One of the world’s top aircraft lessors, Aviation Capital Group (ACG) and Boeing have finalised an order for thirteen 737 Max jets, bumping the former’s order book to 47 for the same aircraft family. Two variants of Boeing’s 737 Max jet comprise the new order – seven 737-8 and six 737-10. The 737-8 can seat up to 210 passengers and offer a range of 3,500 nautical miles. On the other hand, the 737-10, the largest model in the 737 family, can carry up to 230 people with a range of 3,100 nautical miles.

Founded in 1989 and presently a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tokyo Century Corporation, ACG has more than 480 aircraft in its fleet (managed plus committed) as of June-end, 2023. The company has leased aeroplanes to about 90 airlines in nearly 45 countries.

Starting November 1, 2023, Emirates will introduce a third daily flight to Hong Kong. The new flight, scheduled to run until March 30, 2024, will use a Boeing 777-300ER for a non-stop service between Dubai and Hong Kong. The aeroplane will have a three-class configuration – First, Business and Economy. The outbound flight (EK382) from Dubai will depart at 03:15 and land in Hong Kong at 14:30. The return service will take off at 18:00 and land at 23:05 (all times are local).

The third flight will complement Emirates’ direct services on EK380/381 and, with a stopover in Bangkok, on EK384/385. Both use the carrier’s flagship Airbus A380 aircraft. 

To provide maintenance services for the in-demand A350 worldwide, Air France SA and Airbus SAS have entered into exclusive negotiations to create a joint venture (JV). Split equally between the two companies (50:50), this JV would provide supply chain management and repair services. The two Europe-based companies would also create a worldwide pool of aircraft components.

Post receiving approval from relevant authorities and meeting all compliance requirements, the duo will push for a go-live date in the first half of 2024. The JV will go a long way in providing support to carriers around the world. Presently, there are 550 Airbus A350 aircraft in operation. Apart from those, there are more than 1,000 on order.

As part of its 2023 annual results announcement, Air New Zealand confirmed it will further strengthen its fleet with an additional four aircraft – two Airbus A321neo and two ATR72-600. The two new 214-seat A321neo planes will join New Zealand’s flag carrier on a 12-year lease, boosting capacity by more than 9,000 weekly seats. The ATR duo, on the other hand, will help strengthen the airline’s domestic network, each with a 68-seat configuration (adding over 5,700 weekly seats). All four aircraft mentioned above will join the carrier’s fleet in late 2024.

Besides those, Air New Zealand also awaits the delivery of two previously ordered eight Boeing 787 Dreamliners and four Airbus A321s. Although their delivery timelines stretch to 2028, at least two A321Neo jets are due for delivery in the next 12 months. That’s not all. More details are awaited on a leased Boeing 777-300ER, which will add 3,000 weekly seats to the airline’s international network. Once in service, the 777-300 fleet count will rise to eight.

Australia’s largest airline and flag carrier, Qantas, has zeroed down on new Boeing widebody jets to further modernise its fleet. Specifically, Qantas will purchase twelve 787 Dreamliner aircraft, all powered by GE engines, from the American firm. Four aeroplanes will be 787-9, and eight jets will be 787-10. Where the former derivative can fly up to 7,565 nautical miles (14,010 km), the latter variant, the largest of the 787 family, has a range of 6,330 nautical miles (11,730 km). The new aircraft will join Qantas’ existing fleet of 14 787-9 planes.

To further expand its reach in India and overseas, Indigo has inked a lease agreement with Singapore-headquartered BOC Aviation. The contract involves the latter to supply 10 Airbus A320Neo aircraft to the former. All jets in the equation are powered by CFM LEAP-1A engines, and the delivery process should be completed before the calendar reads 2024.

With a fleet of more than 300 aircraft, Indigo operates around 1,900 flights daily and connects 79 destinations in its home country. Earlier this week, the airline confirmed that it will add two new international destinations to its portfolio next month.

French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation confirms that its Falcon 6X model has been awarded type certification by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It’s an important milestone for the brand and the model in question. Dassault Aviation logged 1,500 flight hours worldwide with the Falcon 6X to bag the certifications. And this test campaign took more than two years.

This development propels the Falcon 6X towards entry into service. Dassault Aviation says the first units of the twin-engine, long-range business jet are undergoing final completion.

One of India’s leading airlines, Indigo, has confirmed that it will commence direct flights to two new international destinations from next month. On September 22, 2023, at 20:50, an Indigo aircraft (6E 1805) will take flight from New Delhi to Tashkent. That is scheduled to land at Uzbekistan’s capital city at 23:25 local time. And only a few hours later, at 01:05 on September 23, 2023, the 6E 1806 flight number will depart for the return journey. Indigo says it will run four weekly non-stop flights between the abovementioned cities.

The second international destination is another Central Asian city – Almaty. Known as the largest city in Kazakhstan, it was the nation’s capital until 1997. Indigo will start direct flights to the city from India’s capital on September 23, 2023. The outbound flight (6E 1801) will depart at 20:50 IST and is scheduled to land in Almaty at 01:05 local time on September 24, 2023. The return flight (6E 1802) will fly an hour later and should arrive in New Delhi at 05:10 IST.

Flights to Almaty and Tashkent will increase Indigo’s international destination count to 32. Overall, the Indian carrier’s portfolio will reach 111 cities.