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

SAS Group has decided to order 35 Airbus A320neos directly from the manufacturer and source another 15 through leasing companies, the airline announced Tuesday. Calling for delivery from spring 2019 through 2023, the order means SAS for the first time will operate a single fleet type within five years. The airline, which hasn’t yet chosen an engine type for its new narrowbodies, plans to develop its mainline European network and extend domestic services in Scandinavia. A320neos come with either Pratt &amp; Whitney PW11000G geared turbofans or CFM Leap-1Bs.

 


SAS now flies 17 Airbus A320neos out of a previous order for 30. Tuesday’s order means that SAS will have placed at least 80 Airbus A320neos into service by 2023.&nbsp;

 


The order also includes options for another five A320neos with Airbus, and SAS holds the option to increase the number of aircraft it takes from from lessors. The airline said it would finance the aircraft through a combination of direct leases, sale and leaseback, and cash flow generated by its own operations. All of the aircraft will come equipped with SAS’s high-speed Wi-Fi and the airline’s new cabin interiors.&nbsp;&nbsp;

 


“Just over one year ago, we started to phase into service brand-new Airbus A320neos, and since then we have received a very positive response from our customers. I’m therefore delighted that, through this order, we can continue improving and investing in our customer offering, and thereby SAS’s future,” said SAS president and CEO Rickard Gustafson. “We are also creating a single-type and more efficient fleet for the first time. Ordering 50 Airbus A320neos gives us access to the market’s most efficient aircraft, thereby enabling us to further improve our operational efficiency and to continue to reduce our climate-impacting emissions."

 


During the 2010s, SAS worked on harmonizing and simplifying its aircraft fleet. Today, it operates two aircraft types within Europe, compared with six different types in 2012. In line with the deliveries of the new Airbus A320neos, SAS will begin phasing out its Boeing 737s and the existing Airbus A320s. At the same time, it plans to further simplify its fleet into a single type consisting of Airbus aircraft on short-, medium- and long-haul routes.

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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