Airliner World – April 2018

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News Review • Americas

Ultra-low-cost carrier Allegiant Air is

opening a new station at Destin-Fort

Walton Beach, Florida. From June, the Las

Vegas-based airline will place two Airbus

A320s at the airport and add five new

seasonal routes to Northwest Arkansas

Regional; Lexington/Blue Grass, Kentucky;

Evansville/Regional, Indiana; and

Concord/Regional and Raleigh-Durham,

both in North Carolina. Allegiant says the

creation of the new base represents an

investment of more than $49m.

Alaskan carrier Island Air Express has

been granted authority by Transport

Canada for charter flights to any

destination in Canada, reports airline

intelligence provider ch-aviation. The

regional specialist plans to fly the

services from Klawock and Ketchikan.

Its fleet includes two Cessna 208s, a

208B and a U206(F).

From April 4, American Airlines will

offer a new hourly shuttle service

between Chicago/O’Hare and New York/

LaGuardia, providing 15 flights each

weekday. Alison Taylor, the carrier’s

Senior VP, Global Sales and Distribution,

said: “When you fly frequently for work,

anything that can make the regular

commute more comfortable is important.

“That’s why we’re pleased to offer

valuable time-saving opportunities

with our shuttle, including a convenient

and consistent schedule and extended

check-in times for you and your bag.”

(Photo American Airlines)

Fort Lauderdale-based Silver Airways will

introduce its new fleet of ATR 42-

turboprops on May 23 on its daily return

service between Huntsville, Alabama, and

Orlando, Florida. The regional airline is

expected to receive its first ATR in March,

with deliveries running until 2020.

Mexican low-cost carrier Interjet will

add San Francisco to its network from

March 14, with flights from Cancun and

Guadalajara, and intends to serve both

routes three times weekly using Airbus

A320s seating 150 passengers.

Air Wisconsin ended Canadair CRJ

operations for American Airlines on

February 14, reports airline intelligence

provider ch-aviation. The Appleton-based

carrier’s association with American is

coming to an end, and it will instead focus

on its United Express contract.

TAME Ecuador hopes to lease two ATR

72-500s, three ATR 42-500s and six A

Family aircraft by the end of 2018 as it

looks to expand its domestic network.

The new additions will be used to replace

its existing fleet of two Embraer 190s

and three ATR 42-500s, and the carrier

plans to use the newcomers to increase

frequencies on key routes from its

Quito hub.

in brief

UPS Signs for more Jumbos

CARGO GIANT UPS has ordered 14
additional Boeing 747-8Fs and four
767Fs in a bid to meet growing demand,
saying none of the new jets will be used
to replace existing aircraft in its fleet.
The latest 747-8F commitment builds
on UPS’s original order for 14, three
of which were delivered in 2017, and
the Kentucky-based carrier expects to
receive all 32 by the end of 2022.
UPS Chairman and CEO David Abney
said: “Our intra-US next-day and
deferred air shipments are expanding
to record levels, and UPS’s international
segment has produced four consecu-
tive quarters of double-digit export
shipment growth.

“To support this strong customer

demand, we continue to invest in

additional air capacity, providing the

critical link our customers need to

markets around the world.”

The 747-8F can carry 46 shipping

containers – 34 on its main deck

and 12 in its lower compartments –

with a cargo capacity of 307,600lb

(139,525kg) and range of 4,200 nautical

miles (7,778km). The 767F can carry

132,200lb (59,965kg) over almost 3,

nautical miles (5,556km) and has room

for 31 containers – 24 on the main deck

and seven below.

Brendan Canavan, the carrier’s presi-

dent, remarked: “As we celebrate the

30th anniversary of UPS Airlines, we’re

seeing unprecedented demand for our

air products. The new freighters will

allow us to continue upsizing aircraft

on routes and create a cascading effect

that will boost capacity on regional

routes around the world.”

Boeing Commercial Airplanes

President and CEO Kevin McAllister

added: “UPS has clearly tapped into

the power and efficiency the 747-

Freighter brings to the market. We’re

impressed with how UPS is leveraging

the airplane in its operations and

excited to see them bring additional

767s into their fleet.” (Photo

AirTeamImages.com/Bastian Ding)

Air Canada Confirms E190 Retirement

AIR CANADA will phase out its remain-
ing 25 Embraer 190 jets prior to the
start of Bombardier CS300 deliveries in
late 2019. The plan was confirmed by
Chief Financial Officer Mike Rousseau
during an earnings call on February 16.

“We’ve made decisions to acceler-

ate the removal of the E190s from our

mainline fleet,” he explained.

Rousseau revealed the airline will

retain its Airbus A319s for longer than

planned to bridge the gap before deliv-

eries of the Bombardier C Series start,

adding that the “Airbus 319 aircraft typi-

cally has a lower CASM [cost per avail-

able seat mile] than the E190”.

The airline expects the surplus E190s to

be sold “into the marketplace”.

UNITED AIRLINES will put its first

Boeing 737 MAX 9s into service

on June 7, using them on flights

from its Houston/George Bush

Intercontinental hub to Anchorage,

Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, San Diego

and Austin.

From June 29 the type will be intro-

duced on flights from Houston to

Los Angeles, Tampa and Sacramento

and will also serve the Los Angeles-

Honolulu route.

United expects to receive ten MAX

9s this year and will gradually roll the

aircraft out to other destinations on

its network. They will be configured

in a three-class layout with 20 seats

in First Class, 48 in Economy Plus and

111 in Economy.

Passengers will have in-seat power

and the option to purchase satellite

Wi-Fi, and will be able to stream mov-

ies and television on their personal

electronic devices. (Photo Boeing)

United Outlines MAX 9 Ops