American aircraft manufacturer Boeing has announced that it has bagged an order for four 787 Dreamliners from TAAG Angola Airlines. The carrier’s CEO says,

The 787 option suits our intent for modern, size-wise and efficient equipment, able to progressively replace our current widebody fleet, and provide our customers with an improved flight experience.

According to Boeing, Africa’s growing aviation industry will require 1,025 aircraft over the next 20 years. The manufacturer believes that African air traffic will grow at 7.4 per cent, outpacing the global average growth of 6.1 per cent.

TAAG Angola Airlines presently operates five 777-300ER jets, three 777-200ERs and seven 737-700s to twelve destinations across Africa, China, Europe and South America.

On October 1, 2023, DXB (Dubai International Airport) welcomed the first flight of TUS Airways – Cyprus’ largest carrier. Operated by an Airbus A320 with flight number U8 684, it became the first scheduled service to the UAE and the Middle East region.

TUS Airways will operate flights between Larnaca and DXB’s Terminal 1 twice weekly – on Thursdays and Sundays. The airfare will start at AED 530, inclusive of taxes. This link to the Middle East will help passengers with more connecting options to other parts of the world. 

Chicago-headquartered United Airlines has announced new orders with Airbus and Boeing for purchasing aircraft. With Airbus, the carrier has ordered an additional 60 A321neo jets to further bolster its network closer to home. The airline had previously placed an order for 50 A321XLR and 70 A321neo aeroplanes. To sum up, the direct purchase agreement with the European aircraft manufacturer now stands at 180 units of the A321 jets.

Similarly, United has extended its business with Boeing. The airline has decided to expand its fleet of 787 Dreamliners by placing a new firm order for 50 787-9s with the option to buy an additional 50. Boeing confirms that United has the largest Dreamliner order book on record and is set to become the biggest 787 operator worldwide. In conjunction with last year’s purchase order for 100 787 aircraft, United has a firm order for 150 Dreamliners.

American aircraft manufacturer Boeing has delivered a 737 Max to Air Tanzania. Specifically, it’s a 737-9 jet. This makes Tanzania’s flag carrier the first airline in Africa to own one of these single-aisle aeroplanes. The new inheritance will help the East African carrier aid the growing travel demand in West Africa, Southern Africa and India.

Presently, Air Tanzania operates flights across Africa and to countries in Asia with a fleet that includes two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and one 767-300 Freighter. The airline also awaits an additional 787-8 from Boeing.

Chile-based carrier LATAM Airlines has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321neo leased from AerCap. Furthermore, the airline has ordered an additional 13 A321neos to further bolster its regional network and growth. With the new order, there’s a black of 76 A321neo aircraft for LATAM Airlines. In total, the carrier has 111 A320 Family jets to be delivered.

The aircraft delivered to LATAM Airlines has a seating capacity of up to 224 passengers and features Airbus’ XL bins indoors. The latter offers a 40 per cent increase in storage space and can gulp 60 per cent more cabin bags. Also, the jet flew to its destination with jet fuel blended with 49 per cent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Presently, LATAM Airlines operates 240 Airbus jets. That makes it the largest Airbus operator in Latin America. In July this year, the carrier took delivery of its first Airbus A320neo aircraft, powered by 30 per cent SAF.

Dubai-based carrier Emirates, recently recognised as a 2024 APEX World Class Airline winner, has inked an agreement with Shell Aviation. It is for the supply of over 300,000 gallons of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) at the airline’s international hub in Dubai. The first SAF delivery should commence before 2023 comes to a close. And once that happens, it will be the first time that DXB will fuel an aircraft with SAF.

SAF is compatible with existing aircraft fleets and airport infrastructure and can be blended with conventional aviation fuel at a ratio of up to 50 per cent. According to the data available, usage of SAF can significantly lower lifecycle carbon emissions. If used neat, the reduction in CO2 emissions can be up to 80 per cent compared to conventional jet fuel.

The carrier in question completed its first 100 per cent SAF-powered demonstration flight earlier this year. Its first flight that used jet fuel blended with SAF was 2017 on a Boeing 777 from Chicago. It currently operates flights from Paris, Lyon and Oslo with jet fuel mixed with SAF.

In August this year, Cathay Pacific Group announced its intention to buy up to 32 Airbus single-aisle aircraft. That has now been confirmed by the Hong Kong-based firm. The new order, which bumps the order book with Airbus to 64, comprises the A320neo and A321neo variants. The European aircraft manufacturer has already delivered 13 of them.

As mentioned earlier, the new fleet of A320neo family aircraft will help Cathay Pacific Group bolster its operations (Cathay Pacific and HK Express) in the Chinese mainland and other parts of Asia.

To keep up with the momentum of modernising the aircraft fleet, Air France-KLM Group is set to order more Airbus widebody jets. The Group will order 50 Airbus A350s, comprising the A350-900 and A350-1000 variants, with the option of 40 additional aeroplanes. The deliveries are expected to be completed between 2026 and 2030.

The new order will add to an already-placed order for 41 Airbus A350-900s for Air France. Of those, 22 have already been delivered. The new aeroplanes will replace previous-gen jets, including the Airbus A330 and Boeing 777. Besides that, the Group will also be among the first brands to use the Airbus A350 Full Freighter derivative of the aircraft. It has already placed an order for eight of those.

As things stand, Air France-KLM is set to become the largest A350 operator in the world. Once the order is placed, the Group will have over 200 aircraft on order, including 100 derivatives from the Airbus A320neo family.