Looking Back at 2018: Commercial Aircraft

Boeing’s reengined 737 MAX family expanded in 2018 with certification of the second model, the -9, on Feb. 16 and first delivery on March 21 to launch customer Lion Air Group. The smallest MAX, the -7, made its first flight on March 16 (pictured) and will be certified and delivered in 2019.

The first A350-1000, the largest of Airbus’ A350 XWB family, was delivered to launch—and largest—customer Qatar Airways on Feb. 20. Singapore Airlines, meanwhile, began flying the world’s longest direct route, 9,000 nm Singapore-New York, with the A350-900ULR in October.

Deliveries of the third and largest member of Boeing’s 787 family, the -10, began on March 25 to launch customer Singapore Airlines. This was a milestone for the company’s North Charleston facility in South Carolina, as the -10 is the only current Boeing airliner assembled and delivered outside the Seattle area.

The first of Embraer’s second-generation E-Jets, the E190-E2, was certified on Feb. 28, its performance beating projections with greater range, lower noise and a 17.3% reduction in fuel burn over the first-generation E190. The first E190-E2 was delivered to Wideroe Airlines on April 4.

Airbus took control of the Bombardier C Series program on July 1, almost immediately announcing a firm order from JetBlue Airways for 60 renamed A220-300s (formerly CS300s). The first aircraft for a U.S. carrier, an A220-100 (CS100) for Delta Air Lines, was handed over in Montreal on Oct. 26. A U.S. final assembly line opens in 2019 at Airbus’ plant in Mobile, Alabama.

Announced on July 5, the planned strategic partnership with Boeing will create a joint venture around Embraer’s commercial aircraft business and another for its KC-390 airlifter. Boeing will pay $4.21 billion for a controlling 80% ownership stake in the Brazil-based commercial aircraft joint venture. Brazil’s incoming president must approve the deal, which analysts expect to close in 2019.

Based on an A330-200 freighter, Airbus’ BelugaXL outsize airlifter made its first flight on July 19. Five of the aircraft will enter service from early 2019 to 2023 to replace five A300-based BelugaSTs and support the ramp-up of A320 and A350 production by transporting large aircraft sections among 11 locations.

Reengined with the Rolls-Royce Trent 7000s, the first in Airbus’ A330neo family, the -900, was certified on Sept. 26 and delivered to launch customer TAP Air Portugal on Nov. 26. The second, shorter member of the family, the -800 (pictured), made its first flight on Nov. 6, with certification planned for 2019.

In November, Bombardier announced plans to sell its Q400 regional turboprop program to Canada’s Longview Aviation Capital for $300 million. The deal is expected to close in 2019. The first Q400 in an extra-capacity, 90-seat configuration was delivered to India’s SpiceJet on Sept. 21.