Carry on: Budget giants opt for larger models, A380 to get wider wings

Easyjet switches to A321neo
Europe’s second-largest low-cost airline is switching to larger A321neos as its aircraft of choice for the future. EasyJet chief executive Carolyn McCall says the A321neo's extra 49 passengers and lower fuel burn bring the cost per seat down by 8-9% compared with the A320neo. EasyJet this week took delivery of its first A320neo, its 300th plane, and has switched 30 of its 130 A320neo orders for the larger variant.

Meanwhile, arch-rival Ryanair is in talks with Boeing about placing an order for its proposed new 737 Max 10 airliner. Boeing is expected to launch what would become the largest version of its 737 Max single-aisled family at the Paris air show next week. Ryanair was the launch customer for the 196-passenger 737 Max 200, a high-density version of the Max 8. The Max 10 will seat up to 230 passengers.

A380 to get wider wings
Airbus has announced plans to increase the wing size of the A380 to reduce drag and fuel use by 4%. This will be done by adding 5m winglets on either side. Airbus says this avoid the need for a neo (new engine option) upgrade, as this would mean new turbines and changes to the frame.

Dubai offers BMW chauffeur service
Emirates has partnered with BMW to supply 520i Touring cars for its complimentary chauffeur-drive service for Business Class passengers, including those from New Zealand. The service is part of a wider complimentary ground transfer service for long-haul customers travelling in First or Business class, and is available in over 75 Emirates destinations worldwide, including Auckland and Christchurch.

El Al welcomes Dreamliners
Israel’s El Al will introduce its new fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners to its Tel Aviv-Hong Kong route at the start of 2018. The first of the 16 new aircraft will fly on the Tel Aviv-London route and then Tel Aviv-Newark (New York) later this year. The aircraft will have a three-class configuration with business, premium economy and economy seating.

Qatar adds Dublin to network
Qatar Airways isn’t letting the blockade by its Arab neighbours to stand in the way of its global expansion. This week it added Dublin to its network, giving New Zealanders another one-stop choice of flights to Ireland. The inaugural service from Doha used one of Qatar’s new A350s (seen above landing at Dublin) but the regular schedule will use a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in a two-class configuration: 22 seats in business and 232 seats in economy.

Iranian airline goes big with Boeing 
Iran’s Aseman Airlines airline has signed a $US3 billion contract at list prices for 30 Boeing 737 Maxs and an option for 30 more. The airline, which is owned by the National Pension Fund, is confident the deal will go ahead despite the US Senate voting to advance a bill that could bring new sanctions against Iran. Boeing has applied to the US.Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for a licence to see the deal through.

WTO rules in Airbus-Boeing dispute
The US and EU have both claimed victory in a 13-year World Trade Organisation battle over illegal state aid to Boeing and Airbus. But appeals could delay final resolution of the multibillion-dollar dispute for at least another year. The WTO’s compliance panel rejected several EU claims the US had failed to withdraw all illegal subsidies to Boeing. However, it also found the US had not complied with a previous ruling to abolish illegal tax breaks by Washington state. An appeal would take the EU case to the WTO’s appellate body, which is already considering a separate US case over state aid to Airbus. 

Singapore boosts Paris schedule
Singapore Airlines will increase frequency on its Singapore-Paris Charles de Gaulle route to 10 a week during the northern winter, from October 29 to March 24, 2018. This is up from the daily service operated Airbus A380-800s. Under the new schedule, all flights will use Boeing 777-300ERs in a four-class configuration of first, business, premium economy and economy class seating.