Talking Points

A Singapore Airlines 777-200ER (9V-SQK) was damaged at Changi Airport while under tow from a tractor that caught fire

Wizz Air (Hungary / UK) acquired defunct Monarch Airlines' London Luton slots

American Airlines launched 737 MAX 8 service between Miami and New York - La Guardia. American has two MAX 8s, with 98 on order

Jazeera Airways (Kuwait) is considering an order for 15 A320 NEO or 737 MAX aircraft. The airline currently operates seven A320s

Qantas is talking with Airbus about the possibility of an A350-900ULR as it's solution to the goal of providing Sydney-London nonstop service

The European Commission is considering blocking Lufthansa's planned acquisition of Niki (Austria)

Air Transport Services Group (US) to lease a 767-300F to Air Incheon (South Korea) in 2018, with an option for a second

Airbus commenced final assembly of the A330-800, with first flight planned for mid-2018

Allegiant Air (US) to source an additional 12 used A320s for a planned total of 110. The airline will operate an all Airbus fleet by November 2018

Malaysia Airlines takes delivery of first A350

Malaysia Airlines has taken delivery of it's first of six Airbus A350-900s, all leased from Air Lease Corporation (US). The aircraft will replace A380s on the premium London service, as well as open up and restore other European destinations.

Airbus A350-941 MSN 159 F/F 11/9/17
Malaysia Airlines 9M-MAB 11/29/17 - present

Malaysia Airlines - Current Fleet
54 x 737-800
3 x A330-200F
15 x A330-300
1 x A350-900
6 x A380
Total: 79

China Southern takes delivery of first 737 MAX 8

China Southern Airlines has taken delivery of it's first Boeing 737 MAX 8, joining three other Chinese airlines (Air China, Hainan Airlines and Shanghai Airlines) that have each received one. The airline has a further 79 MAX 8s on order (two additional aircraft were delivered 11/29), with further orders pending government approval. China Southern is the world's fourth largest airline, and the biggest in Asia.

Boeing 737 MAX 8 MSN 63245 L/N 6569 F/F 10/3/17
China Southern Airlines B-1206 11/28/17 - present

China Southern Airlines - Current Fleet
26 x 737-700
28 x A319
124 x A320
7 x A320 NEO
152 x 737-800
1 x 737 MAX 8
97 x A321
6 x 757-200
10 x 787-8
16 x A330-200
28 x A330-300
2 x 777-200
12 x 777F
10 x 777-300ER
2 x 747-400F
5 x A380
Total: 526

Shanghai Airlines takes delivery of first 737 MAX 8

Shanghai Airlines has taken delivery of it's first Boeing 737 MAX 8, becoming the third Chinese airline (after Air China and Hainan Airlines) to operate the type. Shanghai Airlines is now a wholly owned subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines, and receives it's aircraft as allocated by the parent company.

Boeing 737 MAX 8 MSN 61621 L/N 6464 F/F 9/30/17
Shanghai Airlines B-1382 11/27/17 - present

Shanghai Airlines - Current Fleet
10 x 737-700
76 x 737-800
1 x 737 MAX 8
4 x 767-300
1 x 767-300ER
3 x A330-200
3 x A330-300
Total: 98

Talking Points

FedEx Express took delivery of a 767-300F and 777F November 21st / 22nd, giving the airline a fleet of 49 and 33 respectively

Suparna Airlines to start 787-8 service from Sanya to Shanghai and Zhengzhou December 15th. (the airline has no 787s presently, therefore it is assumed an aircraft will be transferred from parent HNA Group / Hainan Airlines (later confirmed as B-2738 msn 34940)

Surinam Airlines wet leased a 737-800 from Travel Service (Czech Rep.) until February

Virgin Atlantic (A330-300) and Egyptair (777-300ER) aircraft clipped wings at New York JFK, causing damage to both aircraft

TUS Airways (Cyprus) took delivery of it's first Fokker 70, adding to two Fokker 100s already operated

British Airways to grow 28% at London Gatwick after acquiring Monarch's slots

IAG picks Paris Orly for it's second base for LEVEL (Spain), while also closing it's Paris based OpenSkies subsidiary at the end of the summer

Talking Points

Air Kyrgyzstan suspended operations pending repair of it's sole operating aircraft, a 737-500 damaged in unknown circumstances

ALAS Uruguay was declared bankrupt

Aloha Air Cargo commenced 767-300F service between Los Angeles and Honolulu

767-300F Aloha Air Cargo N399CM (wet-leased from Air Transport International)

Ceiba Intercontinental has suspended all flights, excepting it's Madrid service operated with an aircraft registered in Portugal (presumed to be 777-200LR CS-TQX MSN 40669 operated by White)

EASA granted an STC for the A330-300 passenger to freight (P2F) conversion program, with the first delivery to ASL Ireland / DHL Express expected shortly

ExpressJet (US) operated it's last CRJ-200 revenue service, with future operations now focused on larger two class regional aircraft

Gulf Air (Bahrain) plans a major restructuring (again), with it's new strategy and plans to be announced before the end of the year

Monarch Airlines (UK) owed $621.5M at the time of it's collapse last month

Starbow Airlines (Ghana) suspended operations following a serious take off accident at Kotoka with a newly delivered ATR-42

TUI Airlines Netherlands leased an A330-200 from Air Tanker (UK) until May to cover for planned 787 maintenance

IAG (UK) acquired the majority of Monarch Airlines's London Gatwick slots

Thai Lion Air takes delivery of it's first A330-300

Thai Lion Air has taken delivery of it's first widebody, a Rolls-Royce powered Airbus A330-300. The aircraft had been allocated by the Lion Air Group to subsidiary Batik Air Malaysia, before being reassigned to Thai Lion. Two additional A330s are scheduled to be delivered before the end of the year. The aircraft will initially be used on local route-proving flights before being moved to longer haul services to North Asia (details tba). The airline also expects to take delivery of five or more 737 MAX 8s in 2018.

Airbus A330-343 MSN 1820 F/F 9/19/17
Thai Lion Air HS-LAH 11/21/17 - present

Thai Lion Air - Current Fleet
9 x 737-800
16 x 737-900ER
1 x A330-300
Total: 26

Alaska Airlines retires the 737-400

Alaska Airlines, with little fanfare, retired it's last Boeing 737-400 passenger aircraft earlier this month. The airline's 737-400 Combis were retired in October, while a sole 737-400F freighter remains in service. Alaska has converted two 737-700s into freighters to replace the -400s, the first such conversions.

Boeing 737-4Q8 MSN 25095 L/N 2266 F/F 4/3/92
Alaska Airlines N754AS 4/17/92 - 7/15/14
Safair ZS-JRI 11/6/14 - present

N754AS (above) was Alaska's first 737-400 delivered in April 1992, one of 22 leased new from International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC). An additional 17 were ordered by Alaska directly, while one used aircraft was acquired in 1996. The final three deliveries were in 1999, giving Alaska a total of 40.

Four aircraft were later converted to Combis to replace 737-200C flying in Alaska, while two were converted to pure freighters.

Retirement was gradual with the in service fleet total (as of January 1st) first seeing a reduction to 37 in 2009, 33 in 2010, 31 in 2011, 29 in 2014, 27 in 2015, 26 in 2016 and 16 by the start of 2017. Boeing 737-800s and -900ERs have replaced the type. No accidents or serious incidents were recorded by Alaska's 737-400 fleet.

Talking Points

Okay Airways (China) ordered five 787-9s, it's first widebodies. OKA's current fleet includes one 737-300F, 18 x 737-800 and five 737-900ERs

Virgin Australia's latest 737-800 delivery brings it's -800 fleet count to 80, while it's total mainline fleet now numbers 98 (Qantas current fleet totals 118)

Thomas Cook Airlines (UK) applied for Monarch's London Gatwick slots

Tunisair ordered six A330 NEOs, and plans to launch Tunis - New York City flights

Air Berlin bondholders are expected to receive less than 1% of debts due

Aeromexico to lease two new 787-9s from Air Lease Corp. (US). The airline's 787 fleet currently numbers 9 787-8s and five 787-9s (including one already leased from ALCI)

Eastern Air Lines (US) FAA certification has been withdrawn

IndiGo (India) is considering a widebody order of either A330-800s or A350-900s. The airline currently operates 143 A320s, including 26 A320 NEOs

National Air Cargo (US) has agreed an exit from bankruptcy plan, after 3 years operating under the US chapter 11 bankruptcy code

Philippine Air Lines plans Manila - New York City nonstop service (15 hours +) from 2018 with A350LR aircraft

Tianjin Cargo Airlines (China) has received it's AOC from the CAA, and plans to commence operations early 2018 with 737 freighters transferred from sister airline Suparna Airlines (formerly named Yangze River Express)

Aerolineas Argentinas takes delivery of first 737 MAX 8

Aerolineas Argentinas is the latest recipient of a first Boeing 737 MAX 8, which Boeing is churning out at a fair clip now. JetTrak will provide a round up of 737 MAX and A320 NEO 2017 total deliveries and current customer base early in the new year.

Boeing 737 MAX 8 MSN 64207 L/N 6661 F/F 11/7/17
Aerolineas Argentinas LV-GVD 11/22/17 - present

Aerolineas Argentinas - Current Fleet
8 x 737-700
31 x 737-800
1 x 737 MAX 8
10 x A330-200
4 x A340-300
Total: 54

Weekend Reading

Is United’s Secret Classified Restaurant Worthy of the Hype?
Boardingarea.com

The Eastern Air Lines Rebirth Dream comes to a rapid end
Airways (JetTrak reported Eastern's demise a few months ago, but these follow up details are well worth a read)

A Turkey Dinner from 37,000 feet over Iraq
boardingarea.com

Boeing starts assembling first 737 MAX 7
Flightglobal

How Icelandair aims to tackle Norwegian’s transatlantic ambitions...
Routesonline

Monarch slots – when is a carrier not a carrier?
Flightglobal

Industry Closely Watching Airbus/Bombardier C Series Integration
Aviation Week

How good is premium economy, really?
news.com.au

Talking Points

THY sees no need for A380s presently, but is open to evaluating the type after Istanbul's new airport opens in 2018

THY confirms it is likely to execute firm order contracts for 40 787-9s and 40 A350-900s before the end of this year

Airbus received EASA and FAA type certification for the A350-1000

Aer Lingus took delivery of a new A330-300, and now operates seven (plus 4 A330-200s)

Air China suspended flights from Beijing to Pyongyang, citing poor demand (!)

Blue Panorama (Italy) was acquired by Uvet Group (Italy)

777X chief project engineer Tony Beezhold transfers to head the '797' team

Boliviana added a fourth 767-300ER to it's fleet

Lufthansa's offer for Alitalia deemed insufficient

SBA Airlines (Venezuela) denies bankruptcy rumors

SF Express (China) acquired at auction two ex-Jade Air 747-400Fs for $48M

Monarch Airlines administrators win court appeal for the right to sell the bankrupt airline's UK airport slots

Thanksgiving Reading

The world's five best business class experiences
godsavethepoints.com

Airbus faces some tricky hurdles over stalled A380 Emirates deal
Reuters

The worst time to travel this Thanksgiving..
Time (I know it's too late now, depending on your travel booking)

6 American airports travelers should avoid during the holidays
Cheatsheet.com

...Photos of airline food from the past...
Scoopwhoop

Drama in the desert: How Airbus' A380 deal in Dubai evaporated
Bloomberg

Take a stroll through the world's only private 787 Dreamliner
2oceansvibe.com

Introducing the biggest low-cost airline you've never flown with
The Daily Telegraph

The world's biggest airline, that you can't fly
The Telegraph (focus on FedEx Express)

Airbus looks forward to a pilotless future
Bloomberg

Why is African air travel so terrible?
Citylab

Travel deal Tuesday is coming...
Vivalifestyleandtravel.com

A tale of two DC-10s
Air & Space

Talking Points

SCAT Airlines (Kazakhstan) ordered six 737 MAX 8 aircraft

Corsair International (France) has been put up for sale (again). The carrier operates three 747-400s, two A330-300s and one A340-300

Avolon ordered 55 737 MAX 8s and 20 737 MAX 10s. An additional 20 orders are under consideration

West Atlantic (UK) relocated their headquarters and main base from Coventry to East Midlands Airport. The airline will receive it's first converted 737-800F freighter in February

Thomas Cook Airlines (UK) retired it's two 767-300ERs. The airline's long haul routes are now served exclusively by seven A330-200s

Aigle Azur (France) retired it's last A319. The airline now operates nine A320s

Hainan Airlines takes delivery of first 737 MAX 8

Hainan Airlines (China) has taken delivery of it's first Boeing 737 MAX 8, joining Air China, which recently also took delivery of it's first example. Hainan is known to have a commitment for up to 50 737 MAX 8s.

Boeing 737 MAX 8 MSN 62183 L/N 6616 F/F 10/24/17
Hainan Airlines B-1390 11/18/17 - present

Hainan Airlines - Current Fleet
3 x 737-700
143 x 737-800
1 x 737 MAX 8
3 x 767-300ER
10 x 787-8
14 x 787-9
9 x A330-200
13 x A330-300
Total: 196

FlyGlobespan...

High demand for FlyGlobespan artefacts
The Scotsman

I know, right. Fly who? This article (link above) caught my eye, as it touches on the airline and aircraft memorabilia market, a flourishing collectible buy / sell business. But, who was FlyGlobespan anyway?

Boeing 737-300 G-GSPN (six were operated, including wet-leased aircraft, in the mid 2000s)

FlyGlobespan was a British (Scotland) holiday charter airline that operated between 2003 and 2009, ceasing operations December 16th 2009, suddenly (in the usual chaotic crack of dawn style instant death that failed British operators tend to endure), with the resultant calamity and crisis for it's 'stuck overseas' customers.

Boeing 737-700 G-MSJF (2/07 - 12/09)

FlyGlobespan was a modest operation, with two 737-700s, three 737-800s and four 767-300ERs in service at the time of it's demise. It holds the distinction of being the only British airline to have operated the rare 737-600, with four in it's fleet between 2005 and 2009.

Boeing 737-600 G-CDKD

The backbone of the short to medium haul fleet was the 737-800, with five operated from 2005.

Boeing 737-800 G-SAAW

Two sub-leased 757s were operated between May and October 2007, however it was the 767-300ER that GSM subsequently turned to for it's longer haul charters to the US and Caribbean. Six aircraft were operated in total.

Boeing 767-300ER G-CDPT

At the time of FlyGlobespan's failure, the British commercial airline business looked very different than it does now (remember, this was just eight years ago). Data excludes smaller regional carriers with BAe 146 / Avro RJ aircraft that JetTrak does not currently incorporate in it's database.

Astraeus: 6 aircraft [ceased ops 11/21/11]
BMI: 34 aircraft [ceased ops 10/27/12]
BMI Baby: 15 aircraft [ceased ops 9/9/12]
British Airways: 224 aircraft [current, 269 aircraft]
EasyJet: 170 aircraft [current, 241 aircraft]
Jet2: 31 aircraft [current, 71 aircraft]
Monarch Airlines: 30 aircraft [ceased ops 2/10/17]
OpenSkies: 4 aircraft [current, 4 aircraft]
Thomas Cook Airlines: 38 aircraft [current, 35 aircraft]
Thomson Airways: 56 aircraft [now named TUI Airlines UK, 59 aircraft]
Titan Airways: 5 aircraft [current, 9 aircraft]
Virgin Atlantic: 34 aircraft [current, 38 aircraft]

Eastar Jet leases a second ex-Lion Air 737-900ER

Eastar Jet (South Korea) has added a second ex-Lion Air (Indonesia) Boeing 737-900ER. The Seoul based low cost carrier commenced service January 7th 2009 and operates an all Boeing 737 fleet to 14 destinations in eight countries.

Boeing 737-9GPER MSN 35710 L/N 2285 F/F 5/30/07
Lion Air PK-LFH 6/12/07 - 6/17
Eastar Jet HL8096 7/13/17 - present

Eastar Jet - Current Fleet
2 x 737-700
15 x 737-800
2 x 737-900ER
Total: 19

Victorville Visions

Victorville, CA...many aircraft end their days here. Others are painted and maintained, others stored temporarily prior to finding new operators. The majority though, will not fly again.

Lockheed L-1011 TriStar HZ-AB1 MSN 1247 (247th of 250 built), stored since 2013, but looking in good shape, compared to many other residents

Southwest retired their remaining 737 classics (specifically -300s) at the end of September, with many (but not all) of those aircraft now residing at Victorville.

N604SW was upgraded with winglets in 2007. Originally delivered new 4/95, removed from service 9/17. Southwest is maintaining many of these aircraft in 'fly away' condition, with the intention of selling a portion of them. At least three sales have already been realized.

(Ex) Alaska 737-400s are also stored at Victorville, some of which have been identified as freight conversion candidates, and will move on to new secondary careers with cargo airlines.

Overseas airlines also favor Victorville for aircraft scrapping or storage...such as British Airways (737-400s, 767-300ERs, 747-400s)

767-300ER G-BNWO (This and the 747-400 above are 'lifers', now stripped of all useful parts)

FedEx Express makes extensive use of Victorville, permanent final home for many 727s, A310s and DC-10s, and there's a few MD-11s in the rank there as well

Victorville is about a 100 mile drive east of Los Angeles, and is well worth visiting to view this extraordinary collection of (mostly) retired commercial aircraft.

Last look...another angle on the Southwest 737-300 armada

Air Transat launches a new livery

Air Transat (Canada) has revised it's livery and logo, as the airline celebrates it's 30th anniversary. The leisure airline is also due to replace it's A310s with A321LRs from Spring 2019.

Airbus A330-243 MSN 369 F/F 11/8/00
Edelweiss Air HB-IQZ 11/17/00 - 10/17/10
Air Transat C-GTSN F/N 104 11/19/10 - present

Air Transat - Current Fleet
2 x 737-700 (seasonal leases)
11 x 737-800 (seasonal leases)
9 x A310-300 (to be replaced by 10 x A321LR)
10 x A330-200
4 x A330-300
Total: 36

Air China takes delivery of first A320 NEO

Air China has taken delivery of it's first (Pratt & Whitney powered) Airbus A320 NEO, built and delivered from it's Tianjin manufacturing facility. The airline, which also received it's first 737 MAX 8 earlier this month, has at least 34 additional A320 NEOs on order, and probably more from unannounced orders. The airline's current fleet is split almost 50/50 between Airbus (201) and Boeing (194) types. Airbus has now delivered 174 A320 NEOs (and 13 A321 NEOs).

Airbus A320-271N MSN 7848 F/F 11/6/17
Air China B-8891 11/17/17 - present

Air China - Current Fleet
20 x 737-700
33 x A319
122 x 737-800
1 x 737 MAX 8
47 x A320
1 x A320 NEO
61 x A321
30 x A330-200
29 x A330-300
5 x 777-200
11 x 787-9
26 x 777-300ER
3 x 747-400
6 x 747-8I
Total: 395

Weekend Reading

Surveying the US mainline passenger airline landscape
Air Transport World

The top 10 remaining operators of the 747
boardingarea.com (via FlightGlobal)

Smarter end-of-life strategies will cut into storage figures
MRO Network (Avolon)

Massive Narrowbody aircraft orders rattle Dubai
Aviation Week

Emirates faith in 787-10 closes window to A350
FlightGlobal

Ranked: The world's best premium economy experiences
godsavethepoints.com

The Death of First Class
Bloomberg

Opinion: A380 Endgame?
Aviation Week

Alaska's Cuba pullout signals the death of US-Cuba air transport market
Air Transport World

Emirates Unveils New Hotel like First Class Suites
travelnoire.com

How to use miles for the world's best first class products
boardingarea.com

Fascinating timelapse...Emirates A380 55 day overhaul
The Telegraph

Talking Points

CDB Aviation (China) confirmed an order for 90 A320 NEOs

Dr Peters Group (Germany) confirmed possible interest from British Airways in up to four ex-Singapore Airlines A380s returned / returning from lease

The Polish Air Force took delivery of a new 737-800. The aircraft was built for 9 Air (China), but not taken up

Competitive wide body storage update: A330-200: 57 A330-300: 25 777-200ER: 48

S7 Airlines now has ten E-170s in service, all leased from GECAS

David Neeleman (resume: Southwest, Morris Air, JetBlue, AZUL) acquired a 30% stake in Aigle Azur (France)

Air Astana (Kazakhstan) to lease six new A320 NEOs (carrier currently operates one, total planned now 17)

Air Senegal signed an MOU for two A330-900s

Allegiant (US) to acquire four used Alitalia A320s (one already delivered, in pre-service maintenance)

Somon Air (Tajikistan) signed an MOU for one 787-8

Swiss extended A319 operations to the end of 2018 to cover for late CS300 deliveries

Ukraine International leases first 777-200ER

Ukraine International Airlines has leased it's first (of four) used Boeing 777-200ERs. All four are leased from AerCap, and were orginally delivered new to Asiana Airlines. UIA plans to initially operate the aircraft to New York JFK, followed by other North American and Asian destinations.

Boeing 777-28EER MSN 28681 L/N 322 F/F 1/29/01
Asiana Airlines HL7596 2/14/01 - 9/20/17
Ukraine International Airlines UR-GOA 11/14/17 - present

UIA - Current Fleet
5 x E-190
4 x 737-500
3 x 737-300
21 x 737-800
4 x 737-900ER
4 x 767-300ER
1 x 777-200ER
Total: 42

Talking Points

FlyDubai ordered up to 175 737 MAX aircraft

Egyptair to lease 15 new A320 NEO aircraft from AerCap

Indigo Partners (US) signed an MOU for 430 A320 NEO family aircraft for operation by it's portfolio of LCC airlines Frontier Airlines (US), Volaris (Mexico), WizzAir (Hungary, UK) and jetSMART (Chile)

Austrian to operate it's final Fokker 100 flight Vienna to Pristina December 31st

Egyptair signed an LOI for up to 24 CS300s

Egyptair to lease six new Rolls-Royce powered 787-9s from AerCap from 2019

Delta to operate it's last 747-400 flight Seoul to Detroit December 17th, thereby ending all US airline 747 passenger services

Ethiopian plans to order either CSeries or E-Jets to replace 737-700s (it currently operates four)

Golden Falcon Aviation (Kuwait) signed an MOU for 25 A320 NEO for operation by Wataniya Airways (Kuwait)

Lufthansa offered $294M to take over the majority of Alitalia's business, including most aircraft and 50% of existing employees

Talking Points

VietJetAir (Vietnam) is considering the A350 or 787 for future long haul operations. San Jose, California is a potential first destination from 2019

Air Canada to start 737 MAX service December 12th between Montreal and Calgary

AirAsia (Malaysia) plans to set up a budget airline in Sri Lanka, initially operating five A320s

Emirates potential new A380 order is said to have buy back clauses for earlier build aircraft to be traded to Airbus

Gulf Air selected CFM LEAP 1A engines for it's A320/A321 NEO orders

KPMG has indicated Monarch's creditors are unlikely to see much, if any, debt repayment

SAS Ireland to commence operations December 3rd between London and Copenhagen, with Stockholm to follow

Jet Airways is in discussions with Boeing to order an additional 75 737 MAX aircraft (the airline currently has 75 on order)

Lufthansa Cargo is considering adding new or used 777Fs to replace it's MD-11Fs by 2024

Air Arabia to lease six new A321LRs from Air Lease Corporation from 2018

Malaysia Airlines will take delivery of it's first A350 (leased from Air Lease Corporation) by the end of this month

ALAFCO (Kuwait) ordered 20 737 MAX 8s (now total 40 orders)

DAE Capital to lease five new 787-9s to Gulf Air, starting next year

Egyptair is reported to be near to placing an order for up to 12 CS300s

Ethiopian ordered four 777Fs (the airline currently operates six)

Talking Points

Island Air (Hawaii / US) ceased operations after 47 years of serving inter island destinations in Hawaii. This leaves Hawaiian Airlines with a monopoly, albeit possibly facing a competitive response from Southwest in 2018

CDB Aviation (China / Ireland) confirmed an order for 42 737 MAX 8s, ten MAX 10s and eight 787-9s

Spectre Air (US) acquired six ex-Xiamen Airlines 737-700s for freight conversion by IAI (Israel)

An ACT Air (Turkey) - dba MyCargo -747-400F, on wet lease to Saudi Arabian Airlines, overran the runway on departure from Maastricht (The Netherlands). Damage assessment TBD

Arik Air (Nigeria) currently reported to have ten or less airworthy aircraft, with 'many' being cannibalized or 'left rotting'

Emirates (UAE) ordered 40 787-10s. A decision on additional A380 orders remains in abeyance

Azerbaijan Airlines ordered five 787-8s (the airline currently has two), as well as two 747-8Fs

EVA Air takes delivery of first 777F

EVA Air (Taiwan) has taken delivery of it's first Boeing 777F, one of five that the airline will receive to replace it's 747-400Fs.

Boeing 777-F5E MSN 62824 L/N 1526 F/F 10/27/17
EVA Air B-16781 11/8/17 - present

Boeing has delivered 133 Boeing 777Fs, all of which are currently in service.

EVA Air - Current Fleet
1 x ACJ319
21 x A321
3 x A330-200
9 x A330-300
1 x 777F
34 x 777-300ER
5 x 747-400F
Total: 74

Samoa Airways receives it's first aircraft

Samoa Airways took delivery of a wet-leased Boeing 737-800 from NEOS (Italy) with which it will commence operations next week from Faleolo to Auckland.

Boeing 737-86N MSN 32733 L/N 1078 F/F 2/12/02
NEOS I-NEOS 2/28/02 - present [Leased Out]
Samoa Airways I-NEOS 11/10/17 - present

Samoa is a full service carrier that will essentially fill the void left by Polynesian Airlines in 2005, when it ended jet services, and instead focused on island hopping with Twin Otters. Samoa is essentially a re-brand of Polynesian, and an effort by the Government to re-establish a higher profile national airline that promotes business and the important tourism industry.

Weekend Reading

Ranked: the world's five best airline economy experiences
godsavethepoints.com

Onboard Delta's A350 inaugural flight
Airways

A personal farewell to Meridiana's MD-80s
Airways

London City Airport turns 30...with ambitious future plans
The Independent

Boeing 747 'Queen of the Skies'
CBS News (includes good archive material)

Air Canada welcomes it's first 737 MAX
Airways

Awesome prototype planes: 1949 to 2017
CNN

Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet...the plane that changed the world
CNBC

Cathay & Qatar: who wins?
Air Transport World

Parked in the Pyrenees: an A380 awaits a new owner, or the scrapyard
Bloomberg

Why WOW Air's £99 flights from London to New York are 'fake news'
The Independent

Talking Points

Mistral Air (Italy) ferried it's only passenger configured aircraft, a 737-400, to the US for freight conversion. It will join an existing 737-300F in the airline's fleet

Airbus is reported to be near a deal to sell 30 additional A380s to Emirates (Possible announcement at the Dubai Air Show)

Lufthansa commenced Berlin to New York JFK service, after a break of 16 years

The UK high court denied the administrators of bankrupt Monarch Airlines the ability to sell the airline's airport slots to benefit creditors

China Aviation Supplies ordered up to 300 Boeing aircraft for distribution to Chinese airlines. Airline and Aircraft details are currently undisclosed [The Seattle Times reported this was effectively 'fake news', citing many of these orders as being old orders]

Eurowings (Germany) wet-leased a 767-300ER from PrivatAir (Switzerland)

A company named 777 Partners plans to resurrect World Airways, a US airline that failed in March 2014 (after 66 years of service). Plans call for up to ten 787s operating low cost long haul service (the record of trying to revive previous airline brands is not a good one - none have flourished or survived - CORRECTION: Frontier is one example that has indeed been successfully resurrected).

Air Cairo updates it's livery

Air Cairo added a seventh A320 and updated it's livery at the same time. The airline is Egyptair's low fare subsidiary operating inclusive tour flights from Europe and within the Middle East. This is the airline's third used aircraft acquisition, adding to four new deliveries in 2006 (2) and 2007 (2). This is also the first fleet addition since April 2015, reflective of the region's (terrorist related) tourism downturn in recent years.

Airbus A320-214 MSN 4320 F/F 5/26/10
TAM Airlines PR-MYG 6/14/10 - 5/5/16
LATAM PR-MYG 5/5/16 - 9/11/17
Air Cairo SU-BTM 11/6/17 - present

Air Cairo - Current Fleet
7 x A320-200 (CFM)

Talking Points

Qatar Airways acquired a 9.6% stake in Cathay Pacific Airways

United is considering ordering new 767-300ERs...to replace older 767-300ERs. Despite this appearing unlikely, there are signs that Boeing is considering restarting passenger 767 production, three years since it ended

United ended 747-400 service 11/7 with a farewell flight from San Francisco to Honolulu

Buta Airways added an E-170 to it's fleet, transferred from parent Azerbaijan Airways. The company also operates two E-190s

Aeroflot is evaluating placing a substantial order for either A320 NEO or 737 MAX aircraft to replace it's existing fleet of A320s and 737s

Aloha Air Cargo leased a first 767-300F from (and operated by) Air Transport International

Yemenia suspended all flight operations until further notice

Edelweiss (Switzerland) to expand it's fleet in 2018 with the addition of three A320s and two A340-300s

Meridiana is to be re-branded Air Italy, utilizing the name of an airline it acquired in 2013

Samoa Airways is to commence operations with a wet-leased 737-800 November 14th

Allegiant Air retires the 757

Allegiant Air (US) ended Boeing 757 service, with it's final two aircraft being ferried to Victorville, CA October 31st for storage.

Boeing 757-204 MSN 26963 L/N 450 F/F 4/22/92
Britannia Airways G-BYAD 5/6/92 - 11/1/05
Thomsonfly G-BYAD 11/1/05 - 11/1/08
Thomson Airways G-BYAD 11/1/08 - 11/17/09
Air Finland OH-AFL 3/15/11 - 4/9/12
Allegiant Air N901NV 6/10/12 - 8/31/16
Retired Stuttgart, AR

Allegiant operated six 757s, from July 2011. The entire fleet had been acquired from Thomson Airways in 2010, with Allegiant initially leasing out the aircraft to European airlines. The 757s were primarily acquired for ETOPS service from Las Vegas to Hawaii.

The 757s were Allegiant's first departure from a DC-9/MD-80 fleet, and were subsequently joined by A319s and A320s. The latter types will become Allegiant's core fleet following the MD-80's retirement next year.

The sun has set on United's 747 operations

United today ended 747-400 service, with a final revenue passenger flight from San Francisco to Honolulu.

Like most US Majors in the early 1970s, it was a must have to acquire 747-100s as an airline's flagship aircraft, typically used on premium coast to coast domestic service (United, American & Delta), with Pan Am, TWA and Northwest operating the type on key transatlantic and transpacific routes.

Many also went on to acquire new or used 747-200s, as well as 747-SPs, the latter acquired by United when it took over Pan Am's transpacific routes. No 747-300s were ever ordered or operated by US airlines.

The aircraft proved too large though, with most phased out of domestic service by the mid-70s, and replaced by tri-jet DC-10s and L-1011s (which were also too large initially). Braniff alone stuck with narrow bodies for domestic routes, which turned out to be strategically the correct decision at the time.

The second generation, and most important 747 of the last two decades was the 747-400, ordered in significant quantities by United and Northwest.

Boeing 747-422 MSN 24322 L/N 733 F/F 5/25/89
United Airlines N171UA "Spirit of Seattle II" 6/30/89 - 10/26/15

N171UA was the first -400 delivered to United, seen above in original delivery colors, the first of four liveries this aircraft would carry during it's 26 year career.

N171UA in United's new 1990s livery

United took delivery of 44 747-400s, the final delivery being in May 2000. All were model 747-422s, with the exception of two 747-451s, built for Northwest, but sold new to United.

United's 2000s livery

This livery was relatively short lived, as following the 2011 merger with Continental, the latter's color scheme was selected for the 'new' United.

N171UA - final United / Continental livery

The post 9/11 world saw United make adjustments to it's fleet, and the 747-400 did not escape a reduction. By 2015, 31 were in service, 25 by 2010, and 22 by 2015. N171UA was retired in October 2015.

N171UA in permanent retirement at Tupelo, MS. Others have been retired at Victorville, CA while 13 have gone on to serve other airlines.

United has replaced the 747-400 with 777-300ERs and 787-9s