Fleet Developments

Richard Maslen May 19, 2011

QANTAS TO INCREASE A380 FREQUENCY TO LOS ANGELES

Australian carrier Qantas is to increase the number of flights per week between Melbourne and Los Angeles to be operated by its Airbus A380s, as it takes delivery of additional aircraft. The airline currently uses the ‘Super Jumbo’ on four flights per week, with the additional three services currently being flown by Boeing 747-400s. However, from the start of the Northern Winter schedules on October 30 it will use the A380 on six of its seven weekly flights, with just a single rotation being operated by a 747-400. This will represent a further increase in capacity on the route as Qantas’ A380s are configured with around 100 more seats than its four-class 747-400s. The airline has seen its share of this market diluted over the past year: despite carrying an estimated 20,000 additional O&D passengers during the past 12 months its share of traffic has slipped from 56 to 50 per cent. This has been mainly due to the arrival of V Australia (now Virgin Australia) on the route, increasing its own share from 9 to 21 per cent. However, on a bright note, Qantas has significantly enhanced its yield with average fares increasing by a third during the period, and the arrival of the A380 on the route is likely to have played a part in this success.

SKYWEST BOOSTS FLEET TO SUPPORT COMMERCIAL GROWTH

Australian and South East Asia regional airline Skywest has announced plans to expand its fleet to support its commercial growth in the contracted scheduled charter sector of its business, connected to the delivery of services to the resources sector. The carrier has acquired an option to lease an Airbus A320-231 for a four year period from August 2011 and has approached its clients to discuss availability. Furthermore, Skywest has entered into a Letter of Intent to purchase an additional Fokker 100 which will be delivered in August should the airline proceed with the acquisition. The airline has also recently formalised an agreement to fly for Virgin Australia, which could lead to a doubling of Skywest’s overall fleet size with the addition of up to 18 additional ATR 72s. The first Virgin Australia aircraft is set to be delivered directly from the manufacturer’s Toulouse factory on June 30 and is scheduled to enter commercial operation from August 29. The fleet growth will support Skywest’s network development and in particular its activities in the Mid-West of Australia. It will launch a weekly service from Geraldton to Denpasar, Bali for leisure and commercial travellers on May 22, while links to the Pilbara and Melbourne will be added from July, supporting Western Australia’s bush community.

SPRINT AIR ACQUIRES ANOTHER SAAB 340A

Polish regional carrier Sprint Air has added another Saab 340A to its fleet. The aircraft was acquired this month from Avion Capital Partners of Switzerland in a deal arranged by Skyworld Aviation. The turboprop will be used to expand the carrier’s presence in the charter market and will join 12 existing examples which fly a combination of passenger and cargo flights within Poland. Skyworld was actually responsible for placing the first Saab 340 with the operator in 2005 and it has subsequently grown rapidly.

FIREFLY TO OFFER INDONESIAN LINKS FROM JOHOR BAHRU

Malaysia Airlines’ low-cost subsidiary, Firefly, is to introduce flights to Indonesia from its base at Johor Bahru, the southernmost city of the Eurasian mainland. The fast expanding carrier is to offer a four times weekly service to Surabaya from August 14 and a three times weekly link to Bandung from August 16. The new routes will be operated under a codeshare partnership with its parent company. Firefly has recently taken delivery of its third Boeing 737-800, which is being based at eastern hub at Kota Kinabalu to boost its network and frequencies from there. This week capacity between Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur has been doubled from three to six daily flights and further network expansion is due to be announced, according to Managing Director, Eddy Leong. “There will of course be announcements of new routes in the future as our fleet grows,” he said. Firefly plans to add another four 737-800s to its fleet by the end of the year and under a five year development project, plans to add 30 more to further expand its activities at Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu and Johor Bahru.

IBERIA ADDS MADRID – BRUSSELS CARGO FLIGHT

Spanish national carrier Iberia has announced that it will start a direct flight between Madrid and Brussels using a leased Boeing 737F full-freighter aircraft. The flight will be introduced from June 1 and will provide a connecting service from the airline’s long-haul cargo flights from South America, enabling perishable goods to be more easily transported to the Belgian capital. The flight will support the airline’s ‘cool and fast’ freight product that offers door-to-door transportation and delivery of perishable goods like vegetables, fruit and flowers. “This new freight product ensures a high quality link between Brussels Airport and South America via Madrid, without any interruption of the cold chain that is essential for the transportation of perishable goods,” said the airline.