Aircraft & Propulsion

As the region’s oil-driven economies struggle, Middle Eastern airlines seek ways to adapt to declining premium traffic, while growth continues overall.

New routes, partnerships and investments expected to boost Latin American and Caribbean air travel markets

Another high-tempo year beckons for engine makers as commercial production soars, new engines enter flight test and new military powerplants begin ground tests.

The U.S. airline sector has pretty much totally rebounded from the slump of the early years of this century. All sectors seem to be on even keel or thriving.

Test results mark an early step on the path to a new generation of highly efficient airliners designed to take advantage of boundary layer ingestion.

NASA’s unique facility is the first designed to test high-power, flight-weight electric propulsion systems for future single-aisle airliners at full scale, on the ground, before moving to flight testing.

United Airlines took delivery of its first Boeing 777-300ER Dec. 21.

Researchers say everything from single-seat electric air taxis to 45-seat supersonic transports is possible.

A3 unit's Transpose concept would allow different cabin modules that could include brand-name restaurants, gyms, sleeping bunks or soundproof playrooms.

Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Co. (SCAC) has obtained approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the Sukhoi Superjet 100 Long Range (SSJ100LR), which has 50% more range than the basic version, Sukhoi said in a statement.

Iran Air has finalized a much-anticipated firm order for 100 aircraft, comprising 46 Airbus A320s, 38 A330s and 16 A350s, finalizing and changing a tentative agreement from January 2016 that covered 118 aircraft.

Aircraft Briefs-Dec. 21, 2016

Embraer Commercial Aviation has named Arjan Meijer chief commercial officer.

Lufthansa has taken delivery of its first of 25 Airbus A350-900s.

The CFM International LEAP-1C engine, which will power the Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) C919, has gained type certification from both FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Independent South African regional airline Airlink is to add 11 Embraer ERJ 140s, taking it to a fleet of 30 Embraer aircraft that operate alongside other types.

Embraer will launch a new business unit concentrating on services and customer support in the first half of 2017, the Brazilian manufacturer said Dec. 20.

Russia’s Irkut Corp. has begun testing the MC-21-300 aircraft on frequency response.

EgyptAir has taken delivery of the first of nine Boeing 737-800 NGs.

Carriers in South America’s biggest country look for ways to access fresh capital or consolidate to cope with ongoing economic crisis.

Russia’s United Aircraft Corp. expects revenue generated from civil aircraft sales to grow as much as 45% through 2035 from the existing 20%.

A third Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. MRJ90 flight test aircraft has arrived in the US, where the majority of MRJ90 flight testing is taking place.

Global political and economic uncertainties are creating a difficult environment for those in the air transport business and their customers, the head of Embraer believes.

U.S. airlines' new services to Cuba still underutilized as tourism faces obstacles, but carriers remain confident about the future.

Boeing anticipates its Commercial Airplanes unit’s workforce will be reduced by 8% by the end of 2016 compared to January, and it is planning additional employee reductions in the unit in 2017, which could include involuntary layoffs.