Aircraft & Propulsion

Aircraft Briefs-Feb. 21, 2019

United Technologies (UTC) continues to take a conservative approach with its commercial aftermarket-growth projection this year, despite signs of high demand across the board.

Safety improvements are also leading to benefits in daily operations.

French all-business class transatlantic airline La Compagnie said it will begin Airbus A321neo service between Paris and the New York area on June 6 after taking delivery of the first of its two new Airbus aircraft in May.

Latvian carrier airBaltic will end Boeing 737 operations in fall 2019, one year earlier than planned, accelerating its transition to an all-Airbus A220-300 fleet.

The A380 is the symbol of Europe’s ambition to become an equal competitor to Boeing. While Airbus reached its target anyway, the program failed.

Consider the two primary sources of NMA demand: upgauging from single-aisle routes and replacements for current single-aisle jets.

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft delivered 20 CRJs and 15 Q400s in 2018, and deliveries are expected to remain at the 35-aircraft level for 2019.

Airbus has firmed up its plans to further increase narrowbody production over the next three years.

Etihad Airways is in talks to drop large parts of its orders for Airbus and Boeing widebodies, in an effort to reduce growth and stem losses.

Airbus announced Feb. 14 it is terminating the Airbus A380 program in 2021, after Emirates cut back the last major order to just 14 more A380s, instead of the 53 it had on firm order.

EASA test pilots have completed the first session of certification flights on Irkut’s MC-21-300 narrowbody, the aircraft manufacturer said Feb. 13.

Aircraft Briefs-Feb. 12, 2019

Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems, a subassembly provider to Boeing 737 and other commercial programs, are practicing for a narrowbody production rate of 57 aircraft a month in Wichita, Kansas.

An aging fleet of widebody aircraft in the Middle East and the need to refresh them will drive higher than average maintenance and engineering growth in the region, according to Boeing.

Safety and noise are the public’s biggest concerns about urban air mobility (UAM), but initial acceptance of the concept is surprisingly high, a public perception survey conducted by Airbus has concluded.

Air Senegal is set to take delivery of its first of two Airbus A330neos soon, and is targeting using its home base at Dakar Blaise-Diagne International Airport as a hub for Western Africa.

El Al Israel Airlines has retired its last Boeing 767-300ER, 36 years after the widebody aircraft entered service.

Latvian carrier airBaltic has appointed New York-headquartered investment bank Greenhill to advise on financing possibilities, which would be used to begin firming 30 Airbus A220 options by mid-2020.

Delta Air Lines on Feb. 7 became the first airline in the Americas to debut the Airbus A220, operating flights between New York LaGuardia (LGA) and both Boston Logan and Dallas-Fort Worth International (DFW).

Cebu Pacific Air has confirmed the Philippine LCC has begun the process for deciding on a new widebody aircraft order, a move it has often discussed in recent years.

Qantas has canceled its remaining eight Airbus A380 orders, after stating for years that it did not intend to take delivery of these aircraft.

United Airlines has unveiled a major increase to its premium-cabin inventory that includes introducing reconfigured Bombardier CRJ700s as 50-seat, two-class aircraft that the airline sees as ideal, scope-clause-compliant replacements for its 50-seat regional jets.

Canada’s Chorus Aviation confirmed Feb. 6 that it has ordered nine Bombardier CRJ900s that will help support its recently announced extension as an Air Canada regional-feeder partner.

Operators of Rolls-Royce-powered Airbus A330s face more frequent inspections of engine inlet cowls following an EASA mandate based on revised recommendations from Airbus.