Air Lease Corp. CEO Steven Udvar-Hazy, whose statements on aircraft programs have long carried significant weight, said Boeing's 737 replacement solution will likely include a larger aircraft offering for which the twin-aisle concept makes sense.
Air Lease Corp. CEO Steven Udvar-Hazy, whose statements on aircraft programs have long carried significant weight, said Boeing's 737 replacement solution will likely include a larger aircraft offering for which the twin-aisle concept makes sense.
Boeing successfully completed the final gauntlet testing on the first 747-8I on March 13. Gauntlet testing simulates flight conditions to test systems and ensures flight readiness. Cabot Aviation arranged the sale of one IAE V2500-A1-powered Airbus A320-200 to Myanmar Airways International on behalf of Cyprus Airways. Copa Airlines took delivery of one Sky Interior-equipped 737-800 from Boeing, becoming the first Latin American carrier to receive the aircraft with the new interior, it said. The delivery brings Copa's 737-800 fleet to 18.
BAE Systems and California-based engine lessor Willis Lease Finance Corp. signed an agreement under which BAE Systems’ Regional Aircraft Asset Management unit will provide aircraft acquisition, remarketing and lease management services to Willis Lease. Willis is looking to expand beyond the engine leasing business into the market for used aircraft. The company in September signaled its shift into the airframe market when it signed an MOU with SuperJet International for the purchase of six Sukhoi SuperJet-100s with options for another four (ATW Daily News, Sept. 3, 2011).
International Aero Engines announced the launch of an upgraded V2500 engine, the V2500 SelectTwo, which will be offered on the A320 family as an "upgrade option" for the V2500 SelectOne. The new variant "is projected to provide [a] 0.58% fuel burn savings compared to the V2500 SelectOne" for a 500 n.m. A320 mission, IAE said. The SelectTwo is comprised of a software upgrade for the electronic engine control as well as a new data entry plug. Entry into service is planned for 2013.
Southwest Aluminum Group signed an aluminum procurement contract with Airbus and EADS for the manufacture and supply of aluminum plate. The China-based supplier’s products will initially supply Airbus’ single-aisle and long-range families.
Russia-based Taimyr Airlines took delivery of the first of four ATR 42-500s ordered in 2010 that also includes options for three more. The carrier, which also operates under the NordStar Airlines brand, will base the -500s in Krasnoyarsk to fly to new regional destinations as well as to destinations such as Novosibirsk, Irkutsk and Ekaterinburg.
International Aero Engines Executive Board of Directors announced the extension of the consortium's collaboration agreement to 2045. IAE, which comprises Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, Japanese Aero Engines Corp. and MTU Aero Engines, produces the V2500 engine for the Airbus A320 family. “We are pleased with the extension of the IAE collaboration agreement to 2045,” said IAE President and CEO Ian Aitken. “After 27 years, we continue to be the industry leader for the Airbus A320 family of aircraft."
Etihad Airways reduced its order for 35 787s by four aircraft and instead exercised options on three 777s to safeguard its expansion, the airline said last week following a report in The Seattle Times.
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said the airline is expecting to receive its first Boeing 787 in January or February 2012. "Over two years' delay," he noted. "But the 787 will be a good aircraft for us."
Boeing selected Leading Edge Aviation Services to apply final paint and customer livery to all North Charleston, S.C.-built 787 Dreamliners, at its Amarillo, Texas facility. The 787s will fly 1,250 m. (1,212 km.) from Boeing’s final assembly and delivery facility in North Charleston to Amarillo, and will then return to South Carolina for final delivery to customers.
Air Canada said it has been notified by Boeing that its first five 787 deliveries, originally slated for 2012 and then pushed back to the second half of 2013, "are now targeted for delivery" during the 2013 fourth quarter and the 2014 first half. "This represents an average delay of between five and seven months from the previous schedule," AC stated, adding that Boeing is still evaluating the schedule for the carrier's remaining 32 787 deliveries.
Lufthansa is in the midst of a €2.8 billion ($3.9 billion) investment program to upgrade its fleet and improve service quality, with arriving Airbus A380s playing a large role.
Boeing said on Tuesday its 747-8 Intercontinental aircraft successfully completed the first engine runs on its GEnx-2B engine. AWAS delivered one new Boeing 737-800 to Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA. The aircraft is equipped with Boeing's Sky Interior. Separately, AWAS said it acquired two Airbus A320-200s from Dublin-based Aircraft Purchase Fleet Ltd. for lease to Alitalia.
Emirates Airline President Tim Clark told ATW at ITB Berlin that all 15 of the airline's Airbus A380s operated for the first time with 100% technical dispatch reliability last week. "We have some hiccups sometimes [with the A380 operation] but the reliability is going up," he said. When EK's first A380 arrived about 220 post-factory modifications had to be made. "Today the number is about 60," he said.
Air Baltic's aging fleet, which includes 14 Boeing 737-300/500 aircraft, creates challenges in managing rising fuel prices, President and CEO Bertolt Flick told ATW this week in Los Angeles. "It is clear that we need a more modern fleet," he said.
Aeroflot placed an order for six GE90-powered Boeing 777-300ERs and two 777-200ERs, the manufacturer said Wednesday, noting the order was previously attributed to an unidentified customer on its website.
Turkish Airlines ordered 10 Airbus A321s and three A330-200 freighters to meet its growth plans in the passenger and cargo markets, Airbus said on Tuesday.
Boeing's slow selling 747-8 Intercontinental got a boost this week as Air China ordered five of the aircraft valued at a combined $1.5 billion based on list prices, although the Beijing-based carrier noted it would get a "significant price concession."
ILFC signed an MOU with Airbus covering orders for 100 A320neo family aircraft including 25 A321neos and became the first of four companies committing to the narrowbody to make an engine selection, choosing Pratt & Whitney's PurePower PW1100G. Deliveries are slated to begin in 2016.
AWAS delivered one Boeing 737-300 to Monterrey, Mexico-based carrier VivaAerobus, a new customer for the lessor. The carrier said it will use the aircraft in its fleet expansion plans and as part of its domestic network.
Bombardier said it recently upgraded more than 9,000 sq.m. of its Saint-Laurent facility to enable it to produce major components including the carbon-fiber aft fuselage and cockpit for its CSeries aircraft scheduled to enter service in 2013. The cockpit will be mated at the facility with the forward fuselage section made by Shenyang Aircraft Corp. in China. The assembly process will include “a fully automated moving line using the latest lean manufacturing principles, and the upgrades include new machinery, equipment and tooling,” it said.
Airbus projected Monday that Asia/Pacific airlines will take delivery of around 8,560 new aircraft valued at $1.2 trillion over the next 20 years, representing 33% of new aircraft deliveries worldwide over the forecast period.
