July 12, 2021

Porter Grows Fleet and Route Map with Embraer E195-E2

Porter Airlines is adding 30 new aircraft to its fleet as it becomes the North American launch customer for Embraer’s new E195-E2 aircraft. The airline hasn’t operated a passenger flight in 16 months, but that didn’t deter it from adding on to its fleet. In addition to the 30 firm orders, Porter has an option to purchase another 50 if it so chooses/hasn’t gone bankrupt.

This order will require an expansion into new territory for Porter since jets are banned from Porter’s base at Toronto/City (YTZ). It will look to Toronto/Pearson (YYZ), Ottawa, Montréal, and Halifax to open up new destinations in Canada, the US, and beyond.

Porter had originally ordered the A220 back in 2013, but quietly canceled that when it was unable to get the rule banning jets overturned. Now it is tired of the City Airport shackles and is turning to the E2, which it must have acquired a rock bottom prices. The delivery of the aircraft is expected to begin in the second half of 2022, assuming Porter has actually restarted operations by then.

Breeze Blows Beyond U.S. Borders

Breeze Airways has issued an RFP to explore adding operations into the Americas, Caribbean, and Western Europe using its new fleet of 60 A220 aircraft. The first aircraft will arrive starting this October and then keep coming at the rate of one plane every month for five years.

The airline says it has identified even more underserved cities “ripe” for its unique service outside of the United States. Airports with cost structures and facilities suitable for its fleet of A220-330 have been asked to complete a questionnaire by July 23.

When Breeze mentions suitable cost structures, what it really means is “cheap.” The questionnaire is designed to weed out those airports who do not offer bargain-basement operating costs for airlines and also those that lack literate employees.

Silver Sees Cargo Market as Golden

Silver Airways is planning to enter the cargo market this fall, with the airline adding its first dedicated freighter aircraft. It is expected to add ATR freighters — likely the ATR42-500 or the larger ATR-72-500(F) — but is still determining which looks better in hot pink.

It is running out of time to pick an aircraft, because the airline expects to begin cargo ops as soon as this September, less than two months away. The airline will base its cargo ops out of Fort Worth Alliance Airport (AFW) in the Dallas metroplex.

Silver operates most of its passenger ops in Florida and the Caribbean with its fleet of six ATR42-600s, three ATR72-600s and five Saab 340B aircraft. Whichever aircraft it selects for its cargo operation will need to be resized for its new base since everything is bigger in Texas.

Aer Lingus UK Secures Operating Certificate

Aer Lingus UK had everything a new spinoff airline needs to begin operating – airplanes, routes, interest in selling tickets, and a confusing name that sounds very similar to its parent airline. But there was one thing lacking… an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) from the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Until now, that is.

The airline received its AOC from the CAA on Friday after weeks of waiting. Immediately after receiving approval from the UK, the airline filed a disclosure with the US DOT as it was waiting on the AOC before allowing the new airline to sell tickets in the United States.

Aer Lingus UK requested an expedited process to receive its foreign air carrier permit from the government – a bold request considering “expedited request” and “US federal government” rarely go together in the same sentence. The airline is planning on using the EI code of Aer Lingus and the BA code of British Airways code when it begins flying from Manchester to the United States.

Manchester’s New Terminal Opens This Week

Manchester, UK Airport’s (MAN) new T2 extension opens this week, six years after the airport broke ground on the project. The first airlines to operate out of the facility will be Jet2, TUI, and Singapore in a staggered approach over the next few days to give the terminal a bit of a dress rehearsal before opening at full capacity next week.

The terminal’s price tag ended up right around £1 billion, which, oddly enough, is the same price as a six-pack of Toblerone bars at the airport’s duty-free shop.

The terminal extension was originally supposed to open last year but was delayed because nobody was actually flying anywhere anyway. The new terminal features an 81-square meter digital screen to provide flight information and content for passengers. Dozens of local and international dining options are on offer including exotic bird restaurateur KFC.

  • Air New Zealand’s limited offerings to fly New Zealand citizens out of Sydney sold out in minutes. Those that couldn’t get a seat were given a life vest and a pair of flippers from the airline and told to “get going.”
  • American operated a special cargo flight last Thursday to deliver 1.5 million COVID vaccines to Guatemala City (GUA). The vaccines arrived safely but complained about not being offered a pre-departure beverage in first class and that the catering on the flight seemed “mediocre at best.”
  • Asiana and Korean are partnering on a cargo hub at Seoul/Incheon. In reality, Asiana is likely trying to show its new Korean Air overlords that it can play nicely in advance of the merger of the two airlines.
  • Bamboo will operate its first flight to the United States on Thursday, a charter from Hanoi to San Francisco.
  • Bellagio Air (this one, not this one) is adding B737 freighters as it looks to build out its cargo operation.
  • Bulgaria Air has been given permission to issue a $9.1 million bond issue.
  • flydubai will add Naples and Salzburg to its network this month. 4x-weekly service to Salzburg will begin July 15 and Naples will resume operations on July 31.
  • Georgian Airways (this one, not this one), resumed B737-900 operations after a two-year hiatus.
  • LATAM’s passenger operation for July is expected to reach 46% of what it flew in June 2019, its biggest month since the onset of the pandemic.
  • Oryx Jet, a virtual passenger charter specialist in the UK virtually retired its only B737-300 aircraft.
  • SAS will begin A321-200(LR) operations later this summer.
  • Scoot scooted four A320-200 aircraft from its fleet on to the open market.
  • SKY Express signed a deal for six ATR72-600 aircraft to be added to its fleet.
  • Thai AirAsia suspended domestic flights.
  • VivaAerobus is moving ops for four destinations from Monterrey – Mexico City, Cancun, Guadalajara, and Tijuana from its own budget Terminal C to the airport’s Terminal A.

A wife says to her husband that moose are falling from the sky. The husband says “no, it’s reindeer.”