TAM Brazilian Airlines selected the GEnx to power the 10 A350-900s it ordered last month (ATWOnline¸ Dec. 22). Delivery of the aircraft will begin in 2012.

Engine Alliance received FAR 33 certification from US FAA for its GP7200, designed for the A380. The 21-month test program involved eight engines. The GP7200 ran approximately 7,000 cycles, 25 full-scale certification tests and more than 50 component tests. It powered two flight test programs on a flying testbed and initially is certified at 76,500 lb. thrust. It was tested at levels in excess of 94,000 lb. Engine Alliance President Bruce Hughes said the engine was tested and certified to ETOPS standards. The first A380 test flight will take place this year.

Airbus and Boeing finished the year strong as several airlines announced aircraft orders or confirmations during the final week of 2005 and the first few days of the new year. Air Deccan led the way with its Dec. 24 announcement that it signed to purchase 30 additional A320s for delivery starting in 2008. The deal is worth $1.5 billion at list prices. The Indian LCC ordered 32 A320s in January 2005. It will take delivery of eight this year, increasing its fleet to 32 aircraft. No engine choice was announced for the new batch of 180-seaters.

As an approach tool, Required Navigation Performance has the potential to offer significant benefits: Improved safety, more direct approaches, fewer diversions for weather, reduced fuel burn and, as a result, cost savings for airlines. There are environmental benefits too: Less wasted fuel means reduced harmful emissions and improved track-keeping on departure and approach means less noise nuisance.

FAA and several contractors in March will begin testing a prototype communications scheme that theoretically could save millions of dollars per year for airlines and possibly give them some extra revenue to boot. The concept, called Aerosat Airborne Internet, calls for using the thousands of en route aircraft in the skies at any moment to create a communications "mesh" that proponents say could increase bandwidth dramatically and reduce the cost of existing communications pipes.