Emirates, the world’s biggest airline by international traffic, said the 90 Airbus SAS A380 superjumbos it’s buying won’t be sufficient to meet the carrier’s projected demand.

The aircraft “are well spoken for and frankly, the way things are going for us at the moment, the 90 certainly won’t be enough,” President Tim Clark said today in a phone interview. “Demand for our services seems to be continuing to grow apace. We’re moving forward very robustly.”

The carrier, already the biggest customer for Airbus’s 517- seat plane, has expanded its traffic sixfold in the last decade by connecting international passengers through its Dubai hub. Emirates is also the biggest operator of Boeing’s 777 long- range airliner.

Emirates has 12 Airbus A380s in its fleet, with another three to go into service by November. Deliveries will restart in September 2011, with the carrier receiving the remaining planes through November 2017.

Today Continental Airlines announced the first route for a 787. The route will be from Houston to Auckland, New Zealand. Continental plans to operate the route starting Nov. 16, 2011 and they expect to receive their first 787 in August 2011.

Here’s CO’s press release:

Continental Airlines Announces New Service From Houston Hub to Auckland, New Zealand

First route worldwide to be announced for the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner

HOUSTON, May 26

HOUSTON, May 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today announced another major step in development of its Houston hub with plans to begin nonstop Boeing 787 flights to Auckland, New Zealand on Nov. 16, 2011 (subject to government approval).

Auckland will be added to the 63 international destinations that Continental
currently serves nonstop from Houston, and will become the 26th destination in Continental’s Pacific network. Continental serves more destinations in the Pacific region than any other U.S. carrier.

Continental will be one of just three airlines flying nonstop between North America and New Zealand. At approximately 7,400 miles, the new route will be the longest from Continental’s Houston hub. Continental plans to operate the route on a daily basis, with five-times-weekly service during certain periods in the first year of operation.

On May 3, Continental announced that it has agreed to merge with United Airlines in a merger of equals to create the world’s leading airline. The success of the Houston Auckland route will be enhanced by the additional traffic flows through Houston that are expected to result from the merger.

First 787 Route Announcement

Continental is the first airline in the world to formally announce specific, initial route plans for its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet. The airline has firm orders for 25 Dreamliners. The 787 is a new-technology composite aircraft with lower operating costs, better environmental performance and an improved cabin environment for customer comfort. Deliveries to Continental are expected to begin in August 2011. The aircraft will have 228 seats, including 36 of Continental’s new flat-bed BusinessFirst seats for the best rest on long-distance flights.

Today Continental also unveiled a modernized and expanded customer check-in facility in Terminal C at its Houston hub at Bush Intercontinental Airport.

“Our new route to Auckland and our new and upgraded facilities at IAH are tangible examples of the emphasis we place on continuing to expand Houston’s role in domestic and international aviation,” said Jeff Smisek, Continental’s chairman, president and CEO. “This hub has ongoing growth opportunities because it has a strategic location, space for expansion, support from the community and an excellent team of Continental co-workers who deliver our clean, safe and reliable service.”

“This new flight between Houston and Auckland shows how the Dreamliner will create new opportunities to connect global markets that currently are not being served,” said Mario Diaz, Houston Airport System director of aviation. “As the largest hub for Continental, George Bush Intercontinental Airport is honored to be selected as the launch pad for the Continental Boeing 787.”

Convenient Connecting Flights

The Houston-Auckland route will benefit from connecting traffic at both ends. Continental’s Houston hub will draw passengers from throughout North America. In addition, Houston will be a very competitive connecting hub for travelers on itineraries between Europe and Auckland.

Auckland is home to Air New Zealand, one of the 27 carriers including Continental which are members of Star Alliance. Air New Zealand and its regional airline partners offer service to 20 destinations in New Zealand and seven in Australia, including Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Coolangatta (Gold Coast), Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

Schedule

Following is the preliminary schedule for the new service, planned to take effect Nov. 16, 2011. Continental will begin taking reservations and selling tickets on the new route later this year.

Leave Houston Arrive Auckland Leave Auckland Arrive Houston
11:50 a.m. (same Summer 9:30 p.m. 5:10 a.m. (2 days later) 3:40 p.m. day)

11:55 a.m. (same Winter 9:10 p.m. 6:55 a.m. (2 days later) 5:55 p.m. day)

About Auckland and New Zealand

Auckland’s waterside location has fostered the locals’ love affair with the sea, earning this place the nickname “City of Sails.” The city sprawls over a narrow isthmus between the waters of the Waitemata and Manukau Harbours. A cloak of rainforest covers the surrounding hills, dozens of dormant volcanic cones dot the landscape and inviting islands are scattered throughout the vast Hauraki Gulf. Two of the best island getaways are Waiheke Island and Great Barrier Island.

Auckland’s heart beats to a Polynesian rhythm, its people a melting pot of European, South Pacific and Asian cultures and a strong indigenous Maori heritage. This diversity brings with it an abundance of unique dining and shopping experiences.

Auckland’s temperate climate, easy access to the coast and variety of activities earn the city consistent “top five” rankings in international lifestyle surveys.
New Zealand’s awesome landscapes, lush forests, amazing wildlife and pleasant climate make it a haven for many outdoor activities, and a great place to unwind. New Zealand society is diverse, sophisticated and multicultural and the Kiwi people are known for their honesty, friendliness and openness. A great advantage of New Zealand is that all of its diverse physical, cultural and artistic landscapes are so close to each other.

You better believe it! Ryanair spokesman, Stephen McNamara, in an interview with the Irish Times, states the airline will proceed with plans to charge passengers for using toilets during short haul services of under 1 hour.

McNamara commented, “one toilet will discourage over-dependence. There is nothing in the rule book to say that an aircraft has to have any toilets at all, which might sound strange, but we believe three toilets are excessive.”

The airline, in its in-flight magazine, stated the introduction of coin-operated toilets would reduce fares by at least 5%, and is part of efforts by Ryanair to reduce the number of toilets on its aircraft, to make room for an additional six seats.

This is truly cutting edge stuff MOL is playing with. Of course it means airport toilets will be the last place every Ryanair passengers will stop at prior to boarding and be the first place they will go after deplaning. Cartoons of how to identify (dare we say profile?) a Ryanair customer will be to see if their eyes are afloat. On the one hand this is so ludicrous and funny while on the other hand it is downright obnoxious.

Japan Airlines (JAL) is expected to file for bankruptcy today, and announce drastic cuts to its workforce as the ailing carrier seeks to restructure.

However, the airline will likely maintain its operations as it seeks protection from creditors.

Japan’s transport Seiji Maehara announced last Friday that the government will decide on a restructuring plan for JAL today, say media reports in Japan.

The airline is also expected to cut its workforce by a third over the next three years, bringing the total staff strength to 36,000, the reports add.

A JAL spokeswoman declines to comment.

The carrier is expected to file for protection from its creditors, under the Japanese equivalent of Chapter 11 in the USA.

Japan’s Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation of Japan (ETIC) is working on a restructuring plan for JAL, and is likely to offer ¥300 billion ($3.3 billion) in government funds.

Banks are also expected to forgive several hundred billion yen in loans.

In the meantime, JAL has secured approval from its current and former employees to make cuts to pension schemes in a bid to cut costs.

The carrier posted a fiscal second quarter net loss of ¥32.1 billion and reportedly owes creditors $15 billion.

An era ended at United Airlines on 28 October as the carrier operated its last Boeing 737 passenger flight, more than 40 years after introducing the twinjet.

Flight 737, operated by 737-300 N331UA, took off from Washington Dulles and made what amounted to a farewell tour with stops at all the carrier’s hubs – Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles, with the final touchdown at its San Francisco maintenance base.

United – which alongside Lufthansa was a launch customer for Boeing’s narrowbody workhorse – introduced the 737-200 into revenue service on 28 April 1968, and added the -300 model in 1986 and the -500s in 1990.

At its high point United’s 737 fleet totalled 220 aircraft. The aircraft’s squat appearance compared with contemporary aircraft at the time resulted in many of United’s pilots nicknaming the airplane “guppy”.

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Air France this morning took delivery of its first Airbus A380, the first European carrier to receive the type.

The aircraft has the highest-density seating arrangement so far selected with 538 seats in three classes.

Registered F-HPJA, the aircraft will make the short delivery flight to Air France’s base at Paris Charles de Gaulle today before entering commercial service, on the route to New York JFK, on 23 November.

Gulf Air is seeking takers for its Airbus A340s as its newly appointed chief executive begins a “comprehensive review” of the loss-making Bahraini flag carrier.

Aircraft trading and placement company Avinco has been handed a remarketing mandate for the five A340-300s that Gulf Air owns. The airline also has a further four A340-300s on lease.

Gulf Air has long intended to phase out its A340s, originally in favour of leasing Boeing 777-300ERs from Jet Airways. But the carrier, having flown the 777s for a few months, opted not to take the aircraft for the long-term dry-lease it had been considering.

British Airways says 800 workers have volunteered to work for nothing for up to a month, following its request to cut costs.

[From 800 BA workers set to work unpaid]

Malaysian long-haul low-cost carrier AirAsia X is considering destinations in North America and new destinations in Europe, possibly using Airbus A340-300s.

AirAsia X says the North American schedule is at least 1-2 years away once they can lease enough Airbus A340s.

The world’s airlines will lose $9 billion this year after shedding $10.4 billion in 2008, IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said Monday.

Addressing delegates at the 65th IATA Annual General Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Bisignani said, “There is no modern precedent for today’s economic meltdown” and expressed doubt that growth will resume by year end, making the case instead for an “L-shaped” recovery. “I am a realist. I don’t see facts to support optimism,” he said.

IATA expects annual airline revenues will fall by $80 billion this year to $448 billion from $528 billion in 2008. Bisignani also warned that “whether this crisis is short or long, the world is changing. . .It will not be business as usual.” He cited, for example, the growth of videoconferencing during the downturn, which is now “a stronger competitor” to air travel.

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