Aircraft & Propulsion

Swiss air navigation service provider (ANSP) Skyguide has activated an airspace management system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at two airports under Switzerland’s U-space implementation program.

Brazilian LCC GOL Airlines is betting on a rapid increase in its Boeing 737 MAX fleet in 2020 to help it keep costs in check as it continues to grow.

Airbus has begun manufacturing the A220 aircraft at its Mobile, Alabama-based final assembly line, the company announced Aug. 5.

A team of European hypersonic researchers is preparing for wind tunnel tests of a Mach 8 concept that is designed to prove technologies to develop ultra-long-range, high-speed commercial vehicles and air-breathing space launch systems.

Air Seychelles has taken delivery of the first Airbus A320neo to be operated by an African or Indian Ocean carrier.

New Caledonia-based Aircalin took delivery of the first of two Airbus A330neos set to join its fleet this year at a July 30 delivery ceremony in Toulouse, France.

GE’s aviation businesses are seeing some financial disruptions related to the Boeing 737 MAX grounding but expect the issues to fade once the model is back in service, deliveries resume and production ramps up.

Uber remains the driving force behind urban air mobility, focusing its efforts on removing barrier as momentum continues to build.

Aircraft Briefs-Aug. 1, 2019

Spirit AeroSystems plans to continue producing Boeing 737 fuselages at a 52/month rate for the foreseeable future, storing extra inventory now and burning it off once Boeing ramps production up sometime in 2020.

Senior officials from the FAA defended the US agency’s certification of the Boeing 737 MAX as “fundamentally sound” during a US Senate Appropriations Committee hearing July 31.

American Airlines’ fleet of 28 MD-80s is nearing its final flying days.

Airbus reported a considerable jump in first-half net profit, which more than doubled to almost €1.2 billion ($1.36 billion), compared to €496 million a year ago.

A multinational European industry and academic team is in the final preparations for test runs of the first fully superconducting motor prototype.

Air France-KLM confirmed its transformation plans for the Air France fleet July 30 by signing an MOU for at least 60 Airbus A220s while also announcing it will retire the airline’s 10 A380s by 2022.

Boeing 737 MAX operators are betting on late-2019 return-to-service approvals.

Leveraging Europe’s long-running Lapcat program, Stratofly is taking sustainable hypersonic commercial transport research to the next level.

Airbus and Boeing commercial aircraft gross orders for 2019 year-to-date, sorted by most-recent date of order placement with manufacturer.

Airbus and Boeing commercial aircraft deliveries for 2019 year-to-date, sorted by most-recent delivery date.

Shifting macro trends will combine to keep Airbus and Boeing from raising production rates past currently announced levels and hold book-to-bill rates below 1 for the next few years, analysts at Bloomberg Intelligence (BI) conclude.

Virgin Atlantic plans to end its Airbus A340 operations by the end of the year, a spokeswoman told ATW July 29.

Air France-KLM is reportedly set to announce a large order for new narrowbody aircraft as CEO Ben Smith moves forward with a long-awaited revamp of the airline group’s short- and medium-haul fleet.

Singapore LCC Scoot will add 16 Airbus 321neos to its fleet, starting in the 2020 fourth quarter.

Aircraft Briefs-July 29, 2019

As electric technology advances, carriers partner with industry to explore its viability and likely effects on the airline business.