Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

Canada’s Air Transat expects to become the first North American operator of the Airbus A321neoLR after it takes delivery of the first of ten it has agreed to lease for 12 years from AerCap starting in 2019. Scheduled for delivery between the spring of that year and the fall of 2020, the A321LRs will replace Air Transat’s aged Airbus A310s, which the airline plans to gradually retire.

 


Air Transat said it will deploy the single-aisle jets on both holiday destinations and transatlantic routes, alongside its Airbus A330s and Boeing 737s. The A321LRs will come configured with 200 seats in a dual-class layout.

 


“The A321neoLRs will perfectly complete our fleet of A330s and B737s,” said Transat president and CEO Jean-Marc Eustache. “These aircraft are also an ideal solution for replacing our A310s. This agreement with AerCap will allow us to continue offering our customers the service and comfort they are used to, at the best possible price.”

 


Once introduced in 2019, the A321LR will offer the longest range of any single-aisle jetliner, capable of flying up to 4,000 nautical miles. Air Transat calls it ideal for its combination of routes, given that its size offers “major flexibility in terms of flight commercialization and frequency” while its fuel efficiency will keep cost per seat as low as possible.

 


Airbus has characterized the A321LR as an ideal platform for transatlantic routes carriers such as United Airlines now serve with aging Boeing 757s.

 


Air Transat's fleet currently consists of 31 permanent aircraft in what it calls a unique flexible-fleet model that allows it to deploy more widebody aircraft in summer for the high transatlantic season, and narrowbody aircraft in winter to cover the high season for leisure destinations.

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

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News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

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Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

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News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

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News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

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