Page 36 - AA 2018_09

It wasn’t just the latest in commercial aviation
hardware on display at Farnborough. Oil Spill
Response’s specially-modified ex-FedEx 727-200F
Freighter was first built in 1984. mark jessop

livery as the Airbus A220 following
the nominal sale of the program to
the European conglomerate, which
was completed early this year. (This
journalist does not mind admitting
that seeing what he, and others, still
think of as the C Series in the Airbus
house livery was a source of no little
cognitive dissonance.)
The A220 had momentum on its
side on its way into Farnborough,
having just pipped the Embraer E-Jet
E2 family to the post for a replacement
program at US carrier jetBlue,
which ordered sixty A220-300 jets,
previously the Bombardier CS300.
It didn’t stop there, with a further
sixty A220-300s for what Airbus
delicately called “a new US airline
startup”, “backed up by a group of Eye-catching liveries are the Trade Commission. The independent rates and our Fokker 100s have been
experienced investors led by David talk of the town in Farnborough. US body rejected Boeing’s claims that very productive in the last 12 years,”
Neeleman, founder of jetBlue, investor john walton it lost sales to the A220, and reversed explained Helvetic chief executive
in TAP in Portugal and controlling an earlier ruling by the US Commerce officer Tobias Pogorevc.
shareholder in Azul airlines in Brazil”. Department imposing deal-breaking “However, with the new E2 family,
Prior to the show, this airline had levels of US duties, in February. Helvetic will consolidate its highly
been nicknamed ‘Moxy’, although the reliable operation with the quietest
Marriott hotel group’s hotel of the Embraer orders underline geographic and most efficient next generation
same name is expected to require the diversity of the regional jet and small aircraft available. Furthermore,
final moniker to be something else. airliner markets moving from the current E190 to
“After years of US airline As regional jets grow and become the E2 fleet will be simple for our
consolidation, the conditions are more efficient for those airlines with well-trained pilots, as only two and a
improving for a new generation of the capacity and demand to operate half days of ‘non-simulator’ transition
US airlines to emerge, focused on them, the range of carriers that will be training is needed.”
passenger service and satisfaction,” the future of this market segment was Brazilian airline and E195-E2
Neeleman noted when contextualising demonstrated by Embraer’s big bang launch partner Azul also signed firm
his plans. set of orders at Farnborough. orders for 21 additional E195-E2s,
“The A220 will enable us to serve In addition to the Republic order, on top of the 30 it had ordered three
thinner routes in comfort without Helvetic Airways of Switzerland years ago. The first of the largest E2
compromising cost, especially on placed an order for 12 E190-E2s family members will be delivered to
longer-range missions. With deliveries alongside purchase rights for an the carrier next year, and will serve as
starting in 2021, we will have ample additional twelve. Adding flexibility, growth for the Brazilian carrier.
time to assemble a world-class Helvetic – which operates seven E190s “We are very pleased with our
management team and another alongside five Fokker 100s, of which current fleet transformation process,
winning business model.” four of the E-Jets are “in the long-term the main vector of margin expansion
Boeing, for its part, told noted service” of Swiss International Air in the next few years,” chief executive
aviation journalist Jon Ostrower’s new Lines, as the carrier puts it – can select officer John Rodgerson outlined.
publication The Air Current that it is the E195-E2 if it so desires. “Given that 50% of our E1s will
“done” raising challenges to the A220 “Our existing Embraer fleet is be returned within the next five
at the United States International performing with excellent dispatch years, this new order ensures the

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