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Airbus achieves 731 net orders and 688 deliveries in 2016
Airbus secured net orders for 731 aircraft in 2016, while deliveries were up 8% at 688 aircraft, exceeding its full-year target. By comparison, Boeing logged net orders for 668 aircraft and delivered 728. “It was a year where we not only delivered what we expected, but surpassed our expectations on deliveries and orders,” Airbus Commercial Aircraft president and Airbus COO Fabrice Brégier said at a Jan. 11 media briefing. “We can also lead [Boeing] in deliveries, but is this so important? We have the biggest backlog, so we should end up with more deliveries, but what counts is growing and growing quickly—as we did in 2016—in the years to come.”
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Airbus to deliver over 700 aircraft in 2017
Airbus is ramping up production and is expecting to deliver more than 700 aircraft in 2017, as it starts to overcome supply chain and program maturity issues. “At the beginning of the year [2016], the picture for Airbus was clearly challenging, to say the least,” Airbus Commercial Aircraft president and Airbus COO Fabrice Brégier said, briefing the media Jan. 11. “Next year we will continue to ramp up to above 700 deliveries. We will refine the number during the Airbus Group press conference on Feb. 22.”
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Rolls-Royce a 'little bit late' with A330neo engine
Airbus has cited a slight delay in the development of the A330neo powerplant following the shift in entry into service to early 2018. The airframer’s latest expectation for the maiden flight of the re-engined jet is the first half of 2017, commercial aircraft president Fabrice Bregier disclosed during a briefing in Toulouse.
LinkAirlines
Aeroflot cancels eight A350-800s
Aeroflot Airline has canceled an order for eight Airbus A350-800s, Airbus revealed in a presentation at an annual press briefing Jan. 11. Airbus confirmed to ATW the Russian flag carrier has 14 A350-800s on order. The order change was made in November 2016. In 2007, Aeroflot ordered 22 A350s, comprising eight -800s and 14 -900s.
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Allegiant, Spirit to expand networks this spring
Las Vegas-based ultra low-cost carrier (ULCC) Allegiant Air will launch 17 new routes in May and early June, add Louisville (Kentucky) to its network and make Destin/Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) in northwest Florida a “base of operations.” Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based ULCC Spirit Airlines, meanwhile, will add 10 new routes in April and May.
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GoAir firms order for 72 A320neos
Indian low-cost carrier (LCC) GoAir has finalized an order for 72 A320neos, firming up a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that was signed during the 2016 Farnborough Airshow. “The agreement, reached on Dec. 30, 2016, doubles GoAir’s firm order book for the aircraft type to 144,” Airbus said, announcing the firm order on Jan. 11.
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Iran Air takes delivery of first Airbus A321
Iran Air has taken delivery of its first new aircraft, an A321, from a historic 100-aircraft Airbus order. The A321 is the first delivery of a long-awaited 100-strong Airbus order, comprising 46 A320s, 38 A330s and 16 A350s, that was finalized Dec. 22. The amended deal was anticipated for most of 2016 and followed the lifting of international sanctions on Iran in January 2016.
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United moves up 747 fleet retirement to 4Q 2017
United Airlines has decided to retire its remaining 20 Boeing 747-400s by the end of 2017, moving up the fleet’s retirement by a year. United had previously said it would retire its 747 fleet by the end 2018. But president Scott Kirby said in a Jan. 11 message posted online that “the time has come to retire our 747 fleet from scheduled service,” adding, “we plan to operate our last 747 flight in the fourth quarter of this year.”
LinkMilitary
Trump teases possible F-35 competition
President-elect Donald Trump has hinted again at a potential competition between Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. In his first press conference since winning November’s election, Trump took aim at the entire US defense industry in his opening remarks, but focused on the F-35 program as his favourite target.
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Rafale output rose in 2016, Dassault says
Dassault delivered nine newly-built Rafale fighters in 2016, according to a financial update issued by the company on 5 January. The total was in line with plans for the year, and represents an increase of one unit over the eight shipped in 2015, it adds. Six examples of the twin-engined type were handed over to the French military, with the other three delivered to export customer Egypt, which has now received six aircraft from its order for 24.
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