, performance, superior range and fuel efficiency match our long haul as well as regional needs. We have a vision of being ever stronger and more competitive in a demanding global world and also of being able to build an airline of excellence that can make its mark in the world of international commercial aviation and gradually and consistently conquer market share and visibility for the brand.”

"We are very excited about this order which confirms the A321LR as the single aisle aircraft of choice for transatlantic and regional routes,” said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer Customers. “No other single aisle aircraft can match the A321LR’s performance, fuel efficiency and productivity and with its wider fuselage passengers will also enjoy the most comfortable cabin experience.

The A321LR, the latest member of the market leading A320neo Family, will be able to fly longer routes of up to 4,000 nm. The A321LR will provide additional flexibility as it will have the longest range of any single aisle airliner, making it ideally suited to transatlantic routes and enable airlines to tap into new long haul markets which were not previously accessible with current single aisle aircraft. First deliveries will start in 2019.

The A320neo Family incorporates latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklet wing tip devices, which together deliver more than 15 percent in fuel savings from day one and 20 percent by 2020 with further cabin innovations. With nearly 4,800 orders received from 87 customers since its launch in 2010, the A320neo Family has captured some 60 percent share of the market.

Airbus

H Norwegian συμφώνησε με την Airbus για την αγορά 30 Α321LR

Η Norwegian, ένας από τους μεγαλύτερους αερομεταφορείς χαμηλού κόστους στην Ευρώπη, έχει παραγγείλει 30 A321LR της Airbus. Αυτό έπεται μετά από συμφωνία που υπεγράφη τον Ιούνιο του 2012 για 100 αεροσκάφη A320neo. Η μετάβαση από 30 A320neo αεροσκάφη στα 30 A321LR θα υποστηρίξει τη στρατηγική ανάπτυξης και εκσυγχρονισμού του μεταφορέα και θα του επιτρέψει να γίνει η πρώτη αεροπορική εταιρία χαμηλού κόστους που θα χρησιμοποιεί A321LR.

Η Norwegian (το brand name της Norwegian Air Shuttle AS) λειτουργεί ένα δίκτυο σε όλη την Ευρώπη, τη Βόρεια Αμερική και την Ασία, και αναπτύσσεται με ταχείς ρυθμούς.

«Είμαι πολύ ενθουσιασμένος για αυτή τη νέα σειρά της Airbus A321LR», ανέφερε ο διευθύνων σύμβουλος της Norwegian, Bjorn Kjos. «Το νέο αεροσκάφος που θα είναι διαθέσιμο από το 2019 ταιριάζει πολύ καλά με τα σχέδια επέκτασης μας και το μέλλον του δικτύου μεγάλων αποστάσεων, όσον αφορά το μέγεθος, το εύρος και την αποδοτικότητα των καυσίμων. Το Airbus A321LR είναι το νεότερο αεροσκάφος μεγάλων αποστάσεων με στενό σώμα στην αγορά και με αυτή τη σειρά θα έχουμε ένα σημαντικό πλεονέκτημα κόστους και θα αυξήσουμε την ανταγωνιστικότητά μας, πράγμα που σημαίνει ότι μπορούμε να προσφέρουμε στους πελάτες μας χαμηλές τιμές στο ολοκαίνουριο αεροσκάφος σε ένα ευρύ φάσμα νέων προορισμών», δήλωσε ο Kjos.

«Είμαστε πολύ χαρούμενοι που η Norwegian έχει επιλέξει το A321LR. Είμαστε πολύ ευχαριστημένοι που η Norwegian θα είναι η πρώτη εταιρεία χαμηλού κόστους που θα κάνει υπερατλαντικά ταξίδια με το A321LR», δήλωσε από την πλευρά του ο John Leahy. «Το A321LR θέτει νέα πρότυπα στη βιομηχανία με την οικολογική του αποδοτικότητα».

Οι πρώτες παραδόσεις θα ξεκινήσουν το 2019.

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