A relatively quiet week with no stand out developments once again brings the return of
a type of video many of you have been enjoying and thats these compilation type videos surrounding
Aviation News with multiple different stories that say aren’t big enough to get their own video.
Today’s coverage centers around a lot to do with Airbus who in recent weeks haven’t been
the central focus with lots taking place at Boeing and some other stories. However,
I begin today's proceedings with the Airbus A330.
Airbus delivered its 1,500th Airbus A330 to American carrier Delta towards the end
of September in a landmark moment for Airbus who have been working with the A330 series
for some time now. The A330 was introduced all the way back in the early 1990s and was the set
replacement to the A300 series, a now foreign type in our skies. The A300 and A330 share
many similarities, the A330 utilized technology from the A320 family which is a single-aisle jet
and was developed for medium-range routes. It’s been nothing short of success since its launch and
recent years Airbus launched their A330neo back in 2014 when airlines started to phase
out the likes of their Boeing 757s and Boeing 767s, the new engine option to
customers that would provide airlines that are after a replacement to the A330 better efficiency.
Airbus pitted this A330 against the Boeing 787 and often people compare the two together for
what they offer airlines around the world. Airbus continues to work and develop the A330 series
certifying new types with adjusted maximum takeoff weights and more. All these things
giving it an advantage when customers are looking to purchase new aircraft, of course, something
right now they aren’t really doing but in the future, I think we can all hope that it does.
Moving across to Scandinavian carrier SAS took delivery of their first A321LR. This is
the first of three total LRs that’ll be joining up their operations in the near future. The jet
fuel though uses actually a 10% more suitable jet fuel blend which once again highlights the
advancements in technology and more to ultimately make air travel more suitable moving forward.
This is all a part of SAS’s commitment alongside airbus to reduce the carbon footprint it has.
Airbus notes in their press release that at this point they are the first aircraft manufacturer
to be offering customers the ability to receive their new aircraft on the
delivery flights with sustainable fuel. This has been ongoing since 2016, so now for 4 years.
The type overall offers customers 30$ fuel savings and almost a 50% reduction in noise
footprint compared to the previous generation of its competitors. A great advancement that being
seen across the board with like I mentioned the technology being greatly upped over time.
Qatar Airways announced recently that following the resumption of service from Doha to Bulgaria
they’ll have now added their 100th destination back to their global network. While news like
this typically wouldn’t be covered here on the channel it’s an encouraging sign to say the least,
especially given what is currently going on with the global pandemic. With the launch of the 100th
service again following the mass groundings and more Qatar Airways is hoping to expand again upon
roughly more than 700 weekly flights that spread across six continents. Qatar Airways said that
it has flown 2.3 million passengers and greatly aided those trying to return to their home country
since the pandemic first began. The 2.3 million passengers have transported on over 37,000
flights. The Qatar Airways Group CEO said As one of the few airlines to have continuously
flown throughout the pandemic to take passengers home safely and reliably, we are proud to reach
this significant milestone in the rebuild of our network. Our focus is not only on restarting
destinations but also on operating as many frequencies as possible to provide our passengers
the flexibility to travel when they want. With more than 700 weekly frequencies currently,
and plans to increase our network to more than 125 destinations by the end of 2020, our passengers
will enjoy more options to travel when they want across the globe, safely and reliably.
Heading back to Airbus, the aircraft manufacturer would you believe it welcomed brand new customers
to its family that being Sky Express who announced an order for their A320neo family. A shock yes,
this was something only a year ago that was pretty natural but nowadays an order for aircraft
can come as quite a shock! The airline which is based in Athens placed a firm order for four
A320neo. The Owner of Sky Express said Our cooperation with Airbus,
through the acquisition of six brand new Α320neo aircraft, meets our ambition to
modernize our fleet and have our company transition to a new era. The combination of
the most advanced technology along with the fuel efficiency that this type of aircraft offers are
elements that perfectly match the business planning of SKY express for a contemporary
fleet that respects the environment and offers safe and quality services to its passengers.