Both Airbus and Boeing have bagged orders for new aircraft from Japan Airlines (JAL). As part of its fleet renewal plan, Japan’s flag carrier will purchase 21 A350-900s and 11 A321neos from Airbus and 10 787-9 Dreamliners from Boeing. Simple math reveals the order for 42 new aircraft.

Of the 21 A350-900s, JAL plans to put 20 on international routes from FY2027 and 1 on domestic from FY2025. The latter will take the place of the aircraft that the airline lost in January 2024. The 787-9s from Boeing, however, will all serve the airline’s overseas network from FY2027. The single-aisle A321neos, ordered for the first time by the Japanese carrier, will strengthen the domestic network from FY2028. JAL also awaits the delivery of 21 Boeing 737-8s, which should join the fleet from FY2026.

In December last year, JAL took delivery of its first Airbus A350-1000.

NOTE: Photograph taken from the official Airbus Media Centre.

In a bid to retire the ageing aircraft and replace them with new and more efficient ones, Korean Air has confirmed that it will sign a contract with Airbus to purchase 33 A350 family jets. The split is 27 A330-1000s and 6 A350-900s. The whole deal is valued at USD 13.7 billion.

The new aircraft will also help as Korean Air completes the merger with Asiana Airlines. The A350-1000, the largest in the family, can seat between 350 and 410 passengers in a typical three-class configuration and cover up to 16,000km nonstop at full capacity. On the other hand, the A350-900 is about 7 metres shorter but still has space for 300-350 passengers in a three-class layout and can fly up to 15,370km nonstop.

The airline’s fleet modernisation stint will also include the introduction of 50 Airbus A321neos, 10 Boeing 787-9s, 20 Boeing 787-10s and 30 Boeing 737-8s. Earlier this week, Korea’s flag carrier also shared details about a busy summer season ahead.

Latvia’s airBaltic, which has an all-Airbus A220 fleet, has announced the addition of three new routes for the winter season 2024-2025. Starting October 28, three weekly flights will run between Riga and Madeira, Portugal. The ticket prices start at EUR 199. Then, from the following day, the Vilnius-Oslo Torp (Norway) service will go live, serving passengers on the route twice a week. Prices start at EUR 45. Lastly, the Tallinn-Kittilä (Finland) flights will begin on December 21. airBaltic will operate up to two weekly flights on this route, with ticket prices starting at EUR 89.

Besides those new routes, the carrier will increase the frequency of services from Riga to Stockholm, Prague, Tampere, and others. Also, more flights will be operated from its base in Tallinn to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Gran Canaria. From Vilnius, the airline will offer more flights to Amsterdam, Paris and Berlin, among others. Its other seasonal routes for the winter season, such as Riga–Ljubljana, Riga–Baku (November), Tallinn–Malta (November), Vilnius–Lisbon and Vilnius–Hamburg, will also be active.

Also Read: airBaltic Adds Two New Flights From Vilnius For Summer 2024

One of the largest automobile groups in the world, Stellantis, recently completed a series of open market purchases of nearly 8.3 million shares of Archer Aviation. This further strengthening of shareholding indicates Stellantis’ confidence in the USA-based startup firm, which aims to introduce its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft – Midnight – into the market in 2025.

The aircraft in question is pure-electric and has space for four passengers plus a pilot. It is designed for short-distance trips of around 20-50 miles back-to-back, with a charging time of about 10 minutes between flights.

Archer and Stellantis have been strategic partners since 2020, with the latter becoming an official investor in the former the following year. In January last year, Stellantis confirmed its goal to mass-produce the Midnight aircraft as Archer’s exclusive contract manufacturer. This move boosted the California-headquartered company’s path to commercialisation. In fact, the first phase of Archer’s manufacturing plant in Georgia is on track and should be completed by the end of the year. Once live, the 350,000 sq. ft. facility on a 100-acre site will be capable of producing up to 650 aircraft in a year.

Also Read: InterGlobe And Archer Sign An Intriguing Agreement

The aviation industry has set 2050 as the target to achieve net zero CO2 emissions. A key enabler will be the extensive use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). A promising development in that regard has surfaced from IAE International Aero Engines AG (IAE), a consortium comprising Pratt & Whitney (an RTX company), Pratt & Whitney Aero Engines International GmbH, Japanese Aero Engines Corporation, and MTU Aero Engines AG.

IAE has successfully tested the V2500 engine on 100 per cent SAF. More specifically, the engine test was conducted on 100 per cent Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosine (HEFA-SPK) fuel supplied by Neste. This fuel is produced by hydrotreating renewable raw materials, like waste oils or fats, into an aviation turbine fuel. It is a prominent sustainable alternative to conventional jet fuels. The test was carried out at MTU Maintenance Hannover, Germany.

The V2500, first introduced in the late 1980s, currently powers the Airbus A320ceo family jets and the Embraer C-390 Millenium aircraft. It’s a popular powerplant, with nearly 3,000 V2500-equipped jets in service today. It has already been approved to operate on a fuel blend comprising up to 50 per cent SAF.

For the summer of 2024, Korean Air has announced an expansion of international flights starting March 31. These include the resumption of services to four cities across China, Europe, and Southeast Asia and an increase in weekly frequencies on major routes.

Resumption of services

On April 2, South Korea’s flag carrier will resume thrice-weekly flights between Seoul Incheon and Zurich, Switzerland. Then, from April 23, the airline will restart three weekly services between Seoul Incheon and Zhangjiajie, China. From the following day, another Chinese destination will be readded from Korean Air’s hub in Seoul Incheon. The airline will operate four weekly flights to Zhengzhou starting on April 24. Then, beginning on April 25, daily services on the Busan-Bangkok route will resume.

Increase in weekly frequencies

Korean Air has announced an increase in weekly flights between Seoul and Budapest from three to four. Up from three, the airline will also operate four daily services on the Incheon-Bangkok route. Similarly, the carrier has announced that it will fly three daily flights (up from two) between Incheon and Manila.

In January 2024, Korea’s flagship airline introduced two additional services on the Incheon-Bali route, taking the weekly frequencies count up to eleven. Lastly, the carrier has confirmed that it will increase flights from Incheon to Dallas, Texas, USA, from four weekly to daily.

NOTE: Photograph sourced from Boeing’s official Media Center.