For a while now, we’ve known that Airbus, like many other startups globally, is working on a couple of eVTOLs (electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing) aircraft. One of them, the CityAirbus, has made its first public debut. It is still in prototype form and is slated to take its maiden flight later this year.

The Airbus CityAirbus NextGen (curious name!) has been developed for various purposes in major cities worldwide. The eVTOL has a wing span of approximately 12 metres with a four-seat passenger compartment. Airbus aims for a range of 80km with a cruising speed target of 120kmph. Of course, the necessary infrastructure to support eVTOL operations in populous cities will play a crucial role.

The unveiling of the CityAirbus prototype came alongside the opening of the new CityAirbus test centre in Donauwörth. The facility will serve as a dedicated space for testing various systems for eVTOLs and is part of Airbus’ investment in Advanced Air Mobility. 

Latvia’s flag carrier, airBaltic, has announced the addition of two new routes from its base in Vilnius. In the summer season of this year, the airline will operate flights from the Lithuanian capital to Lisbon, Portugal, and Hamburg, Germany. Both new services are part of a risk-sharing partnership between airBaltic and Lithuanian Airports.

Using an Airbus A220-300, the airline will operate two weekly flights between the abovementioned new routes. The Vilnius-Hamburg service will start on May 2, 2024, with ticket prices starting at EUR 59. Regarding the Vilnius-Lisbon route, it will go live on May 4, 2024, with ticket prices starting at EUR 129.

airBaltic also aims to add two more services for the summer season this year: Vilnius to Krakow, Poland, and Palanga, Lithuania, to Amsterdam, Netherlands. In 2024, the airline plans to connect Lithuania with 18 destinations and will continue to station two aircraft in Vilnius.

Africa’s largest carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, has ordered up to 20 widebody Boeing aircraft. The purchase agreement states a firm order for eight 777-9s and options for up to twelve additional jets. With this order, Ethiopia’s flag carrier became the first buyer of the Boeing 777X in Africa.

The Boeing 777X is based on the 777 series blended with technologies from the 787 Dreamliner family. The 777-9 features new carbon fibre composite wings. Also, it is powered by engines that help deliver 10 per cent better fuel efficiency and operating costs than the closest rival. According to Boeing, the 777-9 can fly up to 13,510km (7,295 nautical miles) nonstop.

Over half of Ethiopian Airlines’ current fleet comprises Boeing aircraft, including 29 787 Dreamliners, 20 777s, three 767s, 27 next-gen 737s and 15 737 Max jets.

Also Read: American Places Firm Order For 260 Jets

Greece’s Aegean and Germany’s Eurowings have unveiled a new bilateral codeshare partnership to boost business for both. Under the agreement, select Aegean flights will also be bookable under Eurowings flight numbers. On the other hand, some Eurowings flights will also be available under Aegean flight numbers.

To begin with, Greece’s flag carrier will assign code A3 to direct services operated by Eurowings linking Heraklion (Crete) and Thessaloniki with Eurowings bases in Germany, Austria and Czechia. The German low-cost airline will also follow the same mantra, assigning a particular code to its Aegean flights that connect Athens and Thessaloniki with its bases in Germany and Czechia. The duo aims to gradually increase codesharing further in the future.

Pratt & Whitney and Icelandair have been doing business with each other for over eight decades. Extending that relationship further is a new deal. The airline has chosen Pratt & Whitney’s GTF engines to power up to 35 new Airbus A320neo family aircraft. The count comprises a mix of leased and bought A321XLRs and A321LRs. Icelandair has also opted for an EngineWise agreement for the long-term maintenance, repair and overhaul of the new engines. With this deal, Iceland’s flag carrier becomes a new GTF customer for the RTX-owned company.

Icelandair selected the GTF engines because they will reduce carbon emissions and fuel consumption by up to 30 per cent with the Airbus aircraft compared to the Boeing 757s they will replace. The first A321LRs should join the airline’s fleet next year, while the A32XLRs will start arriving in 2029. Icelandair currently operates DHC Dash 8 aircraft with Pratt & Whitney Canada PW100 and PW150 powerplants.

During the Singapore Airshow last month, Pratt & Whitney landed GTF engine deals with Cebu Pacific, JetSmart and Vietjet.