Aircraft & Propulsion

Saudia is to expand its cargo capacity with the acquisition of two Boeing 747-400Fs.

FedEx Corp. said it has permanently retired or will accelerate the retirement of 86 aircraft and 308 related engines as it continues to modernize its aircraft fleet and improve its global network.

Fast-growing Oman Air has ordered five Boeing 737-900ERs , CEO Wayne Pearce told ATW Sunday on the sidelines of the 2013 IATA AGM in Cape Town.

Lufthansa chairman and CEO Christoph Franz told ATW on the sidelines of the IATA AGM in Cape Town that the carrier is in intense negotiations with Airbus and Boeing about its future long-haul fleet.

After a four-and-a-half-month hiatus, LOT Polish Airlines has re-launched Boeing 787 operations four days ahead of schedule.

Boeing has begun the final assembly on the 787-9 in Everett, Wash. The longer fuselage sections are 20 ft longer than the 787-8.

Rolls-Royce’s Trent XWB engines ran for the first time on the Airbus A350 XWB Sunday (MSN1) as part of preparations for the aircraft’s maiden flight.

China Southern Airlines on Saturday became the first Chinese carrier to take delivery of its first Boeing 787, which will be used as part of its international expansion plans.

The first flight this summer of the twin-engine Airbus A350 widebody jetliner will likely ignite the expected competition with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner and the not-yet-but-expected-to-be-launched 777X.

Throughout its investigation into the Jan. 7 Japan Airlines Boeing 787 lithium ion battery fire, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has posed the same question in various forms: Do advances in aviation technology at times move so fast that they outpace regulators’ ability to develop standards for cutting-edge equipment or manufacturers’ ability to test that equipment to adequately predict the full range of potential in-service eventualities on a new aircraft?

TUI Travel has signed a commitment for 40 Boeing 737 MAX-8s and 20 Boeing 737 MAX-9s, plus options on a further 90 aircraft.

Thomson Airways has taken delivery of its first of eight Boeing 787s, the first to be delivered to a UK airline.

Boeing is establishing new centers for engineering design, propulsion and out-of-production airplane support for its Commercial Airplanes unit.

Aeroflot has taken delivery of its first Sukhoi Superjet 100 in full specification.

Aircraft News

Singapore Airlines has agreed to buy 30 Boeing 787-10s and 30 additional Airbus A350-900s.

AerCap Holdings has entered into a $2.6 billion sale and leaseback agreement with LATAM Airlines Group for 25 widebody aircraft.

Embraer said its E-Jet family has achieved 10 million flight hours since 2004.

Airbus parent EADS is now expecting to secure more than 800 gross orders in 2013, marking a sharp increase on its previous guidance.

Air China and its subsidiary Shenzhen Airlines have finalized an order for 100 Airbus A320 aircraft as the Chinese flag carrier seeks to increase capacity 15.9% in southern China.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) has resumed Boeing 787 flights, beginning with two flights May 26 between Sapporo and Tokyo Haneda.

Air India is preparing to take delivery of its seventh Boeing 787 this week.

Almost 200 flights were canceled and 20 incoming services diverted following an inflight incident involving a British Airways flight that led to the closure of London Heathrow Airport Friday morning.

Qatar Airways Cargo has refreshed its fleet with three new Airbus A330-200Fs. The new freighters replace the same number of A300F aircraft that have been retired from the fleet. Arrival of the aircraft signals a new era for the airline’s cargo operations, Qatar Airways’ CEO Akbar Al Baker said. “The capacity of Qatar Airways Cargo has been significantly increased,” he said.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has granted an airworthiness certificate for the Boeing 787, clearing the way for China Southern Airlines to take delivery of its first Boeing 787 at the end of May or early June.