Airline Industry - Cargo Class: Airbus to offer sleeping berths down in cargo hold

Soon when you fly in an Airbus jet and you fancy a bit of shut-eye, all you will need do is make your way down to the cargo hold.

European aircraft giant Airbus announced on Tuesday that it is teaming up with Zodiac Aerospace to develop and market lower deck sleeping facilities for passengers that could be operational in A330 wide-body jets from 2020.

The sleeper compartments "would fit inside the aircraft's cargo compartments," Airbus said in a joint statement with Zodiac, a subsidiary of the French aerospace company Safran.

The modules "will be easily interchangeable with regular cargo containers,"the statement said.

"Airlines will initially be able to choose from a catalogue of certified solutions by 2020 on A330," for the sleeper pods, with the possibility of fitting them into A350 XWB airliners also being studied.

Airbus and Zodiac said the sleeping berths would not only improve passenger comfort, but also enable airlines to add value for their commercial operations.

"This approach to commercial air travel is a step change towards passenger comfort," said Geoff Pinner, head of Airbus' cabin and cargo program.

"We have already received very positive feedback from several airlines on our first mock-ups."

Christophe Bernardini, head of Zodiac's aerospace cabin division, said the project "reaffirms our expertise in lower-deck solutions. An improved passenger experience is today a key element of differentiation for airlines."

In November 2016, the Air France-KLM had put forward the idea of sleeping berths for passengers in the economy class, either down in the hold or above the cabin in aircraft of the group's new low-cost subsidiary, Joon.

Read more: Airbus to offer sleeping berths down in cargo hold

European Aircraft Industry: China, Germany sign deal for A330 Airbus jets

China and Germany signed a deal on Thursday that will see Chinese airlines buy 30 A330 aeroplanes manufactured by Airbus Group.

The order, valued at 17 billion euros ($18.57 billion), was announced after Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel met China's Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing.

Airbus is battling Boeing Co for dominance of the Chinese market, where Boeing estimates demand for new planes to reach $1 trillion over the next two decades.

China, Germany sign deal for A330 Airbus jets

European Aircraft Industry: Hawaiian Air swap takes Airbus A330neo orders over 100

A330 Airbua

Hawaiian Airlines has confirmed an order for six Airbus (AIR.PA) A330-800neo aircraft worth $1.5 billion at list prices, swapping them for a previous A350 order, the planemaker said on Friday.December 19.

The order for a revamped version of the A330, with new Rolls-Royce (RR.L) engines, brings to just over 100 the number of firm orders for the A330neo, a reworked version of Airbus's most-sold wide-body jet which was launched earlier this year.

The A330neo is Airbus's alternative for the 250-300 seat market after sales of the smallest version of the new A350 aircraft family, the A350-800, proved disappointing.


Hawaiian's new order replaces an order for six A350-800s, which would be worth $1.6 billion at today's list prices.

Hawaiian's agreement to switch products is one of the determining factors in deciding whether Airbus can scrap the 270-seat A350-800 to focus on stronger-selling larger types of the new jet, the first of which will be delivered on Monday.


Read more: Hawaiian Air swap takes Airbus A330neo orders over 100 | Reuters

Virgin to deploy redesigned Airbus A330 on Del-Lon route

Buoyed by 15% growth in its business class passengers on the New Delhi-London sector last year, British carrier Virgin Atlantic plans to deploy a redesigned Airbus A330 with in-plane mobile connectivity on the route from next month.

The redesigned upper class cabin, which is a part of the airline's 100 million pound investment plan, would have the longest bed in the business class, Virgin Atlantic said here.

"Having seen over 15% growth in business class last year out of New Delhi, I am confident the new business class cabin will help us attract even more customers," airline chief executive Steve Ridgway said. The cabin, which has taken four and a half years to design and build, will also feature the new suite with Virgin Atlantic's most sophisticated and comfortable bed yet, it said.

Read more: Virgin to deploy redesigned Airbus A330 on Del-Lon route - PTI -

Alternative Energy: Qantas makes first commercial biofuel flight

Australia’s Qantas Friday launched the nation’s first commercial flight using a mixture of refined cooking oil, saying it would not survive if it relied solely on traditional jet fuel.

The Airbus A330 left Sydney for Adelaide using a 50-50 blend derived from recycled cooking oil and regular jet fuel in what the airline hopes will be the first step towards a sustainable aviation fuel industry in Australia.

Qantas said the biofuel, which has been certified for use in commercial aviation, has a “life cycle” carbon footprint about 60 percent smaller than that of conventional jet fuel.

“We need to get ready for a future that is not based on traditional jet fuel or frankly we don’t have a future,” Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said.