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A steep hike in aeronautical fees at one of the busiest airports in India is likely to dent domestic and international operations of the country’s airlines, which are already reeling from a severe cash crunch.
AeroTurbine, a subsidiary of International Lease Finance Corp., is adding logistics centers in Dubai, London, Los Angeles and Singapore to accommodate a spike in demand for integrated inventory and aftermarket services—from warehousing and logistics to managed parts repair and exchange programs.
Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier says component maturity for its A350 program is more important to the European airframer than a strict adherence to a final assembly schedule for the first A350 test aircraft. “We don’t want to rush to final assembly with incomplete wings,” he said during the Airbus wrap-up news conference at the Farnborough air show. “This will not happen with me as Airbus CEO. I have no intention of repeating past mistakes.”
U.S. regional operator SkyWest and Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. have reached an agreement in principle for 100 Mitsubishi Regional Jets (MRJs), and expect a definitive agreement in the coming weeks. The conditional order is an important boost for Mitsubishi, which in April announced a one-year program delay for the MRJ, pushing entry into service of the initial MRJ90 variant to mid-2015.
Finnair and GA Telesis are in talks that, if successful, would lead to the takeover of the airline’s Helsinki-based, third-party engine overhaul business by the Florida-based service provider.
Boeing is starting to equip a newly built 737-800 with a series of experimental fuel-saving technology features. The aircraft, on loan from American Airlines, flew for the first time in June and will be used as the company’s first “ecoDemonstrator.” The aircraft will demonstrate a series of new systems, propulsion and aerodynamic technologies aimed at potential fuel savings and efficiency gains.
Virgin Atlantic will leave any decision on joining a global alliance until “all the dust and pieces have settled” for service at London Heathrow Airport over the next 12-18 months. “There’s no drive right now to rush into an alliance,” CEO Steve Ridgway tells Aviation Week, although he notes that changes in the competitive environment have driven the airline, which historically has opposed an alliance membership, to give the possibility more serious consideration.
American Airlines CEO Thomas Horton has opened the door to potential mergers during the company’s Chapter 11 restructuring, marking a departure in his strategy to consider consolidation only after the process concludes. “We are approaching the point where we have greater clarity on our revenue outlook and cost structure and can begin to accelerate the plan for the new American,” Horton says in a letter to employees.
Russia’s United Aircraft Corp. (UAC) is conducting an initial study into the possible development of a 130- to 140-seat aircraft. According to UAC CEO Mikhail Pogosyan, such an aircraft would feature a composite wing and other advanced technical features, but he says it is too soon to detail a precise timetable for the project. The aircraft would fill the gap between the 100-seat Superjet 100 and the planned Irkut MS-21, which will offer 150-200 seats
Airbus’s decision to build an A320 final assembly line in Mobile, Ala., is just the start of a campaign to greatly expand its supplier base in the U.S., says the airframer’s top North American official. “We’re spending $12 billion in the U.S. now, and we want to double that over the next 15-20 years,” Airbus Americas Chairman Allan McArtor told Aviation Week at the Farnborough air show. “We’re actively recruiting and trying to qualify additional suppliers for subassemblies and components.”
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers: Berlin Tegel - Frankfurt, June 15-21, 2012, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Top Carriers: Berlin Tegel - Frankfurt, June 15-21, 2012, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Daily Each Way Departures Share ASKs (000) Share Seats/Dept.
Brazil’s civil aviation agency recommends that Embraer 170- and 190-series operators closely monitor aircraft brake wear to prevent debris-shedding brake failures. The problem, revealed in a safety bulletin issued in August 2011 and updated last month, is being caused by cracks in disc grooves designed to minimize vibration, Brazil’s ANAC reports. In the most severe cases, brake assembly lugs are detaching and damaging aircraft or ending up as foreign object debris on airfields.
Conventional wisdom at this year’s Farnborough air show is that the commercial side of the aerospace industry is just gaining steam for a sustained upturn. But Clay Jones is not so sure. The chairman and CEO of avionics supplier Rockwell Collins acknowledges that order books at Boeing and Airbus are huge, and growing. But he worries that economic jitters in the U.S. and Europe and slowing growth in Asia could combine to wallop other segments of the industry, such as business jets, airlines and the aftermarket.
United Aircraft Corp.’s (UAC’s) CEO Mikhail Pogosyan says his company is “analyzing a possible partnership” to develop a widebody with Chinese aircraft manufacturer Comac. Speaking at the Farnborough air show, the head of the Russian aerospace conglomerate said, “We are thinking of critical technologies that we need to have for such an aircraft.” China has tentative plans to develop a new widebody, dubbed the C929. But there appears to be no fixed timeline for development or launch, given that Comac is busy developing the C919 narrowbody.
Hawker Beechcraft intends to sell off its business and general aviation and customer support businesses to China’s Superior Aviation Beijing under a potential $1.79 billion deal. The Wichita, Kan.-based manufacturer entered an exclusivity agreement with Superior as part of an ongoing review of strategic options, and says it “decided to proceed with Superior after determining that its proposal would create the greatest value for the company and position it for long-term growth.”
Irkut President Alexey Fedorov is confident the MS-21 narrowbody jet will gain 10% of the lucrative market for 150- to 200-seat aircraft, despite fierce competition from Airbus and Boeing in the sector. The MS-21, which is in its final design stage, will offer a 5-7% operating cost advantage over the Airbus A320NEO and the Boeing 737 MAX, says Fedorov. This airframe’s aerodynamics and weight will provide fuel burn advantages that cannot be matched by competitors, he adds.
The Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA) anticipates an increasing number of retired aircraft in the coming years and is looking for ways to boost the reuse of their parts and materials, particularly within the airline industry.
Latvian carrier Air Baltic signed a letter of intent (LOI) at the Farnborough air show for 10 Bombardier CS300 aircraft plus purchase rights for 10 more of the type, in an order aimed at replacing some older, leased Boeing 737s set for retirement. Air Baltic currently flies 15 737s—nine -300s and six -500s—and the 120-seat -500s are, on average, more than 17 years old, according to the Aviation Week Intelligence Network Fleets database.
