Name: Airbus Order, 737 Retirement & New Route
Uploaded: 2025-04-29T17:07:33.000Z
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A very warm welcome back to your latest industry recap, Airbus A330neo order news, 737 retirements and some exciting developments at Virgin Atlantic.

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Southwest confirmed its continuing with ongoing fleet renewal efforts, retiring 14 aircraft from the 737 family in Q1 of 2025.

The major US airline reports that of its aircraft, retired 12 were for the 737-700s and 2 were for the 737-800s.

Away from the fleet retirements, the airline confirmed it was also able to take delivery of 11 new planes.

All of these newly delivered jets were for the middle ground 737-8 in the Brodermax series.

Southwest confirmed that it will not also make any further updates to its fleet forecasting given the uncertainties surrounding the acquisition of next-generation planes.

Those forecasts also centre back to fleet retirements which we know to be essential if you are to continue seeing renewal unfold at this US-based airline.

According to the latest fleet data that was published on April 23rd, the company has 782 active 737 jets with 20 units being listed as parked, therefore totaling 802.

The split really does see a greater reliance on the dash 700s but your 737 max numbers are growing with over 200 in the fleet.

The retirements do also align with Southwest's capacity forecasting with reductions expected to occur in the second half of 2025 as lower demand is anticipated.

Moreover, Southwest says it's making necessary changes to its network in the coming months also to cut costs and retain the more profitable segments currently forming part of the network 1.5 percentage points of capacity are now expected to be cut.

This is really just a basic estimate according to the airline and it is very much subject to change depending on how the following months unfold across the business and from a political standpoint too.

Overall, full year capacity will increase 1% year over year however the projection is based on forecasting and represents still a downward revision from initial predictions made before we entered 2025.

Much of the increase isn't driven actually by the stellar demand that would be seen across the network but rather showcasing that the initiatives being implemented by the US company related to asset utilisation with aircraft now flying 24-7 is working to a certain extent.

Flying during the night is one of the many endeavours that have been or are being launched by Southwest in a bid to increased profitability and align with what customers are requiring in the mid-2020s rather than say sticking traditionally with what was known and loved but may now be outdated.

Whether Southwest will be able to turn around its fortunes remains the multi-billion dollar question but in an ever-evolving and also competitive industry it has to make these necessary changes to secure its future.

Into more exciting news, Airbus has confirmed the signing of a new deal for its A330neo with the Saudi Air Group involved in the transaction.

The European planemaker says the deal includes 10 of your A330-900s and is destined to head to Flyerdeal to harness their future growth.

Flyerdeal is focused on expanding its operations and firmly believes that in the coming years there will be a requirement to serve more international destinations through long-haul flying and as a result purchases such as this one of the A330neo will be pivotal if the airline is to compete with other established airlines in the industry and this is particularly within the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia has made its intentions clear believing that the aviation industry will play a significant role in driving future economic growth and airlines will be critical in enabling tourism rates to increase as well.

For Flyerdeal, it's an ambitious strategy that has already been outlined and is definitely visible through the contract that was built upon in 2024 which included 105 of your Airbus jets.

Under the Vision 2030 plan and the addition of a new A330neo purchase, the company aims to establish connections to 250 destinations and facilitate travel for over 330 million travellers while also attracting 150 million tourists.

This is not just for Flyerdeal but for the Saudi group on a whole.

The group with its latest purchase adds to the 54 A321neo jets and shows that their reliance on the product produced by Airbus only grows.

See when the A330neo launched there was no real expectation that the plane would sell thousands of units nor was there a requirement for this series to do so.

The A330neo served as a very much simpler re-engine to mitigate in a way the strong performance that was felt over at Boeing with their 787 offering customers an alternative option when seeking to evolve but also renew their fleet.

Airbus did figure that as its A330CO was beginning to show signs of age which actually didn't coincide with the launch of the A330neo but was more a forward thinking approach that customers would need maybe a more straightforward replacement.

And while the A330neo certainly experienced a relatively slow start to operational life and endured some lengthy spells without a purchase, it has now been able to successfully work its way back into the limelight and there have been many more substantial orders placed.

Over to the final story, Virgin Atlantic is expanding its international network with an announcement of expected service commencement to Seoul in South Korea.

From March 29, 2026, Virgin Atlantic plans to offer its first flight to Incheon International Airport in Seoul as part of efforts to expand its connectivity importantly to the east.

The landmark route confirmation which is just under a year away came as the airline also flew into Riyadh for the very first time, representing as I touched on that all-important expansion eastwards of its home.

Virgin will operate the 787-9 on the service to Seoul, South Korea with a daily frequency to be expected.

Operating as VS-208-209, departure from London Heathrow is scheduled for 9.45 in the morning, with a 6.50am arrival into Seoul the next day thanks to local time.

For the longest period, Virgin Atlantic has been intensely focused on developing its transatlantic network.

In fact, recent financial figures really emphasize the importance of the North American connectivity we see.

However, the airline understands first and foremost that priorities must lay on evolving, and flying eastwards therefore gains a new importance with a focus on serving markets such as Dubai, the Maldives, Riyadh, and further development in India, including Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.

See the thing is, as political uncertainty continues to be a problem and while it may not be long, it is certainly a short to medium term one, it affects demand and has put greater emphasis on Virgin Atlantic not relying on just one kind of operation.

Destinations such as South Korea being added to the network offer fresh opportunities that were not previously possible, and highlight also the possibilities that can be achieved if expand their horizons.

Focusing in on the east for one further bit of news, the airline is also celebrating 25 years of serving India.

It represents their 3rd largest market outside the United Kingdom and United States, with up to 5 daily flights now being offered.

All in all, the UK based company offers approximately 1 million seats to customers each year.

This represents a 350% increase in seat capacity from 2019.

The 5 daily services, while able to carry many passengers, also benefit from the cargo arm, which offers 40 million kilograms of space to and from India, representing a 336% increase from 2019.

That'll conclude today's Aviation News Recap.

Keen to hear your thoughts down below in the comments below.

And I'll see you tomorrow for your next industry recap.