Iberia has taken delivery of its rst Airbus
A350-900, EC-MXV (c/n 219). The rst of
16 A350-900s the carrier has on order, was
handed over at the manufacturer’s delivery
centre in Toulouse, France on June 26.
The new type will be used to modernise
Iberia’s long-haul eet and is expected
to replace some of its older A340s. After
an initial period of familiarisation ying to
destinations around Europe, the Madrid-
based carrier was expected to debut the A
on its daily service to New York on August 8,
increasing to twice daily from September 1.
Luis Gallego, president of Iberia,
remarked: “We are delighted to receive
our rst A350, an aircraft that represents
perfectly the efficiency and modernity of thenew Iberia. During the last few years we’ve
transformed ourselves to survive, now we
are continuing to transform for excellence,
a cycle change that this new aircraft
represents so well.”
Iberia, which becomes the 18th operator
of the A350, has con gured its example in
a three-class, 348-seat layout including 31
full lie- at beds in business, 24 in premium
economy and a further 293 in economy.
Airbus con rmed the aircraft is also the rst
A350-900 to feature the latest performance
improvement package, including a wing
twist, extended winglets and an increased
maximum take-of weight capability.Iberia’s rst A350 was handed over to the
carrier on June 26. AirbusIberia Welcomes AIN BRIEFCargo carrier ATLAS AIR has acquired
a Boeing 747-400F freighter from Lease
Corporation International, increasing its
eet to almost 40 examples. The New York-
based airline’s president and CEO William
J Flynn said the incoming aircraft “will help
us to further expand our customer base in
key global markets and capitalize on the
opportunities that we see.”Low-cost carrier EASYJET has launched
its 1,000th route. The landmark service,
from Manchester to Bordeaux in France,
was unveiled on July 12 as part of 16 new
city pairings due to be added to the airline’s
network this winter. This includes four
other routes from Manchester, three each
from Belfast and Bristol, two from Luton
and others from Stansted, Liverpool and
Glasgow in Scotland.BRITISH AIRWAYS took delivery of its 28th
Boeing 787 Dreamliner in June. The aircraft,
G-ZBJJ, is the tenth 787-8 to enter service
with BA, the carrier also operates 18 of the
larger -9 variant.
A new codeshare agreement between
CATHAY PACIFIC and BRUSSELS AIRLINES
has been signed which will provide
customers with extensive connections
to and from destinations across Europe.
Brussels Airlines will now add Cathay
Paci c’s CX code to selected services
operated by the Belgian carrier between
Brussels and seven destinations in the
following countries: Czech Republic,
Norway, France and also Germany.Thomas Cook Airlines has announced a
large number of additional ights from
CARDIFF AIRPORT for next year. The
European leisure group’s summer 2019
ying programme will include 15,000 extra
seats from the Welsh capital, increasing
its total to more than 120,000, via 11 new
weekly ights. Starting on April 3, it will
serve 12 destinations in Majorca, Turkey,
Tenerife, Lanzarote and Cyprus, plus a new
route to Tunisia.bmi regional airline has been rebranded as
FLYBMI as part of a wider overhaul of its
customer-facing business. Commenting
on the change, announced to coincide
with launch of the carrier’s new website,
the airline said: “..the simpli cation of the
brand and logo... retains investment in the
current name and visual identity, which
still references the rich history of the
legacy brand whilst appealing to a broader
European audience, re ecting the refreshed
vision for the company.” ybmi operates a
eet of 19 Embraer ERJ 135s and 145s.CIVIL NEWS
10 Aviation News incorporating Jets September 2018
Upgrades for QantasLink Dash 8s
The rst upgraded QantasLink
Bombardier Dash 8-Q300 has been
completed at Tamworth Airport, New
South Wales. The work has included
refreshing the cabin, installing newergonomic seat cushioning, leather
upholstery and new oor coverings in
the cabin. It is part of a multi-million-
dollar commitment to provide regional
passengers with a better overalltravel experience. The programme to
modernise the carrier’s entire eet of 45
turboprops (3 Q200s, 11 Q300s and 31
Q400s) is expected to be completed by
the end of next year.The rst of up to 225 Boeing 737 MAX 8
aircraft has been delivered to Jet Airways.
The MAX 8 is the latest variant of the
successful single-aisle airliner that has
formed the backbone of the carrier’s eet
ever since it started operations in 1993 with
the then latest 737-300. Jet Airways will
offer a standard two-class con guration on
its MAX 8s comprising 12 Première and 162
economy seats, all equipped with JetScreen,
the airline’s in- ight entertainment system
offering over 330 hours of entertainment via
passenger’s personal devices.Vinay Dube, the airline’s chief executive
officer said: “Arrival of the 737 MAX is a
proud moment that marks the start of an
exciting new chapter for Jet Airways and
Indian aviation. The new aircraft is a critical
part of our strategy and is equipped to
offer our guests the hospitality and travel
experience they deserve. The fuel-efficient
737 MAX will also enable us to meet our
strategic ambitions for growth, enhance our
operational reliability and reduce costs.”The rst Boeing 737 MAX 8 for Jet Airways.
BoeingFirst 737 MAX for India