Airbus is selecting Hamilton Sundstrand to provide the electric power generating system for the A350 program. The EPGS comprises four 100kVA, 230-volt variable frequency generators and four generator control units. Hamilton Sundstrand estimates total program revenue at about $1 billion. The system will be designed in Rockford, Ill., and made at various Hamilton Sundstrand plants, including those in Rockford, Phoenix, Ariz., Puerto Rico and Singapore.
Embraer plans to wait until the second half of the next decade to introduce a next-generation regional jet despite proposals by two competitors to leapfrog it technologically by using Pratt & Whitney’s new Geared Turbofan (GTF) engine. Mauro Kern, the executive VP who heads the Brazilian company’s regional jet business, says Embraer will study new engine concepts advocated by Pratt’s competitors over the next two years and research other technologies such as alternative fuels and advanced materials before it makes a decision on a new RJ design.
Amtrak, which has skirted any significantly stepped-up security measures since Sept. 11, 2001, is now deploying mobile security units in the Northeast Corridor to randomly search passenger bags.
The Asia/Pacific region may be the land of economic opportunity, but its airlines are heading in the wrong direction when it comes to profitability, IATA’s director general warned Monday in Singapore.
AirAsia has selected Rockwell Collins to provide avionics suites and related maintenance support for its latest Airbus A320 and A330 orders. This deal will bring the total number of Rockwell-equipped AirAsia aircraft to 115.
IATA has signed on as the institutional partner for Solar Impulse’s attempt to fly around the world in a solar-powered airplane. By the deal, signed Monday by IATA chief Giovanni Bisignani and Solar Impulse President Bertrand Piccard, IATA will provide technical assistance to smooth the airplane’s trip around the world. The first tests of the aircraft are scheduled early next year, and the round-the-world flight is expected in 2011.
Seattle-Tacoma Airport’s monopoly position in east Washington, a solid passenger market with high O&D traffic, good air carrier diversity, low debt levels and cost per enplanement and minimal debt needs through 2012 have caused debt watcher Fitch Ratings to give an A+ rating and stable outlook to $27.4 million in airport revenue and refunding bonds.
JetBlue says its Airbus A320 cabin redesign will reduce the aircraft’s weight by more than 1,000 pounds, compared with its existing A320 cabin. The first of the new cabins is installed on the airline’s latest A320 delivery and will also be included in the remainder of the 88 A320s JetBlue has on order. The new seats have a slimmer profile, helping reduce weight, overhead bin space has been increased by 10%, and a new sidewall design has increased cabin interior width slightly.
Airbus for the first time has flown an A320 with a fuel cell to drive on-board electronic equipment, marking another step in the company’s research effort to reduce aircraft fuel burn. The flight using a company-owned aircraft took place on Feb. 15. The fuel cell was used to power flight control and cabin systems. The hope is the use of fuel cells will reduce the need for fuel consumption when on the ground.
Cathay has awarded a MRO contract to Spirit AeroSystems covering the airline’s Trent 800 Thrust Reversers on its Boeing 777 fleet. Spirit is the manufacturer of the thrust reversers, will team with Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company (HAECO) on the contract.
A four-hour ground staff strike at Milan Malpensa and Linate airport caused the cancellation of 146 flights in total yesterday. Three unions — Cgil, Cisl and Uil — had called the strike to protest against the downsizing of Alitalia’s operations in Malpensa.
Airbus says its reduced transition training system will allow A320 family pilots to qualify to fly the A380 in just 13 working days. Reduced transition training — known as Cross Crew Qualification — has now been approved by EASA and FAA for pilots of all Airbus families. The latest approval, for transition from A320 to the A380, was completed Feb. 7. The transition from A330/A340 families to the A380 will take 12 working days.
The major aircraft manufacturers secured some significant orders at the Singapore Air Show this week, with Airbus adding to its A380 backlog and Boeing signing large deals with two Indonesian airlines.
The U.S. Transportation Dept.’s congestion pricing is taking aim at small communities and regional airlines, said the Regional Airline Association (RAA), whose member airlines would be most affected by the proposal. “When it comes to demand management or congestion pricing, we get it…We’re the target,” RAA President Roger Cohen told the audience at last week’s Aviation Week ATC Demand Management Forum. “The goal, the way we feel, is to squeeze us out of busy hub airports, make it so expensive as to reduce the number of flights.”
30 Years Ago Feb. 17, 1978 -- IATA, faced with a $4M deficit, ordered a 20% surcharge on its members and appointed an advisory group to take steps which might be necessary to bring the association within its 1979 budget, including the relocation of the IATA headquarters from Geneva. 20 Years Ago
The Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to test magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology to screen air travelers’ baggage for liquid explosives, the head of the department’s research and development unit says. The ultra-low level MRI technology, developed by scientists at New Mexico’s Los Alamos National Laboratory, is able to differentiate among “probably 200 different” liquids and gels, classifying them as hazardous, non-hazardous or uncharacterized, says Rear Adm. Jay Cohen (retd.), DHS undersecretary for Science & Technology.
Air India’s 68 aircraft order from Boeing, which contains a civil offsets clause requiring fulfillment within a period of 10 to 20 years, has the airframer moving with speed to sign an agreement with TAL Manufacturing Solutions to build fuselage floor beams for the 787.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Ingrid Lee at [email protected] (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) FEB. 21 — Wings Club Luncheon featuring Stephen Finger, President, Pratt & Whitney, Yale Club, New York, 212-867-1770, e-mail: [email protected] FEB. 25-27 — IATA OPS Forum, Madrid, Spain. (International Air Transport Association); +1 514 874-0202 x3207, www.iata.org/events/ops08
