Boeing said Wednesday it will boost the production rate for the 737NG to 42 per month in the first half of 2014, up from 31.5 currently and planned increases to 35 per month in early 2012 and 38 monthly in the 2013 second quarter.
Boeing said Wednesday it will boost the production rate for the 737NG to 42 per month in the first half of 2014, up from 31.5 currently and planned increases to 35 per month in early 2012 and 38 monthly in the 2013 second quarter.
Virgin America selected CFM's Leap-X engine to power 30 Airbus A320neo aircraft it has on order with deliveries beginning in 2016, becoming the first to choose the CFM offering for the re-engined narrowbody.
Air Lease Corp. signed lease agreements for 25 additional aircraft as it focuses on “providing innovative fleet solutions for airlines around the world,” said ALC Senior VP Kishore Korde.
Hainan Airlines Group subsidiary Hong Kong Airlines plans to place an order for the A380 as it looks to challenge Cathay Pacific Airways and further explore the fast-growing Chinese market, an industry insider told ATW.
Airbus said the first A380 for Malaysia Airlines entered the final assembly line in Toulouse for the final production phase. MAS has six A380s on order and originally was supposed to receive its first in May 2008 ( ATW Daily News, June 22, 2010). Deliveries are now scheduled to begin in 2012.
S7 Airlines, which once planned to operate 15 Boeing 787s before canceling its Dreamliner order, is now firmly focused on building a narrowbody-centric fleet, according to CEO Vladislav Filev.
Bombardier Aerospace announced Tuesday that an unidentified airline has placed a firm order for three CSeries100 aircraft with options for three more. Deliveries of the aircraft will start in 2014.
British Airways took delivery of its 100th Airbus aircraft, an IAE-powered A320. It is the 205th Airbus single-aisle aircraft delivered to International Airlines Group, formed in January following the merger of BA and Iberia ( ATW Daily News, Jan. 24). BA has already taken delivery of two A318s, 33 A319s, 48 A320s and 16 A321s.
Lufthansa completed upgrading its first Boeing 747-400 with new first and economy sections last week. A LH spokesperson told ATW in Frankfurt that this is just “one part of a total of €2.9 billion ($4.14 billion)” fleet restoration program for aircraft interiors through 2015. “This does not include aircraft orders,” the spokesperson explained.
Omni Air International, based in Tulsa, Okla., announced it has received US FAA approval to operate Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, including 180-minute ETOPS authority. It is the first US registered non-scheduled airline to operate the aircraft type in passenger service. It said it will add a second aircraft to the certificate in mid-July.
New York-based Bernstein Research said Boeing is closer to resolving the weight reduction challenges of the 787-9, which will lead to a compelling 787-10. In a client report, Bernstein said that Boeing leadership now believes it can "launch a 787-10 stretch (potentially going as high as 335 seats) that would have a range greater than 6,000 n.m., without requiring a redesign of the main gear or extensive changes to the wing."
Cathay Pacific Airways CEO John Slosar told ATW in Sydney that the airline will examine the viability of very large aircraft for its network over the next two years.
Braathens Leasing Limited, a subsidiary of Braathens Aviation of Sweden, placed a firm order for five Bombardier CSeries100s and five CSeries300s valued at $635 million at list prices, providing a boost to the Canadian manufact.urer's narrowbody aircraft program
ATR said Tuesday it received EASA certification for its ATR 72-600. Flight testing began in the summer 2009 and delivery of the first aircraft will occur this summer to Royal Air Maroc, which ordered four ATR 72-600s and two ATR 42-600s. Since launching the ATR 42-600 and ATR 72-600 programs in October 2007, ATR has received orders for a total of 141 aircraft in the series.
China Southern Airlines said Tuesday in a widely cited filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that it reached an agreement with Boeing to purchase six 777 freighters valued at $1.58 billion based on list prices, although it noted that it received "price concessions" making the cost "significantly lower" than list prices.
China Southern Airlines said Tuesday in a widely cited filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that it has reached an agreement with Boeing to purchase six 777 freighters valued at $1.58 billion based on list prices.
Cabot Aviation arranged the sale of one Airbus A300B4-100F plus two A300B4-200Fs to Kalitta Turbine Leasing, on behalf of TNT Airways SA. The aircraft were phased out of TNT service in 2009. Astraeus Airlines won four contracts to place nine aircraft this summer. Two Boeing 757s and four 737s will be based in Reykjavik for Iceland Express service; “individual Boeing 757s” will be based in Edinburgh and Newcastle; and one Airbus A320 will be based in Croatia.
