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

COMAC Unveils Plans for the C929 to Rival Airbus and Boeing

After the success of China’s first C919 aircraft, the country is setting its sights on developing a larger plane. COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) has officially confirmed plans to build a widebody aircraft, marking a significant step in its aircraft lineup.

Traditionally, Airbus and Boeing dominate the widebody aircraft market, with decades of expertise in developing planes and engines capable of carrying heavy payloads. China, which currently relies on imported engines, is now aiming to challenge these giants with its own widebody jet, the C929, designed to compete with the Airbus A350 and Boeing 777.

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The C929 will be China’s first independently developed long-range widebody aircraft. It adheres to international airworthiness standards and boasts independent intellectual property rights. The baseline version is designed to seat 280 passengers and offers a range of 12,000 kilometers, catering to global demand for both regional and international air travel.

Russia, which also needs reliable narrowbody and widebody aircraft, could become a key customer for the C929. Additionally, China plans to target the broader Asian market as it continues to expand its aviation capabilities.

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China’s aviation progress includes the ARJ21 (now called C909), a regional jet with 100 seats for shorter routes, and the C919, a narrowbody jet with 180 seats designed to rival the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320. Both models have found increasing demand in the domestic market.

At China’s largest air show in Zhuhai, COMAC announced that Air China will be the launch customer for the C929 widebody jet, though details about order size and delivery timelines were not disclosed.

Other major deals announced by COMAC include:

Hainan Airlines: Firm orders for 60 C919 and 40 C909 regional jets.
Colorful Guizhou Airlines: 30 C909 jets, with 20 firm orders and 10 provisional agreements.

The C929, renamed from the CR929 after Russia withdrew from the joint development project in 2023, is expected to carry 280–400 passengers with a range of 12,000 kilometers, competing directly with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.

According to COMAC’s deputy general manager, Tong Yu, the first fuselage section of the C929 is expected by September 2027, with prototype test flights anticipated soon after.