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A380 drought duration unclear
Airbus chief executive Fabrice Bregier expects the production rate cut on the A380 programme to last “a few years” but would not put a more specific figure on the period. The airframer will slash output to just 12 aircraft annually from 2018, but Bregier is adamant that higher rates will return. “I think if we do that we’ll be able to sustain the A380 at this low level for a few years before ramping up again,” he said, speaking during a briefing at the Farnborough air show.
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Airbus demonstrates visual aircraft inspection via UAV
Airbus utilized an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to perform a visual inspection of an A350 XWB at the Farnborough Airshow July 13. The UAV, or drone, was equipped with a high-definition camera and took a series of pictures of the upper part of the aircraft while following a predetermined flight path. A human operator piloted the UAV.
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Boeing converted freighter program lands eight orders, two commitments
Boeing’s converted freighters program (BCF) gained new customers at Farnborough Airshow on July 13 with orders for eight of the converted passenger aircraft from Bulgaria’s Cargo Air, Colombia’s Lineas Aereas Suramericanas (LAS) Cargo and an unidentified customer. A fourth customer, Air Algerie, committed to two 737-800BCFs. Sofia, Bulgaria-based Cargo Air ordered two 737-800BCFs; Bogota, Colombia-based LAS Cargo ordered two 737-800BCFs as well. The unidentified customer ordered four 767BCFs.
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Bombardier anticipates European CS300 approval within 40 days
Bombardier is hoping to secure EASA type validation for the CS300 within the next 30-40 days, following on from Transport Canada’s type certification, which was granted July 11. Speaking at the Farnborough Airshow, Bombardier CSeries VP and general manager Rob Dewar said the CS300 was on track with its certification program, running roughly six months behind the CS100 which was recently delivered to launch customer Swiss International Air Lines.
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Quebec could not afford to see CSeries fail, Premier says
The Quebec government’s $1 billion investment in the Bombardier CSeries program is not a subsidy and was essential because the province could not afford to see the aircraft fail, the Quebec Premier said during his visit to the Farnborough Airshow this week. Speaking exclusively to Aviation Week, Premier Philippe Couillard talked frankly about the importance of the CSeries to Quebec, which is putting up $1 billion for a 49% stake in the program. That investment helped shore up the program’s finances and in turn helped secure crucial CSeries orders from Air Canada and Delta Air Lines.
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Dowty to propel An-132 demonstrator
Antonov has selected Dowty to supply propellers for the An-132 transport which the Ukrainian airframer is developing together with Saudi Arabia. UK-based Dowty has disclosed that it signed in January a contract with Antonov to supply six-blade composite propellers for the demonstrator twin-turboprop, which will be powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150A engines.
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Embraer E190-E2 second prototype takes flight at Farnborough
Embraer’s second E190-E2 prototype flew for the first time on July 8, joining the first test aircraft which made its debut at the Farnborough Airshow. The first E190-E2 flew for the first time on May 23, months ahead of schedule. Embraer was hoping—but not guaranteeing—to bring the aircraft to Farnborough if it accumulated enough hours to make the transatlantic flight.
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Mitsubishi presses on with test program
The third and fourth Mitsubishi Regional Jet test aircraft are undergoing ground testing in Japan prior to their first flights, the company said at the Farnborough Airshow. The first test aircraft is scheduled to be flown to the US for an extensive flight test program, “hopefully in August,” Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. director, head of strategic marketing at Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation Hideyuki Kamiya.
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Rolls-Royce pushes ahead with Advance technologies
Rolls-Royce is pressing ahead with testing of multiple components that will appear on its Advance turbofan, scheduled to be ready for service from the end of this decade. The UK-based engine manufacturer said the Advance will offer at least 20% better fuel burn and CO₂ emissions than the Trent 700 engine.
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Sukhoi working on a 120-seat Superjet
Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Co. has begun development on a stretched version of the Superjet 100 (SSJ100). Marketing efforts have been relatively quiet, so far, but the design’s outlines have been clearly defined. The seating capacity will be increased by 20 to 120. “We do not want to go into the narrowbody [aircraft] market,” Nazario Cauceglia, CEO of SuperJet International, the Venice, Italy-based marketing arm for the aircraft, said. A new wing, with a higher aspect ratio, is needed. The winglets the company is developing (to cut the fuel burn of the SSJ100) would not suffice, according to Cauceglia. The range of the first stretched version will be set at 2,000 nm, between the ranges (1,500 nm and 2,400 nm) of the two existing variants of the SSJ100.
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AirAsia selects LEAP-1A engines for A321neos
Malaysia-based low-cost carrier (LCC) AirAsia has selected CFM International’s LEAP-1A engine to power the 100 new Airbus A321neos the carrier signed for Tuesday at the Farnborough Airshow. The engine order is valued at $2.7 billion at list prices, CFMI said.
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AirBaltic eyes network expansion with CS300 arrival
Latvian carrier airBaltic will have the range to serve destinations, including Abu Dhabi, with the arrival of its first Bombardier CS300 in October. AirBaltic is preparing to take delivery of its first CS300 in October, with the remaining aircraft from its 20-strong order arriving through 2020. Six are scheduled for delivery in 2016, followed by another two in 2017, six in 2018 and six in 2019, replacing airBaltic’s Boeing 737-300s and -500s and expanding its fleet.
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Air Europa orders 20 Boeing 737 MAX 8s
Spanish carrier Air Europa has ordered 20 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, valued at $2.2 billion at list prices, as revealed at the Farnborough Airshow July 13. The CFM International’s LEAP-1B engine is the sole source engine for the MAX. Air Europa's order to install the CFM LEAP-1B engines on its new aircraft is valued at over $800 million at list prices, CFM said, and includes a 12-year maintenance agreement.
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American Airlines maintains deals with 2 credit card issuers
American Airlines Group will continue to use Citigroup and Barclaycard as issuers of co-branded credit cards. The airline is also renewing an agreement with MasterCard.
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Azul commits to Airbus training and maintenance through 2028
Low-cost carrier Azul Brazilian Airlines has signed a 12-year contract with Airbus for component support and flight training. Airbus’ Flight Hour Services (FHS) agreement with Azul will run provide A320 line replaceable units (LRUs), spare parts availability through pool access service, on-site stock at customer main base and selected outstations, as well as repair service.
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EgyptAir is customer for nine Boeing 737-800s
EgyptAir has been revealed as the purchaser of nine Boeing 737-800s, previously listed on the US manufacturer’s orderbook as being for an unidentified customer. The order is worth $864 million at list prices. Eight of the aircraft will be financed by lessor Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, based in Dubai.
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FBI calls off hunt for 727 hijacker 'DB Cooper'
Investigators from the FBI have suspended the effort to identify the hijacker who, in 1971, parachuted from the rear air-stair of an airborne Northwest Orient Boeing 727 after securing a $200,000 ransom. The FBI resurrected the hunt for the hijacker – who became known as ‘DB Cooper’ – eight years ago, in a bid to solve one of aviation’s most extraordinary crimes.
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Award recognizes Hawaiian Airlines for its excellent passenger service
According to a worldwide airline passenger-satisfaction survey, Hawaiian Airlines has the best airline staff in North America. The airline this week received a Skytrax World Airline Award for its achievement during this year's Farnborough Airshow in England.
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Norwegian Air Says Brexit Not Affecting Bookings
Norwegian Air Shuttle, Europe's third-largest low-cost airline by passenger numbers, said Britain's decision to leave the European Union and the economic uncertainty associated with it was not having any impact on its bookings. "We haven't seen anything from it so far," chief executive Bjørn Kjos told Reuters. "Probably the reason is we fly a lot of leisure passengers."
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Qatar Airways Group reports $445 million net profit in FY2016
Doha-based Qatar Airways Group recorded a net profit of QR1.62 billion ($445 million) for its 2016 fiscal year ended March 31, 2016, more than quadrupling its net profit of QR373 million in FY2015. Qatar’s net profit margin for FY2016 was 4.5%, up 3.4 points from the previous year. Qatar’s revenue for the period was QR35.17 billion, up 3.8% from QR33.87 billion in FY2015. Operating expenses fell 1.5% year-over-year (YOY) to QR32.59 billion, “despite [our] significant growth in operations and an adverse movement in foreign currency exchange,” the airline said.
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Ruili Airlines Orders Six Boeing 787-9s
China's Ruili Airlines has placed an order for six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, in a deal worth USD$1.59 billion based on list prices. The order represents the first wide-body order for Yunnan-based Ruili.
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Synergy Orders 62 A320neo Family Aircraft
Avianca parent Synergy Aerospace has completed a purchase agreement with Airbus for 62 A320neo-family aircraft. The order is valued at around USD$6.7 billion at current list prices.
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United Airlines begins nonstop San Francisco-Hangzhou, China flights
United Airlines inaugurated service to its fifth mainline China destination July 13 with the 2:20 pm PST departure of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flight UA 982, flying nonstop from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) bound for a 6:10 p.m. local time (next-day) arrival at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (HGH). Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province on China’s southeastern coast, home to nearly 9 million people and dubbed “China’s Silicon Valley,” is the fifth new international route United has launched from San Francisco since May (the other routes being Auckland, New Zealand; Singapore; Tel Aviv, Israel; and Xi'an, China).
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Wizz Air selects Pratt GTFs to power neos
Budapest-based Wizz Air low-cost carrier (LCC) has selected Pratt &Whitney engines to power the 110 Airbus A321neos committed to at the Paris Airshow last year and finalized in September. Wednesday’s engine order announced at the Farnborough Airshow was for up to 200 Pratt PW1100G geared turbofans (GTF), but Wizz has purchase rights on up to 90 more neos, meaning the ultimate engine order could grow to around 400.
LinkAirports
United To Write Off USD$264 Million On Newark Slot Drop
United Airlines expects to write off a quarter of a billion dollars in assets because a US regulatory decision allowing more take-offs and landings in Newark, diminished the value of the airline's slots there. United will record a non-cash charge of USD$412 million in the second quarter, or USD$264 million after tax, associated with its slots at Newark's Liberty Airport, it said in a regulatory filing. United is Newark's largest airline, with nearly three quarters of its flights.
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Military
F-35B wows the Farnborough crowds
The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II has flown its first public displays in the UK this week at Farnborough and the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford. The US Marine Corps aircraft, which is usually based at MCAS Yuma in Arizona, is operating out of RAF Fairford and performed its first full Farnborough display on 12 July. It also made flybys with the Red Arrows and a USMC KC-130 earlier at the show.
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US Coast Guard shows off HC-27J
The US Coast Guard has brought its latest arrival to Farnborough, as it celebrates service entry of the HC-27J in style. Parked in the US corral, the Spartan started operating from its new Sacramento air station home on 1 April, performing search and rescue and tactical transport missions.
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Aviation Quote
Pilots take no special joy in walking. Pilots like flying.
— Neil Armstrong
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Trivia
General Aviation Knowledge
1. A pilot arriving at Honolulu Int'l hears "Surf in effect" on the ATIS. This means that:
a) The outer, reef runway has been impacted by high surf. Pilots should be aware of puddles and hydroplaning.
b) Pilots should exercise caution with respect to surfing activity in close proximity to the approach end of Runway 8R (the "Reef" runway).
c) Landings are being made on Runways 4R and 8L, and departures are being made on Runways 8L and 8R.
d) Arrivals should be expedited, dude. The surf is awesome.
2. True or False, the Lockheed P-38 was one of the first twin airplanes to have counter-rotating propellers (As do Piper Senecas for example). When viewed from behind, the left propeller of a P-38 turns clockwise and the right propeller turns counter-clockwise.
3. What US airline began operations by flying the mail between Havana and Key West in 1927?
4. Which one of the following best explains why airflows faster above a conventional wing than below it?
a) Coriolis force
b) Bernoulli's principle
c) one of Newton's laws of motion
d) Venturi effect
5. An American pilot flying an F4U Corsair over the Philippine Sea encountered a Japanese warplane emblazoned with a large green cross on a field of white. What is the significance of the cross?
6. It is common knowledge that the world's busiest airport (in terms of passenger traffic) is Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. What is the world's second busiest airport?
