Originally Posted by
Dave_C
How many 346's are flying, ten? For an airline supposedly short of long-haul capacity I can't for a second believe that they will take out 10 aircraft for 6 new ones. They might get four 789's by October next year from Boeing, but still if they want to expand, then I don't buy that the 346's will go.
I believe you have misinterpreted the news.
1. The removal of A346s from the schedule coincides with the transition from summer to winter season. The 6 A350s are transferred to FRA at the start of summer. So it is not a direct 10-for-6 trade. It is an addition of 6 for the summer, followed by a reduction of 10 for the winter. Which ties in with my next point.
2. They are short of capacity in the summer. Winter doesn't seem to be as big an issue for them. Even this winter, with high passenger volume compared to previous winters, the fleet is not being stretched to its limit. This is proven by 3 A380 routes for 8 aircraft, 5-6 A346 routes for 10 aircraft and 2-3 744 routes for 8 aircraft.
This is not even factoring in new deliveries of Allegris A359s and A35Ks. I won't count the 787s because they don't have F. My point is, I think they will be well-equipped for winter 25/26 without the 10 A346s.