The world’s largest international airline, Emirates, has confirmed the expansion of codeshare partnerships with two carriers – Aegean and United. With Aegean, Greece’s flagship carrier, the Dubai-based airline has added the Athens-New York (Newark) route. With that included, the codeshare partnership for Aegeon expands to 17 domestic destinations and 53 additional locations in Europe and the Middle East from its hub in Athens. On the other hand, Emirates customers have access to more than 140 destinations worldwide from its Dubai hub. The combined network for both carriers will reach 200 points globally.

With United, Emirates has extended its codeshare partnership to comprise nine destinations in Mexico. That means Emirates passengers will now have access to eight new locations in the Latin American nation. The list includes Mexico City, Cancun, Cozumel, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, San Jose Del Cabo, Leon/Guanajuato, and Queretaro. Passengers can fly to those points via either Houston or Chicago. Those planning to benefit from this codeshare expansion can do so with travels from September 14, 2023. Mexico is the first country outside the USA added to the duo’s growing partnership.

Lufthansa Group has given Eurowings Discover a new brand identity. From hereon, the European carrier will be known as Discover Airlines. The first Airbus A320, with registration D-AIUR, flaunting the new design, landed in Frankfurt yesterday and takes its maiden flight to Palma de Mallorca today.

The rebranded airline’s signage at Frankfurt Airport and other stations worldwide, along with several other items, will be replaced in days and weeks to come. The carrier also confirmed that its crews’ uniform accessories and cabin furnishings will reflect the new brand identity from December 2023.

Over the coming year, Discover Airlines will expand its fleet of aircraft to 28. That includes five Airbus A320s and one Airbus A330. Moreover, five short-haul aeroplanes will be based in Munich and take flight around 60 times per week to serve 23 destinations in the summer of 2024. Ten Airbus A320s and thirteen Airbus A330s will be flying from Frankfurt to 33 short- and medium-haul locations and 17 long-haul destinations. Discover Airlines also plans to offer long-haul flights from Munich.

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.