THIS WEEK
6 | Flight International | 10-16 December 2019 flightglobal.com
NORWEGIAN GRANTED HEATHROW SLOTS
OPERATIONS Scandinavian budget carrier Norwegian has
provisionally been allocated slots at London Heathrow for the
summer 2020 season. Heathrow’s slot co-ordination
organisation, ACL, has disclosed that Norwegian requested
14 weekly slots but has been given six, the equivalent of three
weekly departures. Norwegian has not indicated its route
plans. It already operates from London Gatwick, through its
Norwegian Air International division.MI-171A2 HELICOPTER WINS TWIN APPROVALS
ROTORCRAFT Russian Helicopters has gained certification
from regulators in Colombia and India for the Mil Mi-171A2,
the latest iteration of its venerable heavy-twin. The first
example destined for an Indian customer has already been
produced at the company’s Ulan-Ude factory. The Mi-171A
has a maximum take-off weight of 13t, including an internal
payload of up to 4t.EASA APPROVES P&W-POWERED A319NEO
VARIANT Airbus has gained European Union Aviation
Safety Agency (EASA) type certification for the Pratt &
Whitney PW1100G-powered version of the A319neo. EASA
has already certificated the smallest member of the A320neo-
family with CFM International Leap-1A engines, approving
this version in late 2018. Deliveries to airlines will begin in
2020, Airbus says. The manufacturer holds firm orders for 36
A319neos.LEONARDO SECURES FOUR-UNIT AW139 DEAL
SALE Leonardo Helicopters has secured an order for four
AW139 intermediate-twins from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue
(MDFR) in southern Florida. Deliveries of the Pratt &
Whitney Canada PT6-powered helicopters from the
manufacturer’s US facility in Philadelphia are due to begin in
the third quarter of 2020. MDFR intends to use the AW139s
for fire suppression, search and rescue, and emergency
medical services missions.MISHAP DAMAGES NEWEST ETHIOPIAN A
INCIDENT Ethiopian Airlines’ newest Airbus A350-
(ET-AWO) was damaged by ground contact from a Turkish
Airlines A330-200 freighter at Kinshasa on 27 November, less
than eight weeks after delivery. The Turkish A330-200F’s
right-hand winglet appears to have struck the A350’s
left-hand elevator, resulting in damage, images indicate.
Ethiopian’s aircraft was handed over to the carrier on 4
October.DOWTY OPENS NEW UK HEADQUARTERS
FACILITIES Dowty Propellers has formally opened new
headquarters in Gloucester, UK, after its previous facility there
was destroyed by fire in 2015. The GE Aviation subsidiary
supplies propellers for the De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400,
China’s Xian Aircraft MA700 and the Leonardo C-27J and
Lockheed Martin C-130J military transports. The facility is
scheduled to become fully operational during the first half
of 2020.BRIEFING
U
nited Airlines has ordered 50
Airbus A321XLRs, the long-
range variant of the A321neo,
which the carrier will use to
replace older models and to ex-
pand transatlantic routes.
The commitment is a major
move by Chicago-based United,
which has otherwise filled its nar-
rowbody orderbook with Boeing
737 Max variants, including 100
examples of the Max 10.
But in recent years United has
expressed interest in acquiring a
new aircraft type to replace its
fleet of ageing 757s.
Aircraft under consideration
by United included the A321XLR
and Boeing’s still-unlaunched
New Mid-market Airplane.
United’s first A321XLR is set to
arrive in 2024, with international
services using the type to com-
mence the following year.
Andrew Nocella, United’s
chief commercial officer, calls the
A321XLR “an ideal one-for-one
replacement in our interconti-
nental network”.
He says: “In addition to
strengthening our ability to fly
more efficiently, the A321XLR
opens potential new destinations
to further develop our route net-
work and provide customers
with more options.”Cirium fleets data records
United as operating 53 757-200s
and 21 examples of the larger but
shorter-range -300.
Airbus launched the A321XLR
at the Paris air show in June. The
variant will be able to carry up to
244 passengers on sectors of up to
4,700nm (8,700km). Service
entry is due in 2023.
Although United holds 100
orders for the 737-10, it stressed
when unveiling the deal in June
2019 that the “larger and more ef-
ficient aircraft” would be used on
domestic routes.
United joins fellow US major
American Airlines in ordering
the A321XLR, with the Dallas-
based carrier having ordered 50
examples in June this year.
Of the USA’s big three carriers,
that leaves just Delta Air Lines
yet to decide on a 757 replace-
ment strategy.
However, low-cost carriers
Frontier Airlines and JetBlue
Airways intend to take 13 and 18
A321XLRs respectively.
Separately, United has de-
ferred the arrival of its 45
A350-900s to 2027 to “better
align” with its operational re-
quirements; deliveries of the jets
were previously due to run over
five years starting in 2022. ■FLEET JON HEMMERDINGER BOSTONA321XLR goes the
distance for United
US carrier orders long-range twinjet to replace its ageing
757s, in significant move away from Boeing narrowbodiesAirline says type will be used
to expand transatlantic routesAirbus