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Spirit Airlines and Airbus have agreed to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the Florida-based carrier to acquire up to 100 A320neo Family examples. The company is expected to opt for a mix of A319neo and A320neo, as well as the largest A321neo type as part of the proposed agreement which aims to “meet its future fleet requirements”. An option to purchase up to 50 further aircraft also forms part of the MoU. Ted Christie, the airline’s president and CEO commented: “This new order represents another milestone for Spirit. The additional aircraft will be used to support Spirit’s growth as we ..read more

Following the retirement of Airbus A330-200, A6-EYE (c/n 688), last November, Etihad Airways has unveiled a new special liveried aircraft celebrating its partnership with Manchester City Football Club. The factory fresh Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, A6-BND (c/n 42373), was delivered to the carrier in a sky-blue variation of the carrier’s colour scheme on October 18. Placed into service three days later, the jet flew EY21/22, one of the airline’s two daily connections between its Abu Dhabi base and Manchester Airport. It remained on the route for the following seven days, before operating a link to ..read more

RwandAir has announced that more than 11,000 passengers flew with the Kigali-based carrier to Guangzhou/Baiyun between June and September. The new thrice-weekly rotation – which marks the African airline’s first foray into the Chinese market – has been described as performing “beyond expectations”. Yvonne Manzi Makolo, CEO of RwandAir commented: “Bookings by business and leisure travellers alike have really taken off and exceeded our expectations with very busy flights operating between the two cities. While it’s too early to say whether we will add additional capacity with increased services ..read more

Embraer has signed new maintenance deals and extended agreements with several airlines for its TechCare portfolio of services. Switzerland’s Helvetic Airways has expanded its pool contract, adding seven E190s to the current agreement already supporting four of its aircraft. France’s Pan Européenne Air Service – a pool customer for more than a decade – renewed original equipment manufacturer (OEM) support for its ERJ135 and ERJ145 jets. The Brazilian company will continue to provide component support to long-standing customer Flybe and its fleet of 11 E175s and four E195s. Additionally, Zambia ..read more

INDIAN LOW-COST carrier IndiGo has placed an order for 300 Airbus A320neo Family aircraft marking one of the manufacturers’ largest orders by a single operator. The agreement includes a mix of A320neo, A321neo and A321XLR aircraft. Guillaume Faury, Airbus chief executive officer commented: “We are delighted that IndiGo, one of our early launch customers for the [type], continues to build its future with Airbus, making IndiGo the world’s biggest customer for the A320neo Family.” This new deal – which is worth around $30bn at list prices – brings IndiGo’s total order for the A320neo Family to 73 ..read more

Czech Airlines has become the latest customer for the Airbus A220, ordering four examples of the larger -300 variant. The Central European carrier has also upsized a commitment for three A320neos to the A321XLR. Launched at June’s International Paris Air Show, the A321XLR offers a range of 4,700nm (8,700km) which will enable Czech Airlines to begin services from its Vaclav Havel Airport Prague base to destinations on the US East Coast, including New York, Washington, Philadelphia and Boston. The carrier’s sole long-haul route, a four-times weekly connection to Seoul, South Korea, is also withi ..read more

Vietnam Airlines has accepted its 100th aircraft, a Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner, in a ceremony at the manufacturer’s Charleston, South Carolina plant. The airliner, VN-A873 (c/n 60288), was handed over on October 18 and is the third of eight Boeing 787-10s the carrier has on order. The airline pressed its first example into service in mid-August, receiving a second at the end of the same month. It states that the aircraft have “shown remarkable efficiency”, having operated more than 140 flights, with approximately 83,000 passengers transported between Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City and on rotations conne ..read more

Boeing has confirmed it has received commitments for two 787-9 Dreamliners from a VIP customer at the National Business Aviation Association’s annual convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Seattle-based manufacturer now has 16 examples of the widebody business jet on its order books. The order, which has a value of $564m at list prices, was placed in August by a customer who wishes to remain anonymous. The BBJ 787-9 has a range of 9,485nm (17,566km) and offers amenities such as larger windows, a lower cabin altitude, smooth ride technology, cleaner and higher humidity air, and a quieter cabin. I ..read more

Drukair – Royal Bhutan Airlines has taken delivery of a 40-seat ATR 42-600, A5-JNW (c/n 1412). The turboprop is to be used on the airline’s domestic and international routes. It is the second ATR aircraft to be acquired by the Bhutanese flag-carrier following an ATR 42-500 in May 2011. The manufacturer states the regional airliner was chosen for its “outstanding operational performance in challenging conditions” as it will serve small airports in the Himalayan Mountains as well as linking Bhutan with Kathmandu, Kolkata and Dhaka. Tandi Wangchuk, Drukair CEO, said: “We have been flying an ATR a ..read more