Aircraft & Propulsion

Bombardier has confirmed that Swiss International Air Lines will be the first operator of the CSeries, with service entry slated for the first half of 2016.

The CFM International LEAP-1B engine that will exclusively power the re-engined Boeing 737 MAX is now in flight testing.

Aircraft & Engine News-May 7, 2015

Avianca Holdings has firmed an order for 100Airbus A320neo family aircraft, the largest single order ever made in Latin America.

Persian Gulf carrier Oman Air plans to cut two types from its fleet and replace them with larger aircraft as it seeks cost efficiencies.

Boeing is working on a software fix for 787 generator control units (GCUs), but in the meantime FAA has ordered 787 operators to power off Dreamliners at least once every 120 days to avoid the potential loss of electrical power in flight.

Lufthansa Group’s Swiss International Air Lines has finalized an order for three additional Boeing 777-300ERs, valued at $990 million at current list prices.

Vijaywada-based Indian regional Air Costa has ordered three 112-seat Embraer E-190 aircraft, which will nearly double its fleet.

Malaysia Airline System (MAS), parent of Malaysia Airlines, is already seeing significant changes to operations and fleet, following the May 1 start date for new CEO Christoph Mueller, who is former CEO of Aer Lingus.

Airbus is alarmed about German media reports suggesting the German spy agency BND (Bundes Nachrichten Dienst) collected data on European firms, including Airbus, at the request of the US National Security Agency (NSA).

French Polynesian carrier Air Tahiti Nui has finalized an order for two Boeing 787-9s and will lease two more from Los Angeles-based Air Lease Corp.

Airbus and Singapore Airlines (SIA) have begun building a 9,250 sq m training center at Seletar Aerospace Park to house eight full-flight simulators, comprising four A350s, two A320s, one A380 and one A330.

Airbus Group posted a first-quarter net income of €792 million ($880 million), up 80% from €439 million in the year-ago quarter.

Embraer reported a $61.7 million net loss in the first quarter, reversed from a net profit of $110.6 million in the year-ago quarter.

From the May 2015 issue of ATW

Embraer is betting its commercial future on the next-generation E-Jet E2 program, but current generation E-Jets are far from dead. The regional jet manufacturer believes there is still plenty of life left for the “original” E-Jets, particularly the E-175 in the 75-90-seat sector.

The German government had intelligence indicating the danger of surface-to-air missiles in the Ukraine region where Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down last year, according to German media reports.

Aircraft Briefs-April 28, 2015

Spanish carrier Air Europa has launched scheduled flights between Madrid and Miami with its first Boeing 787 as it prepares to take 22 of the new twinjets.

Russia’s Irkut Corp. has reported a 2014 net income of RUB72.27 million ($1.88 million at the 38.4 $/RUB rate), down 16 times from RUB1.17 billion in the year-ago period.

China Eastern Airlines is expected to collect CNY15 billion ($2.5 billion) by circulating non-public (private) shares to expand its fleet and pay off loans.

Singapore has introduced new regulations covering drone usage following a series of incidents at airports and other high-security locations worldwide.

Pratt & Whitney has won the engine selection on Air New Zealand’s firm order for 13 Airbus A320neo family aircraft.

Swiss International Air Lines has confirmed it expects delivery of its first Bombardier CSeries 100 in the first half of 2016, Swiss spokesperson Karin Mueller told ATW.

Airbus has selected Korean Air Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD), the manufacturing division of the Korean Air Group, to supply the new Sharklet wingtip for the A330neo.