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Airbus chief sets out priorities for 2015
Airbus chief executive Fabrice Bregier has identified the airframer's three new programs as its priorities for 2015. He says it will be pursuing a "very aggressive ramp-up" of the A320neo, moving to volume production of the A350, and "keeping on track" with the A330neo, the first flight of which is due next year. The A320neo is set to enter service in the final quarter of this year, and Bregier says Airbus is aiming to reach "production of 500 to 600 aircraft a year as soon as possible".
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Selling current A380 remains priority: Airbus chief
Senior Airbus executives continue to hint that a re-engined A380 is being considered, but insist the "priority" remains securing orders for the current version of the superjumbo – something chief executive Fabrice Bregier sees as achievable this year, after Airbus finished 2014 with just 13 net orders for its biggest airliner. "Long-term improvements to the A380 are certain," said Bregier at a briefing in Toulouse today, but he adds that the sales focus is very much on the existing program.
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Airbus offers 200-plus seats in long-range A321neo
Airbus has put the seat-count for its longer-range A321neo at 206, up from earlier indications of a capacity of 164. The airframer disclosed the new specification of the 97t aircraft during a briefing in Toulouse. US-based lessor Air Lease has become the first customer to sign for the type, with a tentative agreement for 30. Airbus says the type will have “minor improvements” to the wing and fuselage. Chief operating officer for customers John Leahy states that the aircraft will have up to three auxiliary fuel tanks, giving it a potential range of 4,000nm.
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Boeing Says No Plans To Match Airbus With Long Range 737
Boeing sees no business case for offering an extended-range version of its largest 737, the forthcoming 737 MAX 9, to compete with a A321neo that Airbus launched on Tuesday. On Tuesday, Airbus released 2014 sales and production figures showing it beat Boeing on orders, but lost on the number of planes delivered. Airbus also said it had won 30 orders for an extended range version of the A321neo from lessor Air Lease. The A321neo is outselling Boeing's competing 737 MAX 9. The A321neo is larger and with longer range, there's little Boeing can do to improve the MAX 9's appeal, said Scott Hamilton, analyst at consulting firm Leeham. "The 737 MAX 9 is markedly inferior doing an apples-to-apples comparison," Hamilton said.
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GKN Aerospace to supply Boeing wingtips
A supplier will build winglets for Boeing's new 737 MAX airliner in the Puget Sound Area, Boeing announced Monday. Winglets are curved tips at the end of wings that reduce fuel use. Boeing has designed a split "advanced technology winglet" for the re-engined 737 MAX. GKN Aerospace plans to assemble and paint the winglets at a 57,000-square-foot plant in Sumner near Boeing's 737 final assembly plant, in Renton. GKN is scheduled to start recruiting early this year, open the factory late this year and employ approximately 75 people at full production.
LinkAirlines
Investigators Hope For Clues To AirAsia Crash In Days
Indonesian investigators have begun examining the flight recorders from AirAsia QZ8501 and hope to unlock initial clues to the cause of the disaster within days. Divers retrieved the flight data and cockpit voice recorders this week from the sunken wreckage of QZ8501. The recorders were lifted from the bottom of the Java Sea and sent to the capital, Jakarta, for analysis. Both were found to be in relatively good condition. The flight data recorder took only 15 minutes to download, but investigators will now need to analyze up to 25 hours of data and several thousand flight parameters covering things such as flying speed, altitude, fuel consumption, air pressure changes and inputs to the aircrafts controls.
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Air France-KLM Says Too Early To Detail Cuts
Air France-KLM said it is too early to detail further belt-tightening actions to cope with a tough economic climate as it denied a Le Figaro newspaper report that it planned around 5,000 job cuts. "The group denies information reported by Le Figaro," a group spokesman said. The Franco-Dutch airline in December issued its third profit warning in six months, trimming its 2014 EBITDA forecast by EUR€200 million to between EUR€1.5 billion and EUR€1.6 billion, citing higher-than-expected costs from a pilot strike and weak long-haul revenues.
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Alaska Airlines hires John Kirby as a vice president
Alaska Airlines hired former Southwest executive John Kirby as vice president of capacity planning. "John brings a tremendous depth of experience to the table," said Andrew Harrison, senior vice president of planning and revenue management for Alaska, said in a statement. "His vast airline industry knowledge will be invaluable as we continue to grow the Alaska Air Group network."
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American, United comment on loyalty program protections
Airline frequent-flier miles have developed into a currency of their own during the past decade. Now, they're so valued that they've apparently become the target of thieves. Thieves acquired stolen passwords and used them to try to access the accounts of frequent fliers at both American and United, The Associated Press reports. The thieves then attempted to steal miles to book free trips for themselves or to obtain upgrades, according to the report.
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American Airlines adjusts 4Q forecast
American Airlines Group Inc.shares fell the most in almost a month after it said fourth-quarter unit revenue will be less than an already lowered forecast as traffic declined in some international markets. The carrier also narrowed its expectation for pretax margin, excluding special items, to 10 percent to 11 percent, from an earlier projection of as much as 12 percent, the Fort Worth, Texas-based company said today in a statement. American’s traffic, or miles flown by paying passengers, slipped 7.4 percent across the Atlantic and 6.2 percent on routes to Latin America in December.
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Delta Air Lines: Haneda slots are key to strategy
Delta Air Lines is asking to maintain the carrier's slots at Tokyo Haneda airport. "Delta's commitment to the Seattle hub and Seattle-Asia service has been well recognized and is firm," Delta said to the Department of Transportation. "Maintaining service between Seattle and Haneda is key to Delta's hub strategy."
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Delta opens second phase of JFK terminal expansion
Delta Air Lines opened an 11-gate expansion to its facilities at New York John F Kennedy International airport today, allowing it to consolidate the majority of regional flights in terminal 4. The roughly $200 million project brings the majority of the Atlanta-based SkyTeam Alliance carrier’s regional operations at JFK into the same terminal as its mainline operations, a move that is expected to improve operations and ease connections for passengers. “With JFK being the bridge to the world, this $200 million project significantly enhances the travel experience for our customers with connecting flights at JFK,” says Gail Grimmett, head of New York for Delta, at a ribbon cutting today. The concourse had a soft opening on 8 January ahead of the official events today.
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Ethiopian Eyes Stakes In Rwanda, Congo Carriers
Ethiopian Airlines is in talks with Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to purchase stakes in their carriers and manage them, its chief executive said. Discussions with Kigali and Kinshasa follow similar deals with Malawi and South Sudan, part of efforts to become a global carrier and put the airline at the heart of travel in Africa. Ethiopia's state-owned airline is ranked the largest airline in Africa by revenue and profit by IATA. "We have a technical agreement with Rwandair and we manage the technical maintenance of their fleet. We are going to expand that to a commercial and equity partnership," chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam told Reuters news agency.
LinkAirports
Newark Liberty upgrade to include 6,000 iPads
Upgrades to dining and waiting areas in Terminal C of New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport will include the installation of 6,000 iPads that travelers can use to order food, check their flights and browse the Web. Members of United Airlines' loyalty program will be able to use their United Mileage Plus miles to pay for some services.
LinkMilitary
Japan defense budget calls for 20 P-1s, 5 V-22s
Japan’s parliament has approved a Y4.98 trillion ($42 billion) defence budget for FY2015, with a strong emphasis on new airpower capabilities. The budget, posted on the web site of Japan’s defence ministry, is 2.8% higher than in FY2014, and sets a new record for Japanese defence spending. It contains funding for several major aircraft programs, notably 20 Kawasaki P-1 maritime patrol aircraft. The budget will also see the radar and infrared sensors carried by the nation’s Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion aircraft upgraded, as well as service life extensions for three P-3Cs. It also includes funding for five Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey aircraft, which will be part of a new amphibious capability modelled on the US Marine Corps.
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Aviation Quote
My soul is in the sky.
— William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act V. Scene I.
On This Date
---In 1742...Edmund Halley dies.
---In 1909... Wilbur Wright, his brother Orville and sister Katharine, having just arrived from America, move to Pau in the south of France after completing flying demonstrations at Camp d’Auvers.
---In 1935... United Air Lines decides to equip its fleet with a de-icing system for airplane wings, following successful tests on a Boeing 247.
---In 1936… An American Airlines Douglas DC-2 operating as American Airways Flight 1 crashed near Goodwin, Arkansas, killing all 17 people on board.
---In 1958…Qantas becomes the first foreign airline permitted to fly across the United States.
---In 1960…First flight of the Piper Cherokee.
---In 1961…Final assembly of first Saturn flight vehicle (SA-1) was completed.
---In 1973…A U.S. Navy F-4B Phantom II of Fighter Squadron 161 (VF-161) off USS Midway (CVA-41) flown by Lieutenant V. T. Kovaleski (pilot) and Ensign D. H. Plautz (radar intercept officer) becomes the last American aircraft lost over North Vietnam when it is shot down by antiaircraft artillery near Thanh Hoa while escorting an Operation Blue Tree reconnaissance mission.
---In 1975…the F-16 Fighting Falcon is announced as the winner of the LWF (Light Weight Fighter) competition.
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