Aviation

Hans Airways’ first A330 arrives in UK, ahead of launch of India flights

Hans Airways, the UK’s new long-haul airline readying to fly to India, celebrated the arrival of its first Airbus #A330-200 on UK soil this week.

Hans Airways, the UK’s new long-haul airline readying to fly to India, celebrated the arrival of its first Airbus A330-200 on UK soil this week. The aircraft touched down from Palma Airport, Mallorca to Birmingham International Airport, welcomed by CEO Satnam Saini, COO Nathan Burkitt and CCO Martin Dunn for Hans Airways, ahead of formal technical handover and technical acceptance signing with the lessor.

Hans Airways has partnered with maintenance and repair overhaul specialist STS Aviation Services for Re-Registration tasks and Entry into service modifications ahead of its important route-proving flight for the UK Civil Aviation Authority in the coming weeks. The A330 will fly as newly re-registered G-KJAS.

Hans Airways has maintained a close dialogue with the UK Civil Aviation Authority on its progress. Prior to arriving in Palma, the aircraft underwent a thorough 200-hour inspection in Abu Dhabi (UAE) by Etihad Engineering (work previously contracted by its former airline operator, Air Europa). The aircraft was required to return to Spain, its original country of registration for final contractual, administration, financial transfer and customs clearance.

Amritsar / Golden Temple will be its first route

Once it has its AOC, together with similar accreditation from India’s DGCA, Hans Airways is planning an initial four times weekly service from Birmingham to Amritsar in North India. Amritsar is a major commercial and cultural centre in the heart of Punjab. The city is the spiritual and cultural centre of the Sikh religion and home to the Harmandir Sahib, famously known as the Golden Temple.

As Hans Airways finalises slots and timetable, it plans to operate ACMI / charter services, which will help with crew training ahead of the scheduled service operation, Satnam Saini said.

Aviation

Airbus Enhances A350 Cabin with 10-Abreast Seating

Airbus has announced a new partnership with Jiatai Aircraft Equipment, a Chinese aircraft seating manufacturer, to supply upgraded economy-class seats for the A350 widebody series.

This collaboration, unveiled at the 2024 Airshow China, focuses on developing a newly designed economy seat tailored for the A350‘s New Production Standard (NPS) cabin.

One of the key features of the NPS cabin is the ability to accommodate 17-inch wide economy seats, compared to the previous 16.5-inch wide seats that airlines were limited to in the A350’s earlier configurations.

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This change is made possible by the expanded space in the NPS cabin, which is 35 inches longer and 4 inches wider than the previous version. This extra space is achieved by slightly moving the cockpit wall forward and shifting the rear pressure bulkhead back by one frame.

The wider cabin allows airlines to add up to 30 extra economy seats without compromising comfort. For airlines opting for a 3-4-3 seating layout, the 17-inch wide seats are an excellent choice for a more comfortable passenger experience. However, some airlines, such as Iberia, may choose to retain a 9-abreast layout with wider seats for added comfort.

The NPS cabin also offers enhanced flexibility for airline operators. One major advantage is the ability to easily switch between a 9-abreast and 10-abreast seating configuration without requiring significant downtime for aircraft reconfiguration. Airlines can use the same seat rails, tracks, and IFE interfaces, making the transition smoother and quicker.

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In addition, the design of the floor attachments and air-conditioning systems has been optimized for 10-abreast seating, meaning airlines can upgrade their cabins without needing to make substantial modifications to the aircraft’s structure.

Though it’s still unclear when Jiatai’s economy-class seats will be officially added to the A350’s Buyer Furnished Equipment (BFE) catalogue, the collaboration marks a significant step toward enhancing the A350’s cabin offerings.

With this partnership, Airbus is providing more seating options for airlines, ensuring that they can meet diverse customer needs while improving overall operational efficiency.