Notizia (ancora non ufficiale) che circola da un paio di giorni e sembra che l'ordine sia imminente. Gli aerei andranno a sostituire i 10 B744 che al momento vengono utilizzati sulle rotte leisure per i Caraibi e Stati Uniti da LGW.
Virgin Atlantic to Order the Airbus A350-1000
Virgin Atlantic is set to place an order for 12 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, according to news reports from Bloomberg and other sources. According to Bloomberg, Virgin Atlantic will use the aircraft to replace the 10 Boeing 747-400 planes that currently fly its leisure routes to the Caribbean and United States from London Gatwick. The deal will be split between nine firm orders placed with Airbus and three aircraft leased from private lessors. Virgin Atlantic plans to take the first of these aircraft in late 2018 or early 2019 from a lessor, with deliveries from Airbus commencing either in 2021 (the current date to which the A350 is sold out until) or earlier (if Airbus can scrounge up some slots).
A350-1000 makes a lot of sense for Virgin Atlantic
As a replacement for the leisure aircraft, the A350-1000 makes perfect sense. Virgin’s entire leisure operation is a bit of an oddball companion to its primary operation at London Heathrow. While Virgin Atlantic’s Heathrow operation is a premium one focused on competing for origin and destination (O&D) passengers with British Airways, its leisure operation from secondary British cities is more akin to that of a charter carrier like Thomas Cook or Thomson Airways.
Virgin’s leisure operations are focused on London Gatwick, which has year-round service to 10 destinations (2 in the US, 8 in the Caribbean). There is also a secondary base for leisure operations at Manchester, with year-round nonstop service to two destinations and seasonal service to Las Vegas (the Atlanta service is a premium one handled in conjunction with 49% owner and joint venture [JV] partner Delta Air Lines). Virgin also operates limited frequency seasonal service from Glasgow and Belfast to Orlando during the summer, and from Glasgow to Las Vegas during the fall. The route map below offers an overview of Virgin’s whole leisure operation.
*note – St. George’s is Grenada and Scarborough is the island of Tobago
Most of these flights are currently operated by the Boeing 747-400, but a couple are operated by the Airbus A340-600 as well, primarily in rotation over Manchester, thanks to its link to Atlanta. The A350-1000s would replace all 10 747s in the leisure fleet and either offer two frames for growth or replace two A340-600s which regularly cycle in on such routes (admittedly seasonally).
As a direct 747 replacement, the A350-1000 makes a lot of sense. Virgin Atlantic was reportedly considering the Boeing 777 head to head against the A350-1000. Given the airline’s 2018/19 requirements, Boeing was forced to pitch the current generation Boeing 777-300ER against the A350-1000 instead of the re-engined Boeing 777-9X. Even though reduced fuel prices have made the 777 classic’s economics more tenable, the A350-1000 is still more economical than it (and of course the 747s the A350 will replace).
The seating capacity and payload capabilities on these routes (well within the performance envelope for a full payload) make a lot of sense. Another factor may have been part-owner Delta Air Lines’ recent experience purchasing the A350, as well as potential economic factors favoring Airbus related to Virgin Atlantic’s outstanding order for the Airbus A380 (see below).
More developments to come on Virgin Atlantic’s fleet
However despite this order, Virgin Atlantic’s fleet turnover plan is far from complete. Virgin Atlantic currently has a fleet of 40 passenger aircraft, including 10 Boeing 747-400s, 9 Boeing 787-9s, 10 Airbus A330-300s, and 11 Airbus A340-600s. It has 26 aircraft on order including these 12 A350-1000s, 6 Airbus A380s, and 8 Boeing 787-9s (with 5 purchase options).
The 787-9s have already replaced Heathrow-based 747-400s, and will now presumably cut over to replacing the A340-600s at Heathrow as well. Setting aside the A380s for now, between the 787-9s and the new A350-1000s, replacement for the 21 A340-600s and 747-400s is more or less covered. But those 10 A330-300s are an interesting case, as they are on shorter leases that expire beginning in 2021. And there is also the potential that Virgin Atlantic could win new slots at its home base of London Heathrow in the 2020s thanks to a third runway.
For Virgin Atlantic, it would make a lot of sense to double down on either the Boeing 787 or Airbus A350 family. The Boeing 777X aircraft are either too large (777-9X) or overpowered (777-8X) for Virgin’s network, and the A330neo is suboptimal to the 787 given commonality with an existing fleet.
One option for Virgin would be to have Boeing 787s based at Heathrow and sprinkle in some orders for the larger Boeing 787-10 using the five purchase options and additional firm orders for the early 2020s, which would more closely mirror the capacity of the A340-600. The 787-9s could then replace the A330-300s while the 787-10s stepped into the void of the A340-600s. This would keep commonality at Heathrow (with the A350 handling the rest of the network), driving cost efficiencies.
The other option would be to purchase the A350-900. This makes less sense for Virgin Atlantic given that the A350-900 is optimized for long haul while much of Virgin’s route network is more medium haul (where the 787-10 has an operating cost advantage). This would also create a split fleet at Heathrow, missing an opportunity for cost synergies. Based on these factors and others, we expect Virgin Atlantic to choose the 787-10. While Airbus may have won a new customer for the A350, Virgin Atlantic will likely be a carrier dominated by Boeing and its 787s.
Airbus gets a win at the expense of the A380 and Boeing misses out on yet another potential 777 customer
While this news has not yet been confirmed, we believe that Virgin’s A350 order is tied to the financial commitments related to its deferred order for 6 Airbus A380 aircraft. While that order is still technically on the books for delivery in 2018, it has long been our belief that Virgin Atlantic would not take delivery of those aircraft. Thus for Airbus, the A380 order was a sunk cost that was likely to be canceled anyway.
Converting those orders to the A350 is a win for Airbus, as it boosts the growing profile of the A350-1000. Thanks to Virgin Atlantic’s order, Airbus will soon cross 200 firm orders for the once troubled A350-1000 and gets another notch in the belt in the competition between the A350 and the Boeing 777.
Speaking of the Boeing 777, Boeing once again missed out on an incremental order to help fill its production gap between the 777 Classic and 777X. It was already clear that Boeing would be forced to cut production from 100 aircraft/year, but losing out on Virgin Atlantic’s order only makes the pain of the eventual cuts that much more deeper.
http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2016/01/13/virgin-atlantic-to-order-the-airbus-a350-1000/
Virgin Atlantic to Order the Airbus A350-1000
Virgin Atlantic is set to place an order for 12 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, according to news reports from Bloomberg and other sources. According to Bloomberg, Virgin Atlantic will use the aircraft to replace the 10 Boeing 747-400 planes that currently fly its leisure routes to the Caribbean and United States from London Gatwick. The deal will be split between nine firm orders placed with Airbus and three aircraft leased from private lessors. Virgin Atlantic plans to take the first of these aircraft in late 2018 or early 2019 from a lessor, with deliveries from Airbus commencing either in 2021 (the current date to which the A350 is sold out until) or earlier (if Airbus can scrounge up some slots).
A350-1000 makes a lot of sense for Virgin Atlantic
As a replacement for the leisure aircraft, the A350-1000 makes perfect sense. Virgin’s entire leisure operation is a bit of an oddball companion to its primary operation at London Heathrow. While Virgin Atlantic’s Heathrow operation is a premium one focused on competing for origin and destination (O&D) passengers with British Airways, its leisure operation from secondary British cities is more akin to that of a charter carrier like Thomas Cook or Thomson Airways.
Virgin’s leisure operations are focused on London Gatwick, which has year-round service to 10 destinations (2 in the US, 8 in the Caribbean). There is also a secondary base for leisure operations at Manchester, with year-round nonstop service to two destinations and seasonal service to Las Vegas (the Atlanta service is a premium one handled in conjunction with 49% owner and joint venture [JV] partner Delta Air Lines). Virgin also operates limited frequency seasonal service from Glasgow and Belfast to Orlando during the summer, and from Glasgow to Las Vegas during the fall. The route map below offers an overview of Virgin’s whole leisure operation.
*note – St. George’s is Grenada and Scarborough is the island of Tobago
Most of these flights are currently operated by the Boeing 747-400, but a couple are operated by the Airbus A340-600 as well, primarily in rotation over Manchester, thanks to its link to Atlanta. The A350-1000s would replace all 10 747s in the leisure fleet and either offer two frames for growth or replace two A340-600s which regularly cycle in on such routes (admittedly seasonally).
As a direct 747 replacement, the A350-1000 makes a lot of sense. Virgin Atlantic was reportedly considering the Boeing 777 head to head against the A350-1000. Given the airline’s 2018/19 requirements, Boeing was forced to pitch the current generation Boeing 777-300ER against the A350-1000 instead of the re-engined Boeing 777-9X. Even though reduced fuel prices have made the 777 classic’s economics more tenable, the A350-1000 is still more economical than it (and of course the 747s the A350 will replace).
The seating capacity and payload capabilities on these routes (well within the performance envelope for a full payload) make a lot of sense. Another factor may have been part-owner Delta Air Lines’ recent experience purchasing the A350, as well as potential economic factors favoring Airbus related to Virgin Atlantic’s outstanding order for the Airbus A380 (see below).
More developments to come on Virgin Atlantic’s fleet
However despite this order, Virgin Atlantic’s fleet turnover plan is far from complete. Virgin Atlantic currently has a fleet of 40 passenger aircraft, including 10 Boeing 747-400s, 9 Boeing 787-9s, 10 Airbus A330-300s, and 11 Airbus A340-600s. It has 26 aircraft on order including these 12 A350-1000s, 6 Airbus A380s, and 8 Boeing 787-9s (with 5 purchase options).
The 787-9s have already replaced Heathrow-based 747-400s, and will now presumably cut over to replacing the A340-600s at Heathrow as well. Setting aside the A380s for now, between the 787-9s and the new A350-1000s, replacement for the 21 A340-600s and 747-400s is more or less covered. But those 10 A330-300s are an interesting case, as they are on shorter leases that expire beginning in 2021. And there is also the potential that Virgin Atlantic could win new slots at its home base of London Heathrow in the 2020s thanks to a third runway.
For Virgin Atlantic, it would make a lot of sense to double down on either the Boeing 787 or Airbus A350 family. The Boeing 777X aircraft are either too large (777-9X) or overpowered (777-8X) for Virgin’s network, and the A330neo is suboptimal to the 787 given commonality with an existing fleet.
One option for Virgin would be to have Boeing 787s based at Heathrow and sprinkle in some orders for the larger Boeing 787-10 using the five purchase options and additional firm orders for the early 2020s, which would more closely mirror the capacity of the A340-600. The 787-9s could then replace the A330-300s while the 787-10s stepped into the void of the A340-600s. This would keep commonality at Heathrow (with the A350 handling the rest of the network), driving cost efficiencies.
The other option would be to purchase the A350-900. This makes less sense for Virgin Atlantic given that the A350-900 is optimized for long haul while much of Virgin’s route network is more medium haul (where the 787-10 has an operating cost advantage). This would also create a split fleet at Heathrow, missing an opportunity for cost synergies. Based on these factors and others, we expect Virgin Atlantic to choose the 787-10. While Airbus may have won a new customer for the A350, Virgin Atlantic will likely be a carrier dominated by Boeing and its 787s.
Airbus gets a win at the expense of the A380 and Boeing misses out on yet another potential 777 customer
While this news has not yet been confirmed, we believe that Virgin’s A350 order is tied to the financial commitments related to its deferred order for 6 Airbus A380 aircraft. While that order is still technically on the books for delivery in 2018, it has long been our belief that Virgin Atlantic would not take delivery of those aircraft. Thus for Airbus, the A380 order was a sunk cost that was likely to be canceled anyway.
Converting those orders to the A350 is a win for Airbus, as it boosts the growing profile of the A350-1000. Thanks to Virgin Atlantic’s order, Airbus will soon cross 200 firm orders for the once troubled A350-1000 and gets another notch in the belt in the competition between the A350 and the Boeing 777.
Speaking of the Boeing 777, Boeing once again missed out on an incremental order to help fill its production gap between the 777 Classic and 777X. It was already clear that Boeing would be forced to cut production from 100 aircraft/year, but losing out on Virgin Atlantic’s order only makes the pain of the eventual cuts that much more deeper.
http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2016/01/13/virgin-atlantic-to-order-the-airbus-a350-1000/