BAE Systems announced its Regional Aircraft segment is “refocusing its customer support operation” and will also expand its offering into different aircraft types this year. “In addressing our customer needs and the continuing consolidation in the repair and overhaul market, Regional Aircraft has now developed, and is offering to the market new Total Support solutions to meet the needs of our large European fleet operators,” BAE Systems Regional Aircraft Business-Director Sean McGovern said.
Boeing on Wednesday rolled out its 1,000 th 767—a -300ER passenger model for All Nippon Airways. It is the final 767 to complete assembly on the current production line; henceforth, 767s will be assembled in a new, smaller bay geared toward leaner, more efficient operations. Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Jim Albaugh said, "As we salute the 1,000th 767, the next 767 is already being built in a new bay where we can produce airplanes much more efficiently for years to come."
Airbus said Wednesday it will raise the Airbus A330 production rate to 10 per month in the second quarter of 2013, up from 7.5-8 produced monthly currently. The rate will be first increased to nine per month in early 2012.
International Lease Finance Corp. announced it will open a regional office in Amsterdam this summer, which will be managed by SVP, Head of ILFC Europe, Middle East and Africa Colin Bole. ECC Leasing arranged the lease of three Embraer ERJ-135s operated by Air France subsidiary Regional to Air Namibia. The aircraft are intended to replace some of the African airline's turboprops and are slated for delivery in March.
Emirates Airline plans to take delivery of 14 new aircraft in its upcoming fiscal year beginning April 1, and retain four others it had planned to remove, owing to strong traffic demand. The carrier operates 15 Airbus A380s, a number that will grow dramatically as deliveries ramp up.
Boeing announced that South Africa's Comair ordered eight 737-800NGs. The order was valued at $646 million at list prices and had previously been attributed to an unidentified customer on Boeing’s orders and deliveries website.
When Donald Douglas Sr. said in 1958 at the first flight of the DC-8 that every major advance in aviation had been due to the development of the engine, he couldn’t possibly have imagined the GE90.
Republic Airways Holdings said Monday it will transfer eight Embraer E-170s from Frontier Airlines to contract flying for Delta Air Lines. The aircraft are expected to be placed into Delta Connection service between May and September and will have a term of six years from the in-service date for DL, RAH said. After the addition of these aircraft, the company and its subsidiaries will operate a total of 48 aircraft on behalf of DL: 16 E-175s, eight E-170s, and 24 E-145s.
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker is still "happy" with the airline's relationship with Boeing despite the seventh delay of the Dreamliner program announced last month ( ATW Daily News, Jan. 19).
Titan Airways said it is adding an Avro RJ100 to its 12-strong London Stansted-based charter fleet of four Boeing 737-300s, four BAe 146-200s, one 757-200 and one 767-300ER. The aircraft can provide flexible seating with variable geometry seats, configured for all economy service with 110 seats, six abreast or 55 business class and 43 economy seats.
Embraer announced it entered into an agreement with Ukrainian Aviation Group Alliance member Dniproavia for the delivery of 10 Embraer E-190s with options for another five.
Russian aircraft certification authority IAC AR on Friday approved type certification for the Sukhoi Superjet 100 clearing the way for first delivery of the long-delayed aircraft, which rolled out in September 2007 and made its first flight nearly three years ago.
Goodrich Corp. announced it introduced new lighter-weight main wheel and brake assemblies for Boeing 777-200LR, 777F and 777-300ER models. The new wheels and brakes provide a weight savings of 260 lb. (118 kg.) per aircraft, it said. The new equipment is now standard on 777s delivered with Goodrich equipment and will be available in the aftermarket this month.
TUI Travel ordered two Airbus A330-300s for its French airline subsidiary Corsairfly, which will operate the aircraft on long-haul routes from Paris to the French Caribbean islands, North America and to Indian Ocean destinations. The aircraft will be configured in two classes with a total of 362 seats.
SunExpress, the Antalya-based joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, is setting the stage to launch its new subsidiary, SunExpress Germany, and plans to double its fleet to 50 aircraft by 2015.
Blue1 introduced its fifth Boeing 717 in commercial operations, on scheduled service from Helsinki to Oslo Gardermoen. The carrier will have nine 717s in its fleet by the end of March. Astraeus Airlines confirmed it repossessed one Boeing 737, based in Bournemouth, from R E Bath Travel Services (Palmair) Ltd., after that company was "unable to honor its contractual obligations," the airline said. The original contract was due to run until April 2012.
Airbus announced that GE Capital Aviation Services ordered 12 additional long-range A330-300 aircraft. GECAS said the new commitment brings the total number of A330s ordered by GECAS to 32.
International Lease Finance Corp. in the fourth quarter 2010 entered into 56 aircraft leases, bringing the year's total to 259 lease commitments. The lessor placed 29 Airbus aircraft (15 A319s, six A320s, four A321s, three A330s and one A340) and 35 Boeing aircraft (25 737s, two 757s, one 767, one 777 and six 787s) with 26 customers in 18 countries during the quarter.
ANA outlined its fleet plan for its fiscal year starting April 1, noting that the delayed delivery of the Boeing 787 is forcing it to place additional 767-300ERs on international routes and 737-800s on domestic routes. For the year, it is slated to take delivery of four 767-300ERs while retiring one 767-300 that had been used for domestic flying; take delivery of two 737-800s while retiring four Airbus A320-200s and two 737-500s; and receive three Bombardier Q400s while retiring two Q300s.
ATR in 2010 doubled its aircraft orders and options to 80 orders and 33 options, results that "illustrate the first signs of recovery of the aviation industry in 2010," it said. The company generated revenue of $1.35 billion for the full year, nearly three times its 2005 revenue, and delivered a total of 51 new aircraft, down from last year's 54. Sales, including options, are valued at around $2.4 billion, it said.
