filLPA From Spain, joined Mar 2009, 41 posts, RR: 0 Posted (9 months 2 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 5930 times:
On a facebook post Iberia Airlines answered that they will finally start flying the A330 in January 2013........and the biggest news is that they will officialy introduce PTV's in all clases!!!
"Iberia Líneas Aéreas:, a partir del próximo mes de enero recibiremos los nuevos aviones Airbus A330 que llevan entretenimiento individual, y progresivamente lo iremos incorporando en los demás aviones de largo radio. Un saludo."
Translation: from january 2013 we will be receiving new A330 which will have personal entertainment systems, and lateron we will introduce it on the rest of the longhaul fleet
summa767 From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2004, 2384 posts, RR: 7 Reply 1, posted (9 months 2 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 5896 times:
This is very good news!
It had been announced that the A330s would come in 2013, but it's good to know that it's as early as January! That is barely 6 months away..
These airplanes will bring in some efficiencies to Iberia, that I hope will translate into some growth in the long haul routes. Given the economic circumstances, such growth will have to be shy to start off with. there will be redundancies in IB, but I would bet that it's more on the short haul operation that is being increasingly done by with Iberia Express - and not in the long haul-.
The ptvs come a litte bit late, but are nonetheless a welcome addition to the product offering.
spiritair97 From United States of America, joined Jan 2011, 1231 posts, RR: 1 Reply 2, posted (9 months 2 weeks 3 days 5 hours ago) and read 5092 times:
r2rho From Germany, joined Feb 2007, 2245 posts, RR: 1 Reply 7, posted (9 months 1 week 6 days 21 hours ago) and read 3077 times:
These aircraft cannot arrive soon enough, they will be a big efficiency boost to IB, particularly to North Atlantic routes. Unfortunately, the plan was to replace A343's one for one, without any fleet growth. I hope IB changes its mind at some point and keeps a few A343's around to open new routes, their current long-haul fleet is stretched enough as it is.
ghifty From United States of America, joined Jul 2010, 751 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (9 months 1 week 6 days 20 hours ago) and read 2980 times:
They have 8 firm orders, any info. on whether or not they've exercised the additional 8 options? IB's got 19 A340-300's to replace..
It's interesting because the A330-300 will be seating 277 pax, 23 more than the A340-300. Seems like the A332 would be a better per-frame replacement based on that..
r2rho From Germany, joined Feb 2007, 2245 posts, RR: 1 Reply 10, posted (9 months 1 week 5 days 21 hours ago) and read 2305 times:
Quoting ghifty (Reply 8): They have 8 firm orders, any info. on whether or not they've exercised the additional 8 options? IB's got 19 A340-300's to replace..
No confirmation on the options but IMO it is only a matter of time before they are firmed, once the first 8 start coming in. But yes, that still leaves a gap of 3 aircraft... maybe they could get a few leases on top to bridge the gap between the last A343's and the first new widebody that IB would eventually receive at some point. Anyone know the delivery schedule for A333's and retirement schedule for A343's?'s?
P.S. I still find a pity that they haven't gotten any A332's in addition, to open up thinner deep South America routes.
IBERIA747 From Spain, joined Aug 2003, 1825 posts, RR: 62 Reply 11, posted (9 months 1 week 5 days 20 hours ago) and read 2224 times:
Quoting r2rho (Reply 10): Quoting ghifty (Reply 8):
They have 8 firm orders, any info. on whether or not they've exercised the additional 8 options? IB's got 19 A340-300's to replace..
No confirmation on the options but IMO it is only a matter of time before they are firmed, once the first 8 start coming in. But yes, that still leaves a gap of 3 aircraft...
Not gap anymore.
As if they had plenty of aircraft, Iberia is already retiring their A343s well before the arrival of the 333s.
Not too long ago, Iberia used to operate 21 A343s.
EC-GQK and EC-HQF were retired a couple years ago and are now flying with South African Airways (ZS-SXG and ZS-SXH).
3 additional frames have been retired this year, so there are only 16 active A340-300 in Iberia's fleet right now. The aircraft that are now stored are EC-HDQ, EC-HGU and EC-HGX.
If they finally decide to take the 8 options then we can talk about a one-to-one replacement. However, this means no growth at all.
Quoting r2rho (Reply 7): their current long-haul fleet is stretched enough as it is.
Well it's actually smaller than it was only a few months ago as you can see... This is just crazy.
summa767 From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2004, 2384 posts, RR: 7 Reply 12, posted (9 months 1 week 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 1954 times:
Quoting IBERIA747 (Reply 11): Well it's actually smaller than it was only a few months ago as you can see... This is just crazy
Sure, but I think that IB could manage to have additional capacity once the A333s start coming in, i,e, by not retiring the A343s one to one from then on. OK, you could say that it would just mean "recovering" lost capacity, but that would still allow some growth. The most logical outcome of IB current review in light of its large losses is that more of the the short and medium haul flying is transferred to Iberia Express which is turning out to be very efficient, and whereas some jobs will be lost in the mainline, some others can be transferred for long haul flying.
OK, IB will probably won't go back to doing the likes of BCN-MIA, which is more logical at the hands of AA, and it should perhaps AA can also do BOS, but It can explore a few more destinations within its core market that is Latin America for now. There will be potential for other adventures in the future, but I would guess that will have to wait until the storm is well clear, and second, until the next generation of aircraft that BA and IB will order together.
IBERIA747 From Spain, joined Aug 2003, 1825 posts, RR: 62 Reply 13, posted (9 months 1 week 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 1904 times:
Quoting summa767 (Reply 12): I think that IB could manage to have additional capacity once the A333s start coming in, i,e, by not retiring the A343s one to one from then on.
That would be the most sensible thing to do if the load factors remain high, but with their current management you never know.
Quoting summa767 (Reply 12): IB will probably won't go back to doing the likes of BCN-MIA
Of course they won't. Moreover, they are stopping BCN-GRU in November.
summa767 From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2004, 2384 posts, RR: 7 Reply 14, posted (9 months 1 week 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 1862 times:
Quoting IBERIA747 (Reply 13): That would be the most sensible thing to do if the load factors remain high, but with their current management you never know
In the light of the deep crisis, high oil prices and structural disadvantages, management had no option but to cut capacity by returning some airplanes, and ditch long haul loss making routes. If they had not, Iberia would be facing even higher losses now. Any growth in the long haul will have to be modest and targeted, but there are certainly opportunities as Latin America attracts more trade. IB is in place to benefit if it can do so efficiently: the A330s will sure help.
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