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

EasyJet has reached an agreement with Airbus to defer delivery of 24 A320-family jets as the UK budget carrier moves to conserve cash amid 90 percent service cuts&nbsp;due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The deferrals cover 10 deliveries scheduled for EasyJet's&nbsp;2020 fiscal year, 12 slated for FY2021 and two for FY2022. As a result, during FY2021 the airline will take no aircraft deliveries. It retains an option to defer five more deliveries in FY2022. The exact dates the aircraft ultimately get delivered remain subject to market conditions and further negotiation, said EasyJet.

 


The airline said leases on another 24 airplanes come due for renewal over the next 16 months, giving it further flexibility to either defer or cancel deliveries.

 


"Our industry is facing unprecedented challenges which require unprecedented action,” said EasyJet CEO Johan Lundgren in a written statement. “As we have consistently said, we remain completely focused on improving short term liquidity and reducing expenditure across the business. Today I am pleased to announce that we have agreed with Airbus to amend our delivery schedule by deferring the purchase of 24 aircraft, providing a significant boost to our cash flow and a vast reduction to our near-term capex program.”

 


The agreement came amid increasing pressure from the airline’s founder and biggest shareholder, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, to cancel an order for 107 A320neo-family jets. The company also confirmed on Thursday that it would hold a general shareholders' meeting Haji-Ioannou had demanded take place as he called for the ouster of CFO Andrew Findlay and board member Andreas Bierwirth. &nbsp;&nbsp;

 


The move by EasyJet comes a day after Airbus announced plans to cut rates of its A320 family to 40 per month from a peak of 60 in 2019 as part of a one-third cut in production across its product line. The company delivered 35 aircraft in March, down from 55 in February, reflecting customer requests for delivery deferrals and what Airbus called other factors related to the pandemic.

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

EasyJet Defers Delivery of 24 Airbus A320s

The move by UK budget airline EasyJet to delay deliveries comes amid pressure from its biggest shareholder to cancel an order for 107 A320neos. 

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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.

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

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 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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