Egyptair has welcomed its first Airbus A321neo to the fleet, delivered by aircraft lessor, Aercap. Operated as MS3211, the flight departed Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport (XFW) on February 27 at 12:05, touching down at its new home in Egypt at Cairo International Airport (CAI) at 17:09. This is the first delivery of the type for the Egyptian airline, which has seven of the aircraft on order.

This delivery marks Egyptair as the first operator in Africa with the aircraft type, with a layout of 16 business class seats and 166 in economy. The airline aims to utilize its new aircraft on routes across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.

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Operated by 34% SAF

The flight from Germany to Egypt was operated with a combination of 34% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to encourage decarbonization in aviation. This isn't the first time Egyptair had taken flight using SAF, as reported by Simple Flying last year when MS800 operated from Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to Sharm el Shiekh (SSH).

Airbus aircraft can currently operate with up to 50% SAF, a combination of feedstocks, such as used fat, oil, and grease. Compared to the usual fossil fuels in aviation fuel, the CO2 emissions are 80% less than its counterpart. Airline manufacturer Airbus has operated 100% SAF flights in testing conditions. However, it aims to have mainline operators utilizing up to 100% SAF by the decade's end.

Joining the list of A321neo operators

Egyptair now joins the list of Airbus A321neo operators globally; Air New Zealand recently received its third A321neo, poised for use in domestic operations between Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Queenstown. The configuration of Air New Zealand A321neo is a one-class configuration with 217 seats.

With the logistics of getting this aircraft from Germany to the South Pacific, most deliveries to date from Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport (XFW) to Auckland International Airport (AKL) have followed a Hamburg (XFW) - Muscat (MCT) - Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Cairns (CNS) - Auckland (AKL) routing, with crew breaks and overnights at each port.

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Hawaiian Airlines A321neo means services to the Cook Islands.

Honolulu-based carrier Hawaiian Airlines (HA) plans to utilize its A321neo on a new route between Honolulu Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) to Rarotonga International Airport (RAR) in the Cook Islands from May 20. Tickets are already on sale, with a schedule as outlined below:

• HA495 will depart Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu at 16:00 on Saturdays, arriving at Rarotonga International Airport (RAR) at 22:25 the same day.
• HA496 will depart Rarotonga International Airport (RAR) at 23:35 on Sundays, arriving at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu at 05:50 arrival on Mondays.

Sources: Airbus,

• 

  Egyptair

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  MS/MSR

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Cairo International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1932

  Alliance:

  Star Alliance

  CEO:

  Captain Ahmed Adel

  Country:

  Egypt