Indigo Partners placed a mega order for Airbus A321neo jets

Radhika Bansal

15 Nov 2021

Indigo Partners has announced an order for 255 additional Airbus A321neo family aircraft for its portfolio of airlines.

Wizz Air (Hungary), Frontier (United States), Volaris (Mexico) and JetSMART (Chile and Argentina) are all part of the group.

The firm order was signed at the ongoing Dubai Airshow.

This order brings the total number of aircraft ordered by the airlines to 1,145 A320 planes.

Airbus A321neo (Image Courtesy - Bloomberg)

The aircraft ordered today are a mix of A321neos and A321XLRs, which will be delivered to the individual airlines as follows:

Wizz Air - 102 aircraft (75 A321neo + 27 A321XLR)Frontier - 91 aircraft (A321neo)Volaris - 39 aircraft (A321neo)JetSMART - 23 aircraft (21 A321neo + 2 A321XLR)

In addition to this order, Volaris and JetSMART will upconvert 38 A320neo to A321neo from their existing aircraft backlogs.

“This order reaffirms our portfolio airlines’ commitment to consistent growth through the next decade.Planes from the overall order will be delivered mainly in the second half of the decade."Airbus

Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said the order would contribute to Airbus' production goals. It plans to increase output to 64 such jets a month in 2023 from around 40 now but has run into opposition from suppliers and leasing firms over tentative proposals to raise this to as high as 75.

Heads of the four airlines in Dubai and connected by video said the new aircraft would help them meet environmental goals by reducing emissions per passenger, compared to smaller and older planes. Some environmental groups have criticised low-cost carriers over outright emissions, due to the number of flights.

“The Airbus A321neo and A321XLR have industry-leading efficiency, low unit costs and a substantially reduced carbon footprint relative to prior models. With these aircraft, Wizz, Frontier, Volaris and JetSMART will continue to offer low fares, stimulate the markets they serve and improve their industry-leading sustainability profile."Bill Franke, Managing Partne, Indigo Partners

The A321neo incorporates new generation engines and Sharklets, which together deliver more than 25% fuel and CO2 savings, as well as a 50 per cent noise reduction.

“We are happy to further expand our relationship with our great Indigo Partners’ airlines Wizz, Frontier, Volaris and JetSMART who have acted fast and decisively over the last few months to position themselves for this landmark order as the effect of the pandemic recedes and the world wants more sustainable flying." Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International

Indigo Partners, based in Phoenix, Arizona, is a private equity fund focused on worldwide investments in air transportation.

“These are by far the most fuel- and cost-efficient aircraft in their class - supporting us in maintaining our position as the most sustainable airline in Europe and reaching our sustainability goals of reducing CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre by a quarter by 2030.Despite a strong demand for the aircraft, we have signed very attractive terms with Airbus for the long-term supply of more aircraft until the end of the decade, catapulting Wizz Air towards our aim of being a 500 aircraft group and putting us in an unassailable position when it comes to sustainability."József Váradi, Chief Executive Officer, Wizz Air

Cover Image - Airbus

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Ammonia to be the next hydrogen? | Reaction Engines - UK based firm to unveil them

Prashant-prabhakar

15 Nov 2021

Representative | NASASpaceFlight.forum

Several ammonia-based propulsion systems have been tested in the past. This, however, represents the first time a project has been initiated to actually prove ammonia’s viability as a fuel for commercial aviation.

According to a report by New Atlas, Reaction Engines, to build lightweight and compact ammonia reactors capable of helping efforts to decarbonize slow-to-adapt industrial sectors, like off-grid energy generation and shipping.

Reportedly, the ground-breaking study conducted by the company combines Reaction Engines’ heat exchanger technology with the ammonia cracking technology being developed by the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), resulting in an ammonia fuel mix that very closely resembles jet fuel.

The combination of Reaction Engines’ transformative heat exchanger technology and the STFC’s innovative catalysts will enable development of a game-changing class of green ammonia-based aviation propulsion systems. Our study showed that an ammonia-fuelled jet engine could be adapted from currently available engines, and ammonia as a fuel doesn’t require a complete re-think of the design of civil aircraft as we know them todayJames Barth, quoted in Reaction Engines announcement ( August 18,2020)

According to experts in the field, the propulsion system designed can efficiently crack the ammonia fuel using heat harvested from the jet engine through Reaction Engines’ ground-breaking heat exchangers to provide a zero-carbon fuel blend of ammonia and hydrogen that burns just as efficiently as jet fuel.

Daily Mail

And if all goes well, ammonia-based propulsion systems could be a reality and such jets could hit the short-haul market well before 2050- which is the current deadline set by the industry.

What makes it better compared to hydrogen?

Weight is of critical importance in aviation. Although it carries only 20% of the energy that hydrogen does by weight, it roughly carries 70% more energy than liquid hydrogen in volume.

Implementing hydrogen in aviation has its own set of cons. Large-volume and long-range hydrogen tanks would mean lesser space for passenger seats. This one feature could favourably put ammonia back on the table of consideration for the future of commercial aircraft propulsion technology.

Is it 100% sustainable? There's more than meets the eye

Although the combustive products of the reaction only yield nitrogen and water as by-products, the burning ammonia and hydrogen can create nitrous oxides which are known to directly impact the environment negatively.

It can lead to smoggy air, cause acid rains and have a direct effect on humans and animals, thereby affecting the ecosystem by large.

Now that we have innumerable alternatives (electric, hydrogen, SAF) to conventional jet fuel, which one do you think is the most viable In terms of environmental safety and sustainability? Or perhaps a hybrid of all sounds better?

Drop-in your ideas below.

COVER: UK Defence Journal

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Health Ministry gives the green flag to serving food on flights of less than two-hour

Radhika Bansal

15 Nov 2021

Serving food on flights with a duration of fewer than two hours can be resumed, the Union health ministry is learnt to have informed the civil aviation ministry after the latter sought inputs from it for amending the existing regulations.

The health ministry has also said the crew members on a flight need not wear coveralls but should continue to wear gloves, masks and face shields, according to sources.

(Image Courtesy - The Korean Herald)

Under the existing guidelines, airlines are not allowed to serve meals on flights that have a duration of fewer than two hours. The ban came into effect on April 15.

When the scheduled domestic flight services were resumed on May 25 2020 after the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the ministry had allowed the airlines to serve in-flight meals under certain conditions.

The civil aviation ministry is reviewing the onboard meal services in domestic flights given a decline in the number of daily COVID-19 cases and has sought inputs from the health ministry for amending the existing guidelines.

"The health ministry has now informed that serving food on flights of less than two hours can be resumed and that the crew members need not wear coveralls but should continue to wear gloves, masks and face shields," a source said.

With 11,850 fresh cases, India's COVID-19 tally has shot up to 3,44,26,036, while the number of active cases of the infection has declined to 1,36,308, the lowest in 274 days, according to the health ministry's data updated at 8 AM on Saturday, October 13.

The death toll due to the viral disease has climbed to 4,63,245 with 555 more fatalities.

The number of fresh COVID-19 cases has been below 20,000 for 36 straight days and less than 50,000 fresh cases have been reported for 139 consecutive days.

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IndiGo plans a seat makeover for its aircraft

Radhika Bansal

14 Nov 2021

An airline seat is a seat on an airliner in which passengers are accommodated for the duration of the journey. Such seats are usually arranged in rows running across the aeroplane's fuselage. A diagram of such seats in an aircraft is called an aircraft seat map.

Indian low-cost giant IndiGo has placed an order to change seats of some of its planes, says CEO Ronojoy Dutta.

“We have decided on new seats on some of our planes with more cushioning and these planes will have more legroom for passengers. These single aisles will be used for up to 7-hour international flights. We are also looking at having ovens in these planes. Actually, we had never stopped looking at ovens.” Ronojoy Dutta, CEO, IndiGo

The decision means that IndiGo will reduce the density of its packed A321neos to accommodate well-padded seats, more pitch, and a modern galley offering hot dishes. This is a direct response to passenger complaints on flights to Istanbul, an over seven-hour journey made by the Airbus narrowbody. After a year of cold meals, only hot pot noodles, and thin seats, IndiGo is set to go the extra mile.

IndiGo A320 Seat Plus XL

IndiGo, which flies nearly six out of every ten domestic passengers, is currently ignoring the possibility of using wide-body aircraft for international flights. When asked if IndiGo will now consider Qatar Airways' long-standing offer to buy a stake in the company to compete with the combined Tata Group airlines, which will soon include AI and AI Express, Dutta said the promoters would make that decision.

IndiGo, which has a 57 % domestic market share, has yet to face serious competition from other airlines. It had become the single largest airline for international carriage before the pandemic, owing to its large number of flights to nearby countries, particularly the Gulf.

Today, IndiGo’s fleet has evolved beyond just one type. To serve regional routes across the country, the carrier added a fleet of ATR72-600 from 2017 onward. As of now, IndiGo operates a fleet of 250 aircraft, including:

133 Airbus A320neos45 A321neos39 A320-200s33 ATR72-600

IndiGo's A321neo

The cabin configuration is also fairly consistent. The A320s have a 3-3 all-economy seating configuration with 180-186 seats. In the same layout as the smaller A321neos, the larger A321neos have 221-232 seats. Legroom and recline are limited, as one would expect from an LCC, but not the worst in the industry.

IndiGo, on the other hand, recently announced that for flights longer than seven hours, it will configure select A321neos in a long-haul configuration. More comfortable seats, more legroom, and ovens for hot in-flight meals will be available on these planes.

IndiGo debuted in 2006 with a world-record-breaking aircraft deal. The carrier's growth has continued, and it now has around 700 planes on order with Airbus.

IndiGo was one of the early customers for the A321XLR. The carrier hopes to disrupt the long-haul market with these jets, flying to Western European destinations like Paris and London as well as further East to Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing.

IndiGo is Airbus' most valuable customer in India at the moment, with Boeing trailing far behind in the narrow-body market. IndiGo hopes to maintain its current growth by taking on more orders, which is unavoidable.

Despite IndiGo's love for the A320, widebodies have come upon several occasions. The carrier has resisted pulling the trigger each time, opting instead to use longer-range narrowbodies for operations.

IndiGo is headquartered in Gurgaon. It is the largest airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size. It is also the largest individual Asian low-cost carrier in terms of jet fleet size and passengers carried, and the sixth-largest carrier in Asia with over 6.4 crores (64 million) passengers carried in the financial year 2018–19.

The airline operated 1,500 daily flights as of 2019 to 95 destinations – 71 domestic and 24 international. It has its primary hub at IGI Airport, Delhi.

The airline was founded as a private company by Rahul Bhatia of InterGlobe Enterprises and Rakesh Gangwal in 2006. It took delivery of its first aircraft in July 2006 and commenced operations a month later. The airline became the largest Indian carrier by passenger market share in 2012. The company went public in November 2015.

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American Airlines resumes direct flights between New York and New Delhi

Radhika Bansal

15 Nov 2021

India-US nonstop connectivity has got a boost with American Airlines resuming flights to the country after almost a decade.

The carrier officially inaugurated nonstop service between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL). The first flight arrived at the IGI on Saturday, November 13 night.

American Airlines' B777 at IGI. (Image Courtesy - Twitter - Saurabh Sinha)

This flight was supposed to start October-end but was deferred by a couple of weeks for the November 8 US reopening for international travellers.

Similarly, American’s Bengaluru-Seattle that was to start from January 4, 2022, has been deferred by a few months to March-end as corporate travel is yet to pick up and is expected to show signs of revival by then.

The airline has last flown to India in 2012 when it terminated its Chicago-Delhi route that was launched in 2007.

“There is tremendous demand for travel between India and the US, thanks to the large diaspora and growing business ties. The pandemic has led to a preference among people to travel nonstop instead of going one-stop. There is huge potential for expansion in India. Mumbai is one place we are looking at closely. We will see how these two routes that we have announced do and then decide.Our India flights will have a feel of the country in terms of meals, inflight entertainment content, and Hindi-speaking crew. Our aircraft have onboard WiFi from Panasonic that have great oceanic coverage too."Tom Lattig, Managing Director (Sales), American Airlines

The airline has deployed its 304-seater Boeing 777-300ER on the Delhi route with four cabins — 216 seats in economy, 28 premium economy, 52 in business and 8 in first.

American recently entered into a codeshare agreement with IndiGo and will put its code on 29 of IndiGo’s domestic routes in India for seamless nationwide connectivity.

AAdvantage members will earn miles when travelling on American codeshare flights operated by IndiGo. Customers travelling in American’s Flagship® Business cabin will have access to IndiGo partner lounges in their originating cities.

On several routes between India and the United States, Air India and United operate nonstop flights. Delta stopped flying to this city in March 2020 and has yet to resume.

Before the pandemic, most travels between the two continents was done in one-stop flights via hubs in the Gulf, Europe, and Southeast Asia.

Covid, on the other hand, is expected to change the trend to nonstops. During Covid, both AI and United, which will soon be a part of the Tata Group, increased direct services between India and the United States, including the introduction of new routes such as Bengaluru-San Francisco.

(With Inputs from The Times of India)

Cover Image - Wikimedia Commons

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Superyacht in the skies? Lufthansa technik unveils "EXPLORER"

Prashant-prabhakar

14 Nov 2021

Lufthansa Technology has come up with an innovative cabin layout- a concept it has taken from the waters and plans to bring it out into the skies.

Lufthansa

The wealthy and the super affluent have a knack for possessing a high end and flamboyant collection of cars and yachts in their arsenal. Now we've all seen an Airbus A330 fly as a passenger and a freighter version as well. What do you get when you combine the existing features on an A330 with that of a high-end yacht? 

We analyzed the typical elements of the Explorer boat class in order to transfer the design idea behind it from the water to the air, and thus into a new cabin designJan Grube, Sales Director in Lufthansa Technik's VIP & Special Mission Aircraft Services

A super flying yacht with its own private space and entertainment area- that's what! And that's exactly what the company has been trying to experiment-this time on an A330.

AeroTime Hub

Lufthansa Technik regularly develops new VIP aircraft cabin concepts that both meet the latest market requirements and represent the latest trends. With this red-hot study we continue this tradition in an innovative way. We are developing the ‘Explorer Design' for a completely new target groupWieland Timm, Head of Sales VIP & Special Mission Aircraft Services, at Lufthansa Technik

The VIP cabin concept, dubbed "EXPLORER", in addition to serving as a mode of intercontinental transport, would also serve as a state-of-the-art hotel and base camp for the affluent trotting around the globe.

EXPLORER

The design was first unveiled at At the Monaco Yacht Show 2021, wherein the company showcased its pioneering cabin design. "EXPLORER" was named so, taking inspiration from superyachts by the same name- synonymous with providing world-class travel facilities.

Lufthansa

The company chose the iconic Airbus Corporate Jet ACJ330 as a platform to implement its design.

Visitors enter the aircraft by opening a cargo door. Once into the aircraft, it's no longer a cargo door, the passengers are welcomed into a spacious verandah instead.

Secondly, the uber-spacious entertainment area can be used for a host of activities-dining, meditative practices to name a few. What's more, it can also be converted into a dance floor depending on individual preferences.

Lufthansa

If you are in an aircraft for two weeks, flying around the world, you probably also want to party at some pointTimm laughs

One feature that completely stands out is the projection system which apparently covers a huge portion of the ceiling and the sides of the cabin. An integrated system of 20-30 inbuilt projectors, the system is designed by German firm Diehl. Depending on the projection content, the cabin can be turned into anything from an underwater museum to fishes and sea creatures swimming overhead.

There are thousands of different patterns to choose fromTimm adds

And if that wasn't enough, the flying superyacht also features a "garage" on the lower deck, which is visible from the main deck.

Additionally, it also includes four bedroom suites, a spa and a small gym room that can fit a treadmill or a bike. Furthermore, it also has provisions for installing an intensive care unit if need be.

This concept is missing from the market, people are looking for it. People are paying $100,000-$200,000 per person per week for luxury tailor-made trips. And if they are spending so much, they want some entertainmentTimm

Tim further states that although the company is ready to take on orders, it will take another 16-17 months realistically to build the cabin and find the aircraft.

So it will take between two and three years for the final product to be ready. But this is normal and not COVID-19 relatedTimm

The company would be unveiling its innovative cabin concept at a major event at the Dubai Airshow 2021, which happens to commence today.

Lufthansa Technik business, part of Lufthansa Group, is mainly known for its maintenance, repair and overhaul work. The VIP and Special Mission division, based in Hamburg, installs luxury cabins onboard jet planes, and this includes the Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 family aircraft and even the larger A350s and B747s. 

COVER: Lufthansa

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