Delta named No. 1 in Business Travel News Survey for 12th consecutive year

Corporate travel professionals have rated Delta No. 1 in the annual Business Travel News Airline Survey for the 12th year in a row, citing the airline’s response to evolving customer needs as well as their unwavering commitment to consistently communicate with their travellers and business partners.

"We’ll never stop investing in our people, service, network, fleet and infrastructure to deliver the seamless travel experiences we know our customers expect and deserve,” said Steve Sear, E.V.P. – Global Sales and Distribution. “We're humbled to be recognized once more with this esteemed honour. It goes without saying, but this recognition would not be possible without the loyalty and support of our incredible corporate customers and partners, and of course, our world-class Delta team.”

Business Travel News is the leading global source of business travel information and intelligence, reaching more than 44,000 corporate customers who are responsible for setting travel policy, managing, and buying business travel/meetings for their companies.

The annual survey asks corporate travel professionals to rank airlines on a variety of attributes, including customer service and the overall Sales relationship, distribution, network and products and services. Delta led in nearly every category, increasing its overall score comparative to 2019.

Among the valued actions Delta undertook in 2022:  

Launching Delta Business, a robust set of business travel tools, products and services under one, all-encompassing travel solution.

Accelerating hiring across the operation, bringing on more than 15,000 people since the beginning of 2021, including a record number of Reservations and Care specialists, pilots, flight attendants, aircraft maintenance technicians and more.

Returning operational reliability to a 99%+ completion factor* through meaningful and significant steps, such as right-sizing the airline’s schedule, adding buffer time in crew scheduling, increasing boarding time and focusing on hiring and training Delta’s workforce.

Building back our global network in a strategic and measured way with a focus on corporate needs, while simultaneously adding service to brand-new destinations like Cape Town, Geneva and Stuttgart.

Implementing innovative technology along the customer journey, revealing the world’s first-ever PARALLEL REALITY™ experience at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and continuing to roll out digital identity technology at U.S. hubs.

Unveiling two brand-new terminals at New York’s LaGuardia and LAX - multi-year infrastructure projects that represent the airline’s decade-long, $12 billion investment to transform the travel experience on the ground and in the air.

The airline also opened or expanded six Delta Sky Clubs this year, including opening the first Sky Club at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport – the only club there operated by a U.S. airline.

Bringing on new fleet such as the A321neo, the experience-rich, fuel-efficient narrowbody jet that reinforces the company's position as an industry leader in environmental sustainability.

Continuing to bring small, diverse food and beverage brands onboard, as well as plant-based food options and mindful entertainment to travel well.

Ensuring corporate customers remained well-informed, providing frequent and transparent communication as well as swift problem resolution.

“Our sales mission of ‘Listen. Act. Listen’ has always been central to our business model, and it was essential that we continued to emulate it day in and out as the industry rebuilt this year,” said Bob Somers, S.V.P. – Global Sales. “No matter the challenges, Delta people will keep striving to support the business travel needs of our customers and earn their loyalty, to be better for them today, tomorrow, and beyond. And to the Delta teams across the globe, we can’t thank you enough for delivering the Delta Difference every single day.”

Delta is proud to be America's most-awarded airline, consistently recognized for excellence in everything from passenger experience to customer service, operational performance to workplace culture. This year, Delta has received top honors from Forbes, Fortune, Wall Street Journal and Conde Nast Traveler, to name a few.

*Based on Delta mainline completion factor for September, October and November to date.

WestJet and Japan Airlines codeshare deal on flights to Tokyo from Vancouver.

WestJet codeshare on flights to Tokyo, Japan now available through enhanced cooperation with Japan Airlines

Guests now able to purchase travel from select destinations across WestJet's domestic network to Tokyo via Vancouver

WestJet has announced an enhancement to its codeshare agreement with Japan Airlines, enabling the airline's "WS" code on Japan Airlines (JAL) operated flights between Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Narita International Airport (NRT) in Tokyo, Japan.

With the addition of Tokyo as a destination available for sale to guests on WestJet.com and through the airline's call centre and travel trade partners, WestJet guests can now seamlessly book travel to Tokyo via Vancouver from across the airline's domestic network.

"As transpacific air travel increases between Canada and Japan, this is an ideal time to launch this new step in our cooperation with Japan Airlines," said John Weatherill, WestJet Chief Commercial Officer. "Both our countries have substantial inbound and outbound tourism markets and this enhancement will bring more convenient options to travellers on both sides of the Pacific." 

This new development expands the long-standing codeshare agreement between WestJet and Japan airlines which has been in place since 2011.

Ross Leggett, Deputy Senior Vice President of Route Marketing, International Relations and Alliances of Japan Airlines said, "Japan Airlines is excited to strengthen our codeshare partnership with WestJet, by offering passengers more opportunities to travel between Japan and Canada. WestJet has been an outstanding partner, and we are committed to offering travellers seamless connectivity."

The codeshare will offer optimized connecting times between WestJet and Japan Airlines flights, through check in and baggage checked to final destination at the first point of departure, and the ability to earn and redeem WestJet Dollars for members of WestJet Rewards.

AirAsia adds flights to and from Hong Kong starting this December

Low-fare carrier AirAsia has confirmed it will increase flights to and from Hong Kong starting this December, with a special promotion to support the surge in travel demand ahead of the upcoming festive seasons. 

Flights between Hong Kong and Bangkok (Don Mueang) will be increased to four times weekly starting from 15 December, while Hong Kong - Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong - Manila will be flying three-times weekly. 

All additional seats are now available for booking on airasia Super App with a special promo fare exclusively for travellers to and from Hong Kong to enjoy a long-awaited getaway or reunion with loved ones for the upcoming holiday season.

Guests can now fly to popular destinations in Southeast Asia with all-in one-way fare from as low as HKD672, or connect via AirAsia’s vast network throughout Asia to their favourite holiday destinations such as Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Singapore, Bali and many more. The special promotion starts from today until 27 November 2022, with a travel period from 1 January until 30 April 2023. 

American Airlines partners with Stand Up To Cancer to help save lives

Last week, American Airlines hosted representatives from Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) for a rally where team members learned more about the six-year collaboration. This year’s fundraising campaign raised more than $2.5 million and team members learned how that contributed directly to SU2C’s mission to fund lifesaving cancer research.

Team members heard directly from SU2C co-founder Rusty Robertson, scientist Dr. Heather McArthur, and Eric Stonestreet, celebrity ambassador and two-time Emmy award-winning actor, best known for his portrayal of Cam on the hit comedy series Modern Family, who shared his personal connection to the organization.

On a recent episode of Tell Me Why — the American Airlines vodcast series for team members that shares the “why” behind the decisions we make — Rusty Robertson, award-winning marketer and Co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), and Eric Stonestreet, two-time Emmy Award-winning actor, best known for his portrayal of Cam on the hit comedy series “Modern Family,” join Ron DeFeo, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, to talk about what makes American’s partnership with SU2C so unique, how funding supports scientists in the mission to make every cancer patient a long-term survivor and how their personal stories make them passionate about this cause.

Through its annual fundraising campaign with Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), American Airlines raises nearly $2.5 million for innovative and life-saving cancer research.

This donation is the largest single contribution the airline has made to SU2C since joining forces in 2016. Over its six-year collaboration, American has raised a total of $13.5 million to benefit SU2C and its mission to make every cancer patient a long-term survivor.

“The unfortunate truth is that cancer has touched so many of us and our loved ones, and we’re all humbled to see the impact we can make together when uniting toward a common goal,” said American Airlines Chief Communications Officer Ron DeFeo. “Thanks to the generosity of our customers and team members, our contribution to Stand Up will fund research that has the potential to change the fight against cancer — and that gives us hope for the future.”

You can also download Tell Me Why as a podcast from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify.

X-37B completes 6th mission with new endurance record.....

The Boeing-built X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:22 a.m. ET, November 12, 2022. (Photo Boeing / U.S. Space Force)

The Boeing-built X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) set a new endurance record after spending 908 days in orbit before landing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 5:22 a.m. ET, November 12, 2022. This surpasses its previous record of 780 days on-orbit.

With the successful completion of its sixth mission, the reusable spaceplane has now flown over 1.3 billion miles and spent a total of 3,774 days in space where it conducts experiments for government and industry partners with the ability to return them to Earth for evaluation.

For the first time, the vehicle carried a service module to augment the number of payloads it can haul. The module separated from the OTV prior to de-orbiting ensuring a safe and successful landing. 

“This mission highlights the Space Force's focus on collaboration in space exploration and expanding low-cost access to space for our partners, within and outside of the Department of the Air Force (DAF),” said Gen. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations.

The sixth mission was launched atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in May 2020. Hosted experiments included a solar energy experiment designed by the Naval Research Lab, as well as a satellite designed and built by cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory. The satellite, dubbed FalconSat-8, was successfully deployed in October 2021 and remains on orbit today.  

20th Boeing CH-47F Chinook helicopter delivered to the Royal Netherlands Air Force

The CH-47F Chinook is an advanced multi-mission helicopter containing a fully integrated, digital cockpit management system. Photo Fred Trolio/Boeing

U.S. planemaker Boeing has delivered the 20th CH-47F Chinook helicopter to the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF), concluding the country’s latest fleet update.

“Our continuing partnership with the Royal Netherlands Air Force exemplifies the value of a modern and versatile Chinook fleet,” said Ken Eland, vice president and H-47 program manager. “These state-of-the-art aircraft will significantly improve their defense and humanitarian assistance capabilities.”

The Netherlands is one of eight NATO countries to operate the Chinook and has fielded the aircraft continuously since receiving its first CH-47D models in 1995. In 2016, the RNLAF purchased14 new CH-47F Chinooks through the U.S. Department of Defense’s Foreign Military Sales program. In 2017, the RNLAF signed an agreement to upgrade their remaining six D-model Chinook helicopters to the latest F-model configuration, ensuring commonality of systems for their entire 20-aircraft fleet.

“This is a milestone for us. We have newer radios and newer equipment which help our pilots operate better in different environments than we do already,” said LTC Wil van Rijn, senior system integrator of the Chinook, Dutch Ministry of Defence.

The CH-47F Chinook is an advanced multi-mission helicopter containing a fully integrated, digital cockpit management system compatible with Common Avionics Architecture System. Its advanced cargo-handling capabilities further complement the aircraft's mission performance and handling characteristics.

Russian airline traffic down in October as Aeroflot puts Egypt back on the schedule

Russian Aviation Insider is reporting that October traffic is down some 25% collectively across Russian airlines, who together carried 8.25 million passengers.  The website also highlights that the average load factor was also down, decreasing by 2% to 81.7. 

Leading Russian airline Aeroflot has recently announced the reinstatement of flights from Russia to Egypt,   the state-controlled firm resumed regular flights to Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh on 1st October. The flights to the popular leisure destinations on the Red Sea are operated from Sheremetyevo Terminal C and are flown by Airbus A330 aircraft.  Aeroflot has two configurations on its A330 aircraft which accommodate either 36 or 28 people in business class and 265 or 268 in economy respectively.  

Aeroflot has confirmed it has also resumed daily services to Cairo with effect from 12th November, daily flights will be operated to the Egyptian capital. 

Moscow (SVO-C) — Cairo	SU0400	08:55	14:15	Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu,Sat,Sun
Cairo — Moscow (SVO-C)	SU0401	15:15	22:25	Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu,Sat,Sun

Moscow (SVO-C) — Cairo	SU0400	08:50	14:15	Fri
Cairo — Moscow (SVO-C)	SU0401	15:15	22:20	Fri

The flights are being flown by Boeing 737-800 jets featuring 20 seats in business class and 138 in economy class...

 Aeroflot has completed the transition to the domestic Leonardo air ticket booking system. The service developed by the Sirena-Travel company in partnership with Rostec State Corporation has replaced the foreign software which will help build protection against possible incidents and failures caused by sanctions.  

Qantas has joined forces with five large companies in Australia to show the demand that exists for a local sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry.

The Australian airline Qantas has joined forces with five large companies in Australia to show the demand that exists for a local sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry in Australia by preferencing it as a way to reduce their carbon emissions.

The national carrier has launched the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition (SAF Coalition) program, with Australia Post, Boston Consulting Group, KPMG Australia, Macquarie Group and Woodside Energy signing on as foundation members.

Members will pay a premium to reduce around 900 tonnes of their air carbon emissions each year by contributing to the incremental cost of SAF rather than using traditional carbon offsets. By doing so, they send a clear message that there is significant demand for SAF, the key driver towards the decarbonisation of the aviation industry.

The Coalition will initially contribute to the incremental cost of up to 10 million litres of SAF sourced by Qantas at London’s Heathrow Airport, which represents around 15 per cent of the fuel Qantas ordinarily consumes on flights out of London, and from 2025 to a further 20 million litres each year sourced out of Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Qantas is currently in negotiations with a number of offshore suppliers to source additional supplies of SAF, which is in high demand globally and which the national carrier would prefer to source domestically.

Together with Airbus, Qantas committed in June to invest up to US$200 million to get a local SAF industry off the ground, including equity funding for new feedstock and refining projects.

The foundation members will also receive enhanced reporting on the emissions from their flying activity and employees will get fast-tracked access to Qantas Frequent Flyer’s Green Tier program.

Qantas will continue discussions with a number of other companies looking to join the Coalition.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the strong demand for SAF from corporate Australia is a key step towards the development of a local biofuels industry.

“Air travel is a crucial part of doing business for many companies.  Companies need to travel to meet customers, suppliers and partners, but they also want to reduce their impact on the environment. SAF is a great way to do that,” Mr Joyce said.

“The demand for SAF has never been higher but supply is lagging well behind, particularly without a local industry in Australia, and that’s keeping prices several times more expensive than traditional jet kerosene.

“The more leading corporates that join our program/coalition the more feasible a local industry becomes and the more cost-effective the fuel becomes.”

SAF is produced from certified bio feedstock, including used cooking oil, energy crops, forestry residues, animal tallow and other waste products. It is blended with normal jet fuel and produces up to 80 per cent less emissions on a life cycle basis when compared with traditional jet kerosene.

The Qantas Group has committed to using 10 per cent SAF in its overall fuel mix by 2030 and approximately 60 per cent by 2050.

The SAF Coalition will extend Qantas’ existing corporate offsetting program, Future Planet, which enables companies to offset emissions through certified, high-quality projects in Australia and overseas.

The Qantas Group’s commitment to sustainability:

Qantas was the second airline in the world to commit to net zero emissions by 2050



The Qantas Group Climate Action Plan released in March 2022, commits the airline group to an interim target of 25 per cent emissions reduction by 2030

As part of its fleet replacement program announced in May, the Qantas Group confirmed purchase rights for up to 134 A321XLR and A220 aircraft, which will reduce emissions by at least 15 per cent if running on traditional fossil fuels

Jetstar’s first A321LR, which arrived in August, burned 25 per cent less fuel (the equivalent of two tonnes) on its first commercial flight from Melbourne to Cairns than the older aircraft it replaces

The Qantas Group’s landmark Project Sunrise program, which will use A350s to travel non-stop initially between Sydney and London and Sydney and New York, will be carbon neutral from day one

Qantas’ Fly Carbon Neutral program is one of the largest airline offsetting program in the world, with a focus on high integrity projects in Australia and overseas. Around 10 per cent of passengers “tick the box” to offset flights. Offsetting is a key tool in Qantas’ decarbonisation efforts, particularly while alternative aircraft propulsion technology (eg electric) is still many years away

The Cathay Pacific Group expects to reach pre-pandemic capacity levels by end of 2024.......

The Cathay Pacific Group expects to resume 70% of pre-COVID passenger capacity levels by end of 2023

Group aims to reach pre-pandemic capacity levels by end of 2024; will add about 3,000 flights and reach one-third capacity by end of 2022

The Cathay Pacific Group – comprising passenger airlines Cathay Pacific and HK Express – is committed to restoring passenger capacity and connectivity in the Hong Kong aviation hub to serve the needs of the Hong Kong and international travel markets. It anticipates that the Group will be operating around 70% of its pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity by the end of 2023 with an aim to return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2024, ahead of the Asia-Pacific traffic forecast issued by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Following the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government’s recent adjustments to anti-pandemic measures for travellers and aircrew entering Hong Kong, the Group has already announced the addition of about 3,000 passenger flight sectors from October until the end of December this year.

Chief Executive Officer Augustus Tang said: “The Group is on track to achieve its target of operating up to one-third of its pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity levels by the end of 2022. This represents a doubling of the capacity that we offered in August and is approximately eight times the average capacity the airline operated in the first half of 2022.

“As the COVID-19 situation eases, airlines around the world have been rebuilding their capacity. This requires the global aviation ecosystem, including airports, suppliers and our own airlines, to undertake a substantial amount of preparation with regards to crew and ground employees, aircraft reactivation and recruitment. This is a challenge faced by airlines, industry suppliers and airports around the world and one which takes time and robust planning to overcome.

“We are taking a measured and responsible approach to managing our own road to recovery, with a need to address challenges that are unique to Hong Kong. The city’s borders were closed for much longer than other markets and importantly, aircrew in Hong Kong were uniquely under quarantine constraints that weren’t lifted until September. Despite all this, our recovery trajectory is in line with other carriers that don’t benefit from a domestic market in terms of the time taken since borders began to open.

“Importantly, we have sufficient pilots, cabin crew and operational employees to support our current flight schedules, and we are confident that our ongoing recruitment plans will ensure this remains the case throughout the recovery. The short-term bottlenecks lie in the recertification of pilots who have not been flying regularly for a long period of time and the reactivation of aircraft. We have been bolstering our capabilities to expedite this process.”

The Cathay Pacific Group remains confident about the long-term prospects for the aviation sector in Hong Kong, as it looks forward to the complete removal of all travel constraints by the HKSAR Government to facilitate the full resumption of travel activities both to and from Hong Kong that can enhance the city’s hub connectivity.

Mr Tang added: “Under the 14th Five-Year Plan, Hong Kong has an important role to play in the overall development of the country. Notably, the Plan reinforces the importance of strengthening Hong Kong as an international aviation hub. As we continue to increase our passenger flight capacity, we also look forward to the completion of the Three Runway System at Hong Kong International Airport in 2024 which remains pivotal to the long-term future of the hub.

UK to provide 1,000 more surface to air missiles to Ukraine

UK has provided approximately 1,000 additional surface to air missiles to help counter the Russian threat to Ukrainian infrastructure

The Defence Secretary made the announcement while visiting training sites alongside the Secretary General of NATO and JEF Defence Ministers

The UK has now trained over 7,400 recruits from the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), and over 60 AFU Junior leaders

The UK's  Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has announced that the UK will shortly complete the delivery of approximately 1,000 additional surface-to-air missiles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). This comes in response to Ukrainian requests for more air defence capabilities, and the missiles will play a vital role in the provision of air defence for Ukraine and the protection of its critical infrastructure which is being continually targeted by Russia.

The missiles can be used in conjunction with existing Armed Forces of Ukraine capabilities. The equipment consists of launchers and missiles and is capable of shooting down air targets, including Russian drones and cruise missiles.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:  "This commitment of hundreds more surface-to-air missiles continues our defensive support for Ukraine against Russian aggression - and will help Ukraine counter the threat from illegal targeting of critical national infrastructure."

The announcement comes as Defence Secretary has today visited two training sites where over 7,400 Ukrainian recruits have been trained by UK forces alongside eight partner nations.

At the sites being used for training, the Defence Secretary welcomed the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in the morning, and his counterparts from the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) nations this afternoon, some of whom were able to see their own military personnel conducting the training.

Currently 1,900 Ukrainian recruits are in the UK taking part in the training programme and will soon return to their home country. When they complete the training, they are provided with items including combat clothing, body armour and ear defence, waterproofs and sleeping bags.

Asia expansion for Jetstar Asia - five key destinations added to schedule in December

Jetstar Asia has received approval to operate 21 additional weekly services from Singapore to five popular Southeast Asia cities including Bangkok, Bali, Penang, Phnom Penh and Phuket. 

In December, the new services will create better access to key Southeast Asia cities and provide more opportunities for customers to travel freely within the region. Jetstar Asia CEO, Barathan Pasupathi, said as the peak travel season approached, customers were getting excited about planning their end-of-year trips. 

“We’re seeing strong demand for air travel in the upcoming holiday period, and we’re responding to ensure more of our customers have more options for low-fares travel during this time,” Mr Pasupathi said. "These new services are a response to the pent-up demand for travel and reflects Jetstar Asia's ongoing focus on rebuilding our extensive network.” 

All Jetstar Asia (3K) services will continue to operate out of Terminal 1 in Singapore's Changi Airport until March 2023. 

Additional Jetstar Asia (3K) services from Singapore: 

Bangkok: Services will increase from 9 to 17 flights a week with two weekday and one Sunday service, to support the pent-up demand for travel between Singapore and Bangkok. One-way low fares start from SGD182. 

Bali: Five additional weekly services will operate to Denpasar, bringing the total weekly flights from 9 to 14. One-way low fares start from SGD138. 

Phnom Penh: An additional weekday service will be introduced to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, offering customers daily flights. One-way low fares are available from SGD136. 

Penang: Two additional services to Penang will enable travellers more options to fly to the Pearl of the Orient. One-way low fares start from SGD130. 

Phuket: Five additional services will be added to the line-up of services to Phuket, offering customers daily services to the popular beach destination. Fares start from SGD156. 

Customers who think their travel plans might change can add FareCredit to their bookings on selected flights in the Jetstar network. With FareCredit, customers can cancel their booking up until airport check-in opens and get a credit voucher for the value of the flight, plus any in-flight extras like baggage, meals, and seats, with exclusions. 

Jetstar’s Fly Well safety measures offer an added layer of protection and demonstrate our commitment to keeping our people and our customers safe.

Jetstar’s mission is to offer low fares to enable more people to fly to more places, more often. The airline was launched in Australia in 2004 and has since gone on to fly more than 250 million passengers.

Prior to the pandemic, it had one of the Asia Pacific’s largest low fares networks by revenue. Jetstar-branded carriers operate more than 5,000 flights a week to more than 85 destinations.

The group consists of:

Jetstar Airways in Australia and New Zealand is wholly owned by the Qantas Group.

Jetstar Asia Airways, based in Singapore and managed by Newstar Holdings, is majority-owned by Singapore company Westbrook Investments (51 per cent), with the Qantas Group holding the remaining 49 per cent.

Jetstar Japan is a partnership between the Qantas Group, Japan Airlines and Tokyo Century Corporation.

The Jetstar Group Chief Executive Officer is Gareth Evans.

Amsterdam host city of the next IATA Wings of Change Europe event

Amsterdam host city of the next IATA Wings of Change Europe 

The fourth edition of the successful IATA Wings of Change Europe event will next year be held in Amsterdam with KLM as host carrier. This was announced in Istanbul today. The two-day event will take place around the beginning of November and is expected to attract more than 400 invitees to discuss key themes for the airline industry, such as sustainability, diversity & inclusion, and infrastructure.

As a member of the IATA Board of Governors, KLM CEO Marjan Rintel is the voice of the Netherlands in this international trade association for the world's airlines. Her position is important for KLM, considering the enormous challenges facing the sector. The IATA, representing around 290 airlines from 120 countries, aims to shape a safe, secure and sustainable air transport industry. 

Silk Way West Airlines orders two 777-8 freighters

Photo Boeing

Boeing and Silk Way West Airlines have finalized an order of two 777-8 Freighters, with options for two additional aeroplanes. The two companies announced the agreement at a signing ceremony today at Boeing Commercial Airplanes' Seattle Delivery Center.

The Azerbaijani cargo carrier, which serves 40 destinations around the world, is the first customer in the Eurasia region to order the industry's newest, most capable and most fuel-efficient twin-engine freighter.  The order was previously listed as unidentified on Boeing's Orders & Deliveries website.

"We are pleased to announce this order with our longstanding partner Boeing and become one of the world's first customers for the newest freighter," said Zaur Akhundov, Silk Way Group president. "This year Silk Way West Airlines celebrates its 10th anniversary, and over the past decade the carrier has been operating an all-Boeing fleet. Today's agreement reflects our ongoing investment in Boeing's market-leading freighters. Our fleet renewal plans will help to further reduce our operating costs and enhance fuel efficiency as well as make air freight services in our region more sustainable."

Boeing launched the new 777-8 Freighter in January 2022 and has booked more than 50 orders for the model. The 777-8 Freighter has nearly identical payload and range capabilities as the 747-400 Freighter while providing 30% better fuel efficiency and emissions and 25% better operating costs per tonne. It is the ideal choice as operators replace aging freighters later this decade.

"With sustained demand for air cargo tied to expanding e-commerce and air freight's speed and reliability, Boeing expects the global freighter fleet to increase by 60% through 2041," said Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "We are proud that Boeing products, including this order for the 777-8 Freighter, continue to drive Silk Way West Airlines' expansion plans and help realize the ambition of making Baku a global cargo hub."

Boeing provides more than 90% of the worldwide dedicated freighter capacity, including new production and converted aircraft.

Three new Boeing 787-9 aircraft for Air Astana

Three new Boeing 787-9 aircraft on lease from Air Lease Corporation for Air Astana

                      Air Lease Corporation has agreed on the long-term lease placements on three new Boeing 787-9 aircraft with Air Astana, the national carrier of Kazakhstan.  

The leasing giant has said these aircraft are scheduled to deliver to Air Astana beginning in early 2025 through spring 2026 from its existing order book with Boeing. 

“We are pleased to announce this lease placement for three new Boeing 787-9 aircraft with Air Astana today,” said Steven Udvar-Házy, Executive Chairman of Air Lease Corporation.  “These three ALC Dreamliner aircraft will greatly enhance Air Astana’s long-range capabilities and passenger comfort as the airline expands international routes from Kazakhstan.”

“ALC is honoured to announce this lease placement with the longtime customer, Air Astana, and be a part of the airline’s fleet modernization program by adding three highly efficient new Boeing 787-9 aircraft to Air Astana’s fleet,” added Alex Khatibi, Executive Vice President of Air Lease Corporation. 

“The Boeing 787-9 is an important aircraft to Air Astana’s fleet modernization as we expand our routes and focus on passenger experience,” said Peter Foster, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Astana.  “The Dreamliner offers fuel efficiency and range flexibility that will greatly add to our current fleet operations.”

IAG Cargo expands Asia-Pacific capacity with restart between London and Tokyo

IAG Cargo, the cargo division of International Airlines Group (IAG), has announced the restart of its direct service between London Heathrow and Tokyo airport with daily flights commencing from 13th November. The revival of this service will be welcomed by IAG Cargo customers from both regions after its year-long pause.

IAG Cargo announces the restart of flights between London and Tokyo on 13th November, as passenger travel restrictions ease.

This direct service will operate daily on British Airways Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 wide body aircraft.

This route will facilitate the movement of pharmaceuticals, electronics, automotive goods, and Japanese dried food.

IAG Cargo, has announced the restart of its direct service between Heathrow and Tokyo. Photo IAG Cargo

Throughout the duration of the pandemic, IAG Cargo maintained its customer offering on this popular trade route via its cargo-only services and worked with interline partners to transport cargo between the regions. The service utilizes the belly hold capacity of British Airways Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 wide-body aircraft.

This service will support the flow of pharmaceuticals, made possible by IAG Cargo’s Constant Climate service for handling temperature-sensitive goods. Electronics and automotive parts are amongst other popular items, as well as unique shipments including Japanese dried foods. In 2021, the volume of air freight handled at Tokyo Haneda Airport in Japan amounted to roughly 828.06 thousand tonnes, up from around 772 thousand tonnes in the previous year [i].

Rob Wiemerink, Regional Commercial Manager for Asia Pacific and Middle East at IAG Cargo commented, “It’s great to see the return of our service between London and Tokyo – Japan for many years has played an important role in IAG Cargo’s Far East network. This route not only offers our customers capacity between UK, Europe and Asia, but also facilitates the movement of trade into North and South America. I’m pleased to see these important trade lanes beginning to return after a long-awaited pause due to Covid-19.”

IAG Cargo continues to expand its South Asia capacity with 16 destinations in Asia Pacific, India & Middle East from 13th November.

[1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1242472/japan-air-cargo-volume-handled-tokyo-haneda-airport/