NewsFlybe to defer half its Embraer deliveries UK regional carrier Flybe is to defer, for at least three years, delivery of 16 Embraer 175 jets which had been due to arrive over 2014-15. The airline says that the aircraft will not be introduced until 2017-19. Flybe is undergoing a restructuring program to cut costs and says the deferral will reduce pre-delivery payments for the coming winter season by £20 million ($30 million). The shift comes alongside a measure to withdraw from London Gatwick in March 2014 and sell its slots to budget carrier EasyJet.
LinkLufthansa, United Win EU Antitrust ApprovalLufthansa, United, Continental and Air Canada won approval from EU antitrust regulators on Thursday for their transatlantic tie-up after agreeing to give up airport slots in Frankfurt and New York. The four airlines' revenue sharing, pricing and capacity pacts triggered an investigation by European Commission regulators four years ago, over concerns that these may result in higher prices for premium passengers. The carriers offered concessions last year, including allowing competitors to sell tickets on the Frankfurt-New York route, and giving them access to their connecting traffic.
LinkSolar Impulse Completes Second Leg Of JourneySolar Impulse, the solar plane that developers hope to eventually pilot around the globe, landed safely in Texas on Thursday, completing the second and longest leg of an attempt to fly across the United States powered only by the sun. The experimental aircraft touched down at Dallas/Forth Worth Airport shortly after 1 am local time, logging 18 hours and 21 minutes in the air to cover 823 nautical miles (1,541 km) from Arizona. The flight set a new absolute world distance record in solar aviation, organizers said.
LinkChina Formally Approves Boeing 787 For UseChina's civil aviation regulator on Thursday formally approved the Boeing 787 Dreamliner for use in the country, clearing the way for Chinese airlines to start operating the aircraft. The regulator made the announcement in a short statement on its website, without giving further details. China Southern Airlines and smaller rival Hainan Airlines are among the global carriers which have ordered the aircraft.
LinkCorporacion America Seeks Brazil Airport DealsArgentina's Corporacion America plans to participate in bidding on airport concessions in the Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte in September, the company's chief executive said on Thursday. Brazil is scrambling to upgrade its inefficient, dilapidated and overcrowded airports before it hosts the 32-nation World Cup next year, which is expected to draw more than half a million soccer fans to South America's economic powerhouse. Corporacion America's CEO, Eduardo Eurnekian, said his company and Brazilian construction firm Engevix operate the airports in Brasilia and Natal, and they plan to partner with another Brazilian company to improve their chances on the Rio and Belo Horizonte concessions.
LinkUS DoD reveals weapons loads for F-15SE, F-35 in S Korean F-X competition The US Department of Defense has formally notified congress about the potential sale of weapons for the Boeing F-15 Silent Eagle and Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which are vying for South Korea's 60 aircraft F-X III requirement. Seoul is expected to make a decision sometime this summer in what will probably be 2013's biggest fighter contract. The third contender in the competition is the Eurofighter Typhoon. The weapons package for the F-15SE will cost $823 million, while that for the F-35 will cost $793 million.
LinkLong-delayed ARJ21 certification set to slip again Comac's ARJ21 regional jet is unlikely to receive certification until at least late next year, according to sources. This means the programme, which started about 11 years ago and originally had first delivery scheduled for 2007, will again be delayed. At Airshow China in Zhuhai in 2012, chief designer Chen Yong said the aim was for the ARJ21 to receive certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in the first half of 2013, and to deliver the jet to launch customer Chengdu Airlines in 2014. Thereafter, it could take up to two years before the aircraft was validated by the US Federal Aviation Administration, he added.
LinkComac reduces C919 composite use to speed up progress In a bid to speed up development, Chinese airframer Comac is cutting down on the use of composites in its C919 narrowbody program. The airframer initially planned for composites usage on the C919 to be around 20%, but that could now drop to less than 10%, to avoid complications and possible delays, which the five-year-old airframer may not be experienced enough to handle, said sources familiar with the project. Comac has yet to ascertain the material mix it will use for its 150-seat jet, and has "two workflow lines". One line will work on a more traditional design with the aluminum-lithium alloy, while the other on the wider use of composites. If composites prove too challenging, the company can quickly shift to a more traditional approach.
LinkBoeing CEO says company returns focus to 777XBoeing CEO Jim McNerney said the aircraft manufacturer is back to work on two new versions of its 777X. "With the 787 fleet back in flight and new deliveries under way, our full focus returns to our ongoing commercial airplane priorities," McNerney said.
LinkBoeing to complete 787 retrofits by next week, exec saysBoeing should be finished with retrofits of its 787 battery by next week, said Ray Conner, president of the company's commercial airplane division. "We are turning the corner," Conner said, estimating the manufacturer is 90% finished with the retrofits.
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