Airbus has determined that an open-rotor-powered A320-class airliner is technically feasible. The next steps are to prove the concept is economically viable, then to demonstrate the propulsion system in flight, which is planned under Europe’s Clean Sky 2 public-private research program.
South African carrier Comair has placed a firm order for eight Boeing 737 MAX 8s, valued at $830 million at list prices. The order, which was placed in December 2013 and logged to an unidentified customer, marks the first MAXs to be ordered by an African airline. Johannesburg-based Comair said the aircraft will be used for fleet renewal and expansion. Today it operates a fleet of 25 737s on flights for budget brand kulula and its British Airways franchise.
US lessor CIT Group is pushing Airbus to make a decision “in the next six months” on whether to re-engine the A330 for a potential 2017 entry-into-service. During a briefing at the ISTAT 2014 Americas conference in San Diego, CIT Transportation and International Finance president Jeff Knittel said the A330 has “historically been the star of our fleet” but is now “at a crossroads … Airbus will need to make some decisions on where they take that aircraft.”
South African carrier Comair has placed a firm order for eight Boeing 737 MAX 8s, valued at $830 million at list prices. The order, which was placed in December 2013 and logged to an unidentified customer, marks the first MAXs to be ordered by an African airline.
Manufacturers of two new entrants in the regional jet market – the Mitsubishi Regional Jet and Sukhoi SuperJet – brought their case for success this week to the ISTAT 2014 Americas conference in San Diego.
Even with 200 firm orders already in place for the E-Jet E2, Embraer expects a number of additional orders for the next-generation aircraft program to roll in this year, particularly from emerging markets.
Indonesia-based Lion Group has signed a training services agreement with Airbus that will see the manufacturer develop training programs that help move the groups’ airlines towards EASA regulatory compliance.
It is rare for Airbus and Boeing to speak in unison, but during a panel discussion at the ISTAT 2014 Americas conference in San Diego, Airbus SVP-leasing markets Andrew Shankland and Boeing VP-marketing Randy Tinseth both identified improvements in 2014 in world GDP, passenger traffic, cargo traffic and airline profitability as main drivers for a boom market for new aircraft deliveries.
Bombardier and Embraer continue to widen their sales focus from the traditional North American and European markets to emerging markets round the world. Speaking at the ISTAT 2014 Americas conference in San Diego, Embraer Commercial Aircraft CCO John Slattery said, “We’re adding customers every year. Our stated objective is to have 100 [E-Jet] operators in 50 countries by the fourth quarter of 2017. We would like to see more [E-Jet sales] activity in Southeast Asia. We would like to have a lot more sales in Russia. And there are also opportunities in Latin America and Africa.”
The ACARS reporting system on the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 was taken off air prior to the pilots’ last radio contact with Malaysian ATC, Malaysian defense and transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein said.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Najib Razak, has confirmed that the Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777-200 operating flight MH370 had its tracking transponders turned off in "what looked like a deliberate action from somebody on board the aircraft."
Swiss carrier Etihad Regional, previously branded Darwin Airline, will lease four ATR 72-500s from Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) marking the start of its transition from an all-Saab 2000 fleet.
Air India, which has had a spate of incidents on its Boeing 787 fleet in the past year-and-a-half, is satisfied with the overall quality of service from the aircraft, according to chairman and managing director Rohit Nandan.
SpiceJet, a low-cost carrier based in India, has announced an order for 42 Boeing 737 MAX 8s. The order, previously listed as unidentified on the Boeing Orders & Deliveries website, is valued at $4.4 billion at list prices.
Saudi Arabian hybrid carrier flynas is considering a flotation and is hoping to renegotiate its firm order for 20 Airbus A320s, plus 18 options, in favor of either A330s or A350s.
