IN NUMBERS

ATR

1JAC’S FIRST ATR 72-600

Japan Air Commuter (JAC) recently took delivery of its first ATR 72-600 following the conversion in June of one of its orders of an ATR 42-600 to the larger ATR 72-600 version.

The aircraft has a 70-seat configuration. JAC had previously put five ATR 42-600s into service and ATR said the conversion by the airline of its order “reflects the ATR 72-600’s ability to effectively open and grow routes with the lowest possible risks”. ATR says its turboprop offers a 40% fuel burn advantage over its turboprop rival, the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400. Mark Broadbent

1AIR SENEGAL A319

Air Senegal has taken delivery of its first Airbus A319 (msn 2066, TU-TST), which began scheduled flights on October 5. The aircraft was manufactured in 2003 and previously operated by Air Côte d’Ivoire. Air Senegal aims to lease a second A319, which should arrive by the year end. This aircraft (EC-JXV, msn 2897) was delivered to Iberia in 2006.

Air Senegal received its Air Operator’s Certificate in April 2018, allowing operations with its two ATR 72-600s to begin the following month. These regional aircraft were ordered in June 2017. It aims to expand its route network rapidly to Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Gambia, Mali and Burkina Faso, starting with daily flights to Côte d’Ivoire and Benin. The carrier succeeds the defunct Senegal Airlines, which operated between 2011 and 2016 before being shut down by heavy debts. The new flag carrier also has two A330- 900neos on order, which will soon join the fleet and begin long-haul operations in February 2019, flying between Paris and Dakar. Guy Martin

50 EMIRATES A380 DESTINATIONS

Middle Eastern carrier Emirates has extended its Airbus A380 operations to 50 destinations for the first time with the recent introduction of services with the type to Osaka and Hamburg. Emirates’ initial Dubai-Osaka A380 flight was on October 28 and the first route to Hamburg the following day. The airline said moving to the A380 provides increases in capacity of 38% to Osaka and 22% increase to Hamburg. Emirates now operates 105 A380s, making it by far the world’s largest operator of the type. Its Osaka link is served with a 489-seat A380, while the Hamburg aircraft has 517 seats. Both have three-class cabins. Mark Broadbent

50 A321NEOS FOR VIETJET

Airbus has secured another big sale for the A321neo after Vietjet signed a purchase agreement, firming up a memorandum of understanding signed at the Farnborough Airshow. Vietjet has now ordered 171 A320neo Family aircraft, of which 46 have been delivered, with five more A320neos and 120 more A321neos to be handed over. Mark Broadbent

3ANA A380S UNDER FHS

All Nippon Airways has signed a Flight Hour Services (FHS) agreement with Airbus covering the three A380s it will introduce to service next year. The agreement was announced at the MRO Asia exhibition in Singapore early in November. Under the FHS contract, Airbus will provide, “fully integrated component services including logistics, transport, stocks management, relationships with equipment suppliers and the embodiment of service bulletins” for the airline’s fleet of super jumbos. Mark Broadbent

1,390 REGIONAL JETS IN CHINA

At Airshow China in Zhuhai early in November, Embraer issued an optimistic forecast for regional jet aircraft demand in the country. The manufacturer predicts there will be a need for 1,390 new jets with up to 150 seats there over the next 20 years. Embraer has sold 22 of its latest-generation E-Jets E2s in China so far. Fellow regional aircraft manufacturer ATR is also predicting major growth in the Chinese market, forecasting demand for 1,100 new turboprops to 2037. Mark Broadbent

Data covers orders announced October 10-November 5. Key: MOU (Memorandum of Understanding). Compiled by Mark Broadbent