Aircraft & Propulsion

Significantly reduced ETOPS and performance limits plus a new set of mandatory inspections for operators of Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 Package C-powered Boeing 787s are set to cause further disruption to a fleet already under strain from earlier problems and replacements.

Embraer delivered 14 commercial aircraft in the first quarter of 2018, down 22.2% from a year ago, and slowing from the 23 aircraft the Brazilian manufacturer delivered in 4Q 2017.

Central and eastern European LCC Wizz Air will install 239 seats in its Airbus A321neos, which will begin arriving in January 2019.

Rolls-Royce has warned airlines that additional checks of its Trent 1000 engine powering the Boeing 787 will be needed to resolve ongoing issues with the engine’s compressor.

Norwegian regional carrier Widerøe is likely to expand its new fleet of Embraer E2 regional jets with a mix of models, the airline’s CEO said April 12.

Air Tahiti Nui is preparing to inaugurate its Boeing 787s in early November, which will also mark the introduction of its new cabin configuration.

Boeing firmed orders for 196 aircraft in March, valued at approximately $29 billion per Boeing’s 2018 list prices, which, following the Singapore Air Show in February, have risen by about 4.2% compared to last year.

Airbus and Boeing commercial aircraft deliveries for 2018 year-to-date, sorted by most-recent delivery date.

2018 average list prices for Airbus and Boeing commercial aircraft; with passenger seating capacity, cargo tonnage capacity and aircraft flight range.

Airbus—which has been considering upgrades to the A320neo family—is shelving a decision on upgrades in favor of focusing on deliveries as the manufacturer continues to face tough challenges in ramping up production and with the in-service fleet.

Airbus and Boeing commercial aircraft gross orders for 2018 year-to-date, sorted by most-recent date of order placement with manufacturer.

Indonesia-based LCC Lion Air has been revealed as the customer for 50 Boeing 737-10s, boosting the carrier’s already massive order book for Boeing and Airbus narrowbodies.

Scandinavian carrier SAS will take 50 more Airbus A320neos plus five options in a commitment split between Airbus and lessors, enabling the airline to transition to a single-type short-haul fleet by 2023.

A US court ruling has determined FAA is not obligated to force an aerospace manufacturer to supply maintenance instructions to a repair station.

American Airlines plans to equip 320 Airbus A321s to display nearby air traffic on the flight deck via automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast In (ADS-B In).

Car seating specialist Adient is waiting on regulatory approvals so it can begin its aircraft seating joint venture (JV) with Boeing.

American Airlines announced April 6 it is ordering 47 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and canceling its order for 22 Airbus A350s. The oneworld airline is also deferring delivery of 40 Boeing 737 MAX narrowbodies.

Bahraini flag carrier Gulf Air expects to take delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 by the end of this month, the airline said April 6, as it unveiled the first look at its new branding.

Philippine Airlines (PAL), which expects the first of six Airbus A350-900s to be delivered by the second half of June, plans to deploy the new aircraft on long-haul routes later this year.

The weight range for tariffs Beijing plans to impose on US aircraft appear designed to give protection to Chinese airliner types—even if the real aim is to reply to proposed US import taxes.

Safran’s success in ground-testing a counter-rotating open rotor engine is not enough for Airbus, which sees the concept as one option among others.

Aircraft Briefs-April 4, 2018

Swedish cargo specialist West Atlantic has sold two British Aerospace Advanced Turboprop (ATP) freighters to Kenyan company EnComm.

Lufthansa Cargo will market the cargo capacities of Lufthansa Group subsidiary Brussels Airlines from Sept. 1, joining Lufthansa (mainline), Austrian Airlines, Eurowings and Sun Express.

Jet Airways has ordered 75 Boeing 737 MAXs as the Indian carrier looks to the new aircraft to power its future growth.