On Tuesday, AirlineGeeks received a unique first look at Scandinavian Airlines' first Airbus A350-900 XWB and the first aircraft in the airline's new livery. The new aircraft, to be registered SE-RSA, is named Ingegerd Viking and will be delivered to SAS' Copenhagen hub in December where it will be based. It is currently in the flight test phase at Airbus' factory in Toulouse, France. [caption id="attachment_37736" align="aligncenter" width="4032"] Scandinavian’s first Airbus A350-900, SE-RSA, is named Ingegerd Viking. (Photo: AirlineGeeks |…
In an unexpected twist of the never-ending saga of Alitalia’s restructuring, German carrier Lufthansa is now becoming an interested party in the operation. After expressing a lukewarm interest at various stages throughout the entire process, that has been progressing for the past two and a half years, and after being…
IAG announced the purchase of Air Europa for a value of one billion euros. The holding company of Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus, Vueling, and Level said that the operation "offers significant potential synergies in terms of costs and revenues." IAG informed that the acquisition should be completed in the…
It is now expected that the official expression of interest for privatizing Air India should be done by the end of November, after a delay of a month in the drawn-out process for privatization. The committee overseeing the privatization was supposed to have it ready by the end of October…
Israel's flag carrier El Al Israel Airlines has become the latest airline to retire the Boeing 747-400 aircraft, bringing an end to a 48-year association between the aircraft and carrier. To mark the last flight of the 747, registered as 4X-ELC, the flight-crew took off from Rome-Fiumicino and flew back…
Air India's first service to London's Stansted airport celebrated its inaugural flight on Thursday. The service from Amritsar in India - numbered AI 166 - is operated by a Boeing 787-8 aircraft and will fly three times a week, departing Stansted on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The route marks the…
Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation has announced that Trans States Holdings has cancelled its order for the SpaceJet M90. The announcement is a blow for the beleaguered Mitsubishi regional jet program. The order for 50 M90 aircraft was the second largest on the manufacturer's order book. The two parties will be entering…
This past March marked the 10th anniversary of Qatar Airways' Doha-Houston route. The Middle Eastern carrier first commenced service to the Energy Capital of the World in March 2009, only its third route to the U.S. at the time. Qatar Airways launched the route to Houston during a time of…
Dozens of Boeing 737 Next-Generation aircraft were grounded on Thursday after airlines around the world continued to find cracks in the bodies of their aircraft. The Next-Generation group is a family of aircraft that comprises the Boeing 737-600, -700, -800 and -900, in addition to variants within those types. Sydney-based…
Adding to its current fleet of only three aircraft, South Korean hopeful Air Premia has announced an order for five Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners to aid in its low-cost ambitions. The airline, who already has a deal with Air Lease Corporation for three Dreamliners, sees the aircraft as necessary for its…
