SmartLynx Airlines Malta, EU-based specialists in full-service ACMI aircraft leasing solutions, announce an important addition to its Airbus fleet. Currently operated Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft will be joined by Airbus A330 aircraft type with a goal to become leaders of long-haul market.

5 Airbus A330 aircraft will be modified to Zero LOPA by removing passenger seats and preparing aircraft for cargo flights. The planes are planned to be added to SmartLynx Airlines’ fleet during May and June.

According to IATA, in April 2021, air cargo demand reached an all-time high and was up 9% compared to pre-COVID levels (Feb 2019). The increased market demand for long-haul cargo operations prompted SmartLynx Airlines to grow their fleet and introduce the modified aircraft, able to transport cargo shipments, including vaccines and medical supplies, on long-haul flights.

“As one of the leading EU-based ACMI and charter operators on Airbus aircraft, we are excited to substantially grow our fleet and offer our clients different products while diving to long-haul operations. We are constantly expanding our service portfolio and areas of expertise to accommodate the rapidly changing market demand. It’s our strong belief that the pandemic and the current global crisis will create many opportunities for growth and development for our company and the whole industry. The addition of the modified Airbus A330 aircraft is a big step forward for SmartLynx Airlines and we are more than excited to see what challenges and victories it will bring”, commented Zygimantas Surintas, CEO of SmartLynx Airlines.

”We understand that eventually the long-haul cargo market will return to the pre-Covid levels, so SmartLynx Airlines plan to return the Airbus A330 aircraft to operate on long-haul passenger flights once that time comes. We believe that our low-cost structure and great efficiency will allow us to create competition to market veterans,” he added.

The global aircraft leasing platform CDB Aviation will be leasing out several Airbus A330 aircraft to SmartLynx Airlines.

“We are pleased to partner with SmartLynx Airlines to support their expansion in the cargo market. We commend the SmartLynx Airlines team for recognising opportunities to expand their global footprint by incorporating the A330 aircraft into their fleet,” noted CDB Aviation Chief Marketing Officer Peter Goodman.

The updated A330 aircraft will carry cargo for existing and future clients to and from Asia, USA and Europe, with a volume capacity of 260 m3 and a maximum cargo weight of 50,000 kg.

Earlier this year, SmartLynx Airlines has already showed its flexibility and forward-thinking attitude, making the necessary Zero LOPA modifications on two of the fleet’s A321 units to meet the growing demand for cargo transportation and became one of the first carriers to introduce A321F to operations.

Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) has won an additional ACJ319neo order with an undisclosed customer, highlighting the market appeal for this aircraft that offers a unique flying experience with its spacious cabin and intercontinental range. The ACJ319neo will be equipped with CFM International’s LEAP-1A engines.

12 ACJ320neo Family customers have now placed a total of 16 orders including six ACJ319neo.

“We are delighted to win another order for the ACJ319neo. Customers will enjoy travelling in the spacious cabin whilst flying intercontinental routes. The ACJ319neo has a robust reliability. Customers will as well benefit from a higher passenger capacity with exceptional comfort and similar operating costs to traditional business jets because of more cost-efficient maintenance, training, and better value,” said Benoit Defforge, ACJ President.

With the ability to fly eight passengers 6,750 nm/12,500 km or 15 hours, the ACJ319neo will bring much of the world within nonstop range. Deliveries of the ACJ319neo started in 2019 and three are already in operation with three customers.

The ACJ319neo is part of the ACJ320neo Family, featuring the most spacious cabins of any business jet, while being similar in size to competing large-cabin aircraft. The ACJ320neo Family also delivers similar operating costs thanks to its lower maintenance and training overheads – part of its airliner heritage – deliver a similar total cost when combined with fuel and navigation and landing charges and as a direct consequence, it also has a much more favorable CO2 footprint.

Over 13,000 Airbus aircraft have been delivered worldwide, supported by a globe-spanning network of spares and training centres, giving corporate jet customers unmatched support in the field. Airbus corporate jet customers also benefit from services tailored to their particular needs, such as the “one call handles all” corporate jet customer care centre (C4you), customised maintenance programmes and the ACJ Service Centre Network.

Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) offers the most modern and comprehensive corporate jet family in the world, giving customers the greatest choice of unique, customisable and spacious cabins, allowing them to select the comfort they want in the size they need – offering them a unique flying experience.

More than 200 Airbus corporate jets are in service on every continent, including Antarctica, highlighting their versatility in challenging environments.

The first section of the recently launched ACJ TwoTwenty has arrived at the A220 Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Mirabel, Canada, in line with the planning. This mid-fuselage section arrival marks the start of the first Airbus corporate jet ever assembled in Canada.

The ACJ TwoTwenty is the combination of a signature flexible cabin catalogue outfitted into a modern, reliable and cost efficient A220-100, designed for state-of-the-art business aviation jet operations.

The ACJ TwoTwenty comes with renowned ACJ DNA: ultimate comfort, intercontinental range, unbeatable economics with unmatched operational availability.

The ACJ TwoTwenty was launched in late 2020 and has already won orders for six aircraft. Comlux will be the first to take delivery of the ACJ TwoTwenty this winter and will be the exclusive outfitter for the first 15 aircraft.

The ACJ TwoTwenty will feature unmatched personal space with 73m²/785 ft² of floorspace, and is the only business jet featuring six wide VIP living areas for up to 19 passengers. The ACJ TwoTwenty will have intercontinental range, capable of flying up to 5,650 nm/10,500 km (over 12 flight hours) and is at a price tag just under the Ultra Long Range bizjet price.

More than 200 Airbus corporate jets are in service on every continent, including Antarctica, highlighting their operational versatility, including in challenging environments.

Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) offers the most modern and comprehensive corporate jet family in the world, giving customers the greatest choice of unique, customisable and spacious cabins, allowing them to select the comfort they want in the size they need – offering them a unique flying experience.

Foto: Pedro Stl

In February of this year, a private and business jet charter company undertook one of their most demanding assignments to date – the repatriation of a group of workers who had tested positive for COVID-19, from Ghana to South Korea.

Following a request from the workers’ employers, the team at KlasJet private jet charter – a family member of the Avia Solutions Group – drew on their accumulated experience to set the wheels of repatriation in motion. Over 5 days and 10 flights (including aircraft positioning) many unique obstacles had to be overcome, such as overfly permissions from fourteen countries on three continents, advance crew positioning and safe accommodation, COVID-19 testing arrangements, challenging insurance issues, along with on-ground transportation arrangements and more.

From initial request to take off time took only 5 business days; normally, a project of such complicated magnitude could be expected to take up to 2 weeks to navigate. To overcome such a tight deadline, while negotiating all of the logistical, medical, and operational hurdles, a highly experienced KlasJet operations team and crew worked closely with an onboard medical team to ensure safety was prioritized as a paramount concern.

Operating a B735 (LY-FLT) across multiple live flight sectors – Accra (ACC) – N’Djamena (NDJ) – Cairo (CAI) – Trabzon (TZX) – Novosibirsk (OVB) – Seoul (ICN) – the aircraft had to be compartmentalized separating positive passengers, crew, staff, and other personnel, to control any spread of the virus. Multiple crews needed to be organized, tested, repositioned, transported and accommodated safely in isolation. Specially prepared and packaged food had to be provided and delivered along with the requirement to dispose of any waste in a safe and virus-free manner. Ground transport arrangements had to be orchestrated in minute detail, and in the event of any unforeseen technical issues an aircraft technician from KlasJet’s sister company, FL Technics was also added to the crew.

The mission, in its entirety, was only made possible in such a truncated period due to KlasJet’s team of highly-skilled professionals. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the team had amassed all the knowledge required to implement unique processes and procedures in a previously unfamiliar environment.

According to Ugnius Valiauga, KlasJet COO, “This entire and complicated process was only made possible and successful as part of the KlasJet team’s continuous improvement policy. Whenever and wherever we find room for improvement, or to gather new knowledge and new skills, our team will come together to address all of the components which could make us even more capable to handle any and every future unique request. Judging by what we have already achieved before and during the pandemic, our teams are proof that we have the operational readiness and the right attitude to deal with whatever comes our way”.