Alaska Airlines retired his last plane Airbus A320with the flight scheduled to depart Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and store the aircraft at Victorville Southern California Logistics Airport (VCV).
The aircraft, registered as N849VA, will join other 11 aircraft A320 that Alaska Airlines will retire in January of this year; with this one, the company will accumulate 52 pieces of this type separated between October 2019 and January 2023, excluding a final A320 that is still assigned to Seattle Tacoma International.
According to Planespotters.net, the airline also retired 10 Airbus A319 in February and March 2020.
For now, there are only 10 Airbus A321neos left in the airline fleet. Following the merger of Alaska Airlines and Virgin America in April 2016, the former’s brand survived and absorbed the latter’s fleet and network, which included Airbus aircraft. Prior to the merger, Alaska Airlines did not operate any jets built by the European aircraft manufacturer.
According to information from Aerotime, in March 2022, the Alaskan airline announced that it would accelerate the withdrawal of its Airbus aircraft, as well as that of its regional fleet De Havilland Dash 8 Q400. At the end of 2021, it had 40 A320 and 32 Q400 aircraft, according to the filing of the Investor Day of the company on March 24, 2022.
He stressed that the benefits of simplifying his fleet would be: greater income opportunitiesespecially the premium ones, lower cost per seat and a better environmental profile.
Alaska Airlines currently has 204 Boeing 737s of various types, including 38 737 MAX-9 aircraft. Its regional partners operate a fleet of 11 De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 and 75 Embraer E170which fly regional routes and other smaller routes to and from the airline’s hubs, including Anchorage Ted Stevens International Airport (ANC) in Alaska.
In October 2022, the company conducted a firm order of 52 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, with options to add 105 more aircraft to the deal. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2024 and be completed in 2027.
